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- This is the readme file for plugin support under MaxBase.
-
- If you have questions about this (or any other) topic, please
- redirect your comments to maxmars@pianeta.it (me, the author).
-
-
- 1) First of all, what are plugins, and why do I need them?
-
- Plug-ins are simple Java applets/applications, or even native code
- applications which get called by MaxBase when the user presses
- certain buttons on the MaxBase panel.
-
- You can expand the functionality of MaxBase (a graphical front end for
- the RXDbase database class), without having to modify its source files.
-
-
- 2) What can plugins do?
-
- They can use the informations in the records or field names at their will.
- You can make a plugin to execute calculations on quantities, to make
- reports, to launch applications, all you want.
-
- Want to send E-mail to someone? Just make a simple name-surname-email
- database and write a plugin which calls your favourite browser,
- specifying mailto:email@address as a parameter.
-
-
- 3) Care to expand? Examples, anyone?
-
- In the plugins.zip file you will find a template for building
- a NetRexx application which will act as a plug-in (although it does
- nothing - insert your code to make it do useful work), and a first,
- simple working example (show image files) which calls an applet,
- the GifShow from NetRexx slightly modified to make it accept parameters.
- Note: you need to have the command APPLET (JDK?) to make it (GifShow) work.
-
- The exact procedure to build a plug-in is this:
- a) copy plugin.nrx into nameofyourplugin.nrx
- b) customize it!
- Plugin.nrx comes with many comments, and there is a section of code
- which communicates with MaxBase, retrieving the name of the fields
- of the currently loaded database, and all of the selected records
- values.
- c) Compile it.
- d) Add to the file plugin.ini (you may have to create it) two lines:
- nameofmyplugin (es: Show Image)
- nameoftheapplicationtorun nameofthefiletolaunch (es: java ImgShow)
-
- warning: only use ASCII editors to edit this file (OS/2's e.exe,
- for example, does add an extra byte at the end of the file and this
- confuses MaxBase)
-
- Done! Now fire up MaxBase and you will notice that as soon as you
- login to a database, in the main panel "nameofmyplugin" will appear
- as a button. Select one or more records and press this button. Your
- application will be launched.
-
- To quickly test a simple plugin, just unpack plugins.zip, fire up MaxBase,
- login to the database imgs, select one record and press "View Text-Image".
-
- It's all for now, folks.
-