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1995-03-01
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ShowBasic 1.0
=============
Copyright (c) 1995 MIKSoft, Inc.
Tutorial/Demo/Training/Presentation Development Kit
---------------------------------------------------
ShowBasic for Windows v1.0 is a new Windows development kit for
creating interactive demos, tutorials, computer-based training
materials, authoring presentation and multimedia titles. The unique
approach of ShowBasic allows developers to create programs that
control other Windows application by emulating Windows input devices -
mouse and keyboard. The complete or partial interactive session can
be either recorded using the special recorder tool that generates
ShowBasic source code. Using this code as a basis, programmers
then add code to create pop-up windows with text and/or graphics,
dialogs and routines to handle special events.
The presentation quality might be achieved by using special transition
effects, sprite animation, decorations and highlighting effects.
Multimedia sound and video (WAV, MIDI and AVI) are supported.
CBT titles and tutorials employ ShowBasic's ability to watch and
react on certain events: keyboard and mouse actions, window
activation and deactivation, focus change, closing of windows and
Windows messages. Many specialized functions support DDE,
communications with Program Manager, compressed and compound files,
wallpaper control and more.
ShowBasic's ability to call functions in external DLLs provide
access to Windows API and allows to extend functionality of
ShowBasic applications. For example, Autodesk Animator Windows
Player can be integrated with any ShowBasic program by using API in
AAPLAY.DLL. At the same time ShowBasic programs can be
controlled from another Windows application that allows to call
functions in external DLL.
ShowBasic is designed to be very cooperative with other Windows tools
and applications. This means that often the power of ShowBasic
can be combined effortlessly with the power of other tools and use
the best features of each. For example, ShowBasic doesn't have
a hypertext capability. However ShowBasic application can control
WinHelp application and/or can be controlled by it. This is how
cooperation and integration of different tools can be achieved in
one project.
ShowBasic demo is available on CompuServe (sbdemo.zip in WINSDK forum)
and on Internet (ftp.cica.indiana.edu /pub/pc/win3/demo/sbdemo.zip).
For more information, contact:
MIKSoft, Inc.,
37 Landsdowne Road,
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
tel/fax (908) 390-8986
CompuServe: 74127,3671
Internet: mik@cnj.digex.com
Features outline.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ShowBasic allows to build standalone applications or add-ons to another
applications in the following areas:
- Computer Based Training (CBT) materials for any Windows
applications;
- automated product demos/presentations which control application
itself (do not depend on snapshots of the application's screens);
- independent Windows based tutorials that may use any other
Windows applications or be self-contained;
- independent presentations;
- integration of existing applications;
- macro-extension for existing applications;
- Windows utilities;
Scripting engine:
================
- Full featured Basic language implementation includes:
* Source code interpreter;
* P-code compiler;
* Run time P-code interpreter;
- Unlimited language extensions by means of using custom dynamic link
libraries, access to full Windows API or any other DLL;
- Interpreter can be "embedded" into users' application or called from
WinHelp or any other program that allows to start another Windows
application or able to access functions in an arbitrary DLL;
- Ability to multithread: any Basic program can spawn another Basic
program either suspending until the "child" is terminated or running
with the "child" concurrently;
- Ability to handle certain events that are triggered as a result of
interaction with the user, therefore allowing asynchronous, event driven
subroutines.
Emulation, application and interaction control:
===============================================
- Ability to start any application and wait until it is terminated
(optionally).
- Locating any window (control) based on its caption text or class;
- Window or application forced termination;
- Switching focus/activation;
- Complete emulation of standard Windows input devices: keyboard and
mouse;
- Virtualization of screen/application dimensions to uniform
emulation in different video modes;
- "Smart" mouse actions: ability to emulate mouse actions in
Windows controls and menus based on control/menu labels instead of
physical screen coordinates;
- Ability to watch and react to certain Windows events:
* keyboard and mouse actions;
* window's activation/deactivation;
* window's focus change;
* closing of windows;
* Windows messages;
- Extensive system, window or current state information;
- DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) support;
Interaction features:
====================
- Dialog boxes templates defined as part of the Basic language and allow
to use any standard Windows controls as well as custom Windows controls
implemented in DLLs;
- Several enhanced controls are included and supported: "picture-button" and
"progress bar";
- "Event handlers" can be attached to any control or a dialog itself
("event handler" is a subroutine that is called asynchronously when
some event is triggered by user's interaction with a control);
- 3-D control effects;
- Pictures on the background: bitmaps (BMP, DIB, RLE) or Windows metafiles
(WMF, CLP).
Presentation features:
=====================
- Sprite animation;
- Dynamic pop-up windows presenting graphics from bitmap files (BMP,
DIB, RLE) or Windows metafiles (WMF, CLP);
- "Transparent" graphics support;
- Dynamic replacement of the picture (or part of the picture) on a pop-up
window;
- Dynamic construction or extension of the picture on a pop-up window using
typical graphical constructors: lines, rectangles, polygons, filled
areas, ellipses, text blocks; picture clips (bitmaps or metafiles);
- Transition effects as in "slide show" type presentations for pop-up
windows (a very rich set of effects);
- Special window decorations including "shadows" and "pointers";
- Special highlighting effects as dynamic color change, "zoom" and
"spotlight";
- Animation or sequencing using Microsoft Video AVI files;
- Sound support:
* MIDI sounds;
* WAV sounds;
* ability to play tunes using the PC internal speaker;
Miscellaneous:
=============
- Program Manager DDE control support;
- Compound files with compression support;
- File copying;
- Wallpaper control;
- Ability to combine in one executable P-code of several programs and
required presentation files: bitmaps, metafiles, sound files, etc.
- Self-extracting compressed executables including ShowBasic runtime;
Utilities:
=========
- ShowBasic DialogThief (dialog description generator);
- ShowBasic Recorder;
- ShowBasic Executable Compressor;
- ShowBasic Development Environment.