Mailing List Archive: Re: Make_user

[REBOL] Re: Make_user_manual.r ?

From: sunandadh:aol at: 22-Jan-2002 12:04


Sunanda:
> > Suppose I redid those 6000 words of text in (say) make-doc format. And
>  > embedded in them was a "click-stream" to run the application, add data,
>  > scroll, etc; and then capture the screen image and insert it in the
>  printed
>  > document.

Brett:
>  What a wonderful idea! I'd say everyone that uses Rebol/View would love it.
>  It seems to be to be very closely related to those training wizards that
>  demonstrate the actions and the results. It is probably also closely
related
>  of those recruitment tests that meaure a user's performance in completing a
>  task in an application.

Thanks to Brett,  and to Maartin and Robert who have also responded.

I think it's a great idea too. After all, if it existed today, it'd save me a
whole bundle of work. And, if it is technically feasible (and that is what I
don't know) and within my compass as a Rebol dabbler, writing it will be a
lot more fun than working for a living.

Let me throw in a concrete example, and as if anyone can find a way to do it
in this mini-application.

Here's an application that displays two windows:

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = Rebol []

unview/all
View/new/offset L1: layout [
    l1-choice1: choice "red" "white" "Blue"
                [l1-box1/color: get to-word first value
                 l1-box1/font/color: 255.255.255 - l1-box1/color
                 show l1-box1
                ]
    l1-box1: box 300x200 red "box 1 on layout 1"

] 100x100

View/new/offset L2: layout [
    l2-choice1: choice "pink" "wheat" "maroon"
               [l2-box1/color: get to-word first value
                l2-box1/font/color: 255.255.255 - l2-box1/color
                 show l2-box1
                ]
    l2-box1: box 200x300 pink  "box 1 on layout 2"

] 300x300

do-events

= = = = = = = = = = = = = I want to run this application automatically, change the two 
boxes to blue
and maroon respectively, and then capture:
1. The image of Layout1
2. The image of L2-box1

To do this, we can instrument / reengineer the application in any way, e.g.:
-- a Script Arg might tell it to Return to the invoking script rather than
issue the do-events).
--The invoking script might run down the layouts changing the Actions, or use
insert-event-func to add control magic.

The method used should be sufficiently general so it can be extended to
handling typing values into text fields, setting check boxes and so on.

I'm happy at this stage to ignore modal actions like request-date.

Any ideas?

Sunanda.