EuroTAAC Utrecht, NL 24.02.2000 Tamer Çatalkaya Abt. E.I.S. TU BS The Home-Made PageHistory List Tamer Çatalkaya TU Braunschweig Department of Integrated.

EuroTAAC Utrecht, NL 24.02.2000

Tamer Çatalkaya Abt. E.I.S. TU BS

The Home-Made PageHistory ListThe Home-Made PageHistory List

Tamer Çatalkaya

TU Braunschweig

Department of Integrated Circuit Design

[email protected]


Tamer Çatalkaya Abt. E.I.S. TU BS The Home-Made PageHistory List

ContentsContents

Introduction

The Authorware history list

The Concept of the home-made PH list

Implementation highlights

Conclusion



IntroductionIntroduction

the Authorware history list helps to track the activation of icons attached to a framework icon




most of the tracking work is controlled by Authorware

the user has the option of the following settings– window title of history list

– amount of list entries to hold

– whether the list should be closed after selecting a page

beyond these options it is not possible to control the list




however, the author might prefer to control the following in addition:

– font of list entries

– strings entered into the list

– whether to add an entry, independent of the order in which the icons are called

– to scan or search the list entries




Example: Unwanted problems

two framework icons are used within one application

1st framework icon holds some pages

2nd framework icon holds some special procedures, which are called out of the pages




Example szenario: jump from 22ndnd Page Page to ColorsColors

and further on to UpdaterUpdater and back to 33rdrd Page Page




Example szenario: jump from 22ndnd Page Page to ColorsColors

and further on to UpdaterUpdater and back to 33rdrd Page Page

this gives you an entry in the history list, which can’t be avoided



The Authorware history listThe Authorware history list

to develop the home-made PageHistory list, first to develop the home-made PageHistory list, first we have to analyze the behavior of the AW we have to analyze the behavior of the AW history listhistory list

Question is:Question is:

““How does the Authorware history list behave?”How does the Authorware history list behave?”




““How does the Authorware history list behave?”How does the Authorware history list behave?”

the history list appears in its own window, separate from the application window

every time a new page is entered, the list gets an update– the new entry gets on top as the first element

by double-clicking a list entry, the application jumps to the according page

by minimizing the application window, the history list disappears, too, and comes back if the app. is called out of the taskbar




In fact this is nothing else than a interprocess communication between two applications.

AuthorwareApplication

History List




This can be done by two Authorware applications, too.



(history list)



Concept of the home-made PH listConcept of the home-made PH list

the idea is to create two Authorware applications1 the home-made PageHistory list, which can be simply used within

other projects, too

2 a test environment showing the functions to be included into your own application, to run the home-made PageHistory list

AWTest environment

PageHistory list




Every time the user changes the page, the application must submit the page name to the history list

AWTest environment

PageHistory list




Every time an entry is selected out of the PageHistory list, the application must change to the according page.

AWTest environment

PageHistory list




the PageHistory window can be moved and closed independently from the application window

by minimizing the application window, the PageHistory window hides, too, and gets back to the screen by maximizing the application window


AW App.

PageHistory list

Start




for the listbox implementation we use the HListBox.U32– easy to use Listbox functions– with a complete function set to manipulate a Listbox– is part of the Authorware Attain package

to do some system calls we use functions out of the BudAPI.U32 and the WinAPI.U32

– both are very powerful libraries




AuthorwareApplication(AW-App)

PageHistory list(PH-list)

calls the PH-list,and is passing its handle

via the clipboard







via the clipboard

if AW-App stops running, PH-list will quit itselfif AW-App gets minimized, PH-list will hide







via the clipboard


"RecordsLocation" onthe harddisk

user.his

ld.his

every time a newpage is entered,

these two files are written

every time PH-listdetects the file id.his

it reads in the file user.his







via the clipboard


"RecordsLocation" onthe harddisk

user.his

ld.his

gotoPage.his

every time a newpage is entered,

these two files are written

every time PH-listdetects the file id.his

it reads in the file user.his

if a line isselected by double-clicking,

the file gotoPage.his is written

every time AW-Appdetects the filegotoPage.his, it

reads it in



Implementation highlightsImplementation highlights

Show me how it works!

(a short demo)




The “Write out” of the list

the name of each page is added to a variable by calling the page

– if one of the pages should not appear in the list, simply don’t add its name to the list

– if a different name should appear, simply add another name than the page name to the list*

*need some small modification




to detect a chosen entry in the PageHistory list, the application is watching the gotoPageFile

if SystemSecond > watchTime than “have a look”

– calculate the new watchTime– if gotoPageFile exists, then “jump” to

the according page

The watchDog of the AW-App




The watchDog of the PH-list

while waiting for some interaction, the PH-list tracks the status of the AW-App window

every time the timer triggers– the status of the PH-list is set according to the

status of the AW-App (minimize or hide)

– in addition the presence of the file loadHistory is checked, which indicates an update of the PH-list



ConclusionConclusion

We have seen how to implement the home-made PH-list after some small modification the PH-list can be used as a

– bookmark list– content list– glossary list, etc.

This example shows you: how to implement two different types of timers

how to pass values by writing them out and reading them in, and via the clipboard

how to call system functions with which the state of a target window can be tracked



ConclusionConclusion

Thank you for your attention.

The PageHistory list demo and the sources are available at: the EuroTAAC Site www.cs.tu-bs.de/eis/catalkay/aw4.html

EuroTAAC Utrecht, NL 24.02.2000 Tamer Çatalkaya Abt. E.I.S. TU BS The Home-Made PageHistory List Tamer Çatalkaya TU Braunschweig Department of Integrated.

Documents

list slide

list entry

authorware history list

aw history list question

eurotaac utrecht

font of list entries

rd page slide

pages slide