[REBOL] Re: Make_user_manual.r ?
From: brett:codeconscious at: 22-Jan-2002 23:44
Hi 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.
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.
A dialect for presenting a series of named topics could be useful. Each
topic could include field setting statements, simulated user actions and
commentary. The same dialect could be used for producing web pages, or for
doing a real time demonstration.
<snipped very good comments>
The only really concrete thing I can contribute right now you probably
already know:
to-image
e.g
view layout [image to-image layout [text "this is an image"]]
Building on your naming idea. You could write functions to search the layout
to find specific elements and call actions as needed. You wouldn't
necessarily have to name buttons - just use their text to refer to them.
Though subsquent changes to the text could cause problems.
Another line of thinking.
insert-event-func. It provides the ability to intercept every event, but
working out
how such events are treated by VID and your program could be tricky.
Another alternative, ratbag idea, is to write a brute of a program that will
take a layout and replace every action function it can find in the layout
(all the way down) with a new function that (a) fires some recording event
and (b) calls the original action. The problem with this is what scheme can
be used to identify the action recorded so it can be saved and loaded later?
Your name idea might be useful here. I wonder if there are others - path to
face?
Another problem could be that some fields don't have actions. In which case
the program might have to insert them in order to provide the recording
hook.
Again, great idea!
Brett.
