The Atari Compendium/The Atari Compendium (Toad Computers) (1994).iso/files/umich/demos/hl_demo.lzh/HYPERDES.TXT

Text File | 1991-06-28 | 6KB | 206 lines

HyperLINK™
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What is HyperLINK?

HyperLINK can be viewed as quite a
number of things.  Most simply, it is a
managing program for any (reasonable)
number of HyperLINK Applications and
Modules.

A HyperLINK Application can be
something as simple as a flat filing
system, or as complex as a mini word
processor or relational database.

A HyperLINK Module is more of a "tool",
for use by HyperLINK Applications in
manipulating or collecting data, or
controlling external devices or actions.
A simple example of a HyperLINK Module
is a routine to convert graphics for
display in a database Application, or a
driver for a CD-ROM or Laserdisk, as
well as sound, music, and speech
Modules.

The true power of HyperLINK lies in its
Hypertext-like capabilities.  Hypertext
is a system (or theory?) developed
mostly in 1970's that aspires to replace
normal, linear text with smaller text
topics "linked" to each other.  This
system can be applied beyond simply text
to encompass data, graphics, sound, and
external control as well (these days,
this is popularly called Multi-media).


An example of Hypertext

As a simple example of Hypertext,
imagine a file listing software for the
ST.  In the title page, you select the
heading "Multimedia Applications", and a
list of available multimedia programs is
displayed, possibly with some
information on multimedia programs in
general.  You then select HyperLINK
from this list, and a page of
information on HyperLINK is displayed.
If it were a very comprehensive file, it
might even let you select topics like
"hypertext" and "database" and look up
general definitions or explanations.
Or, from the HyperLINK description, you
could select JMG Software's name and be
shown a list of all the applications we
develop and general information about
us.  (To take things one step further,
under our company listing you could
select "ST Software" as being our
specialty, and that link could take you
right back to the table of contents of
the ST software guide - a complete
circle.  That's the fun of hypertext.)

An example of HyperLINK

One of the simplest examples is the
Message/Address/Calendar Application set
developed for HyperLINK.  The phone
Message App lets you take standard phone
messages, enter them on a graphics-based
screen and store them in a database.
But then, to call up information on a
company or a person named in that
message, just click on the name and it
will display the Address book form with
any information available.  Then you
could click on the Appointments link and
it would display on the Calendar form
any appointments made with that person.
You could then zoom in on one
particular day's schedule, and even go
look at the Address or Message record
of someone else from that day.

Another example developed is a "Music
Sampler", which uses a HyperLINK module
to control the Atari CDAR CD-ROM Player
in music mode.  It would display a list
of CD's on which data has been entered,
and let you pick one to sample.
Assuming you put the correct CD into the
drive, it would give a list of all
tracks on the CD, and from it's database
provide information on each track.  You
could then call up an extended
information screen on that track,
providing some history or information,
or you could call up text on the
composer/artist or author (with picture
of course).  All while having the
computer play the requested selection
for you.


HyperLINK capabilities

HyperLINK can create links between any
sort of data (one Application to
another) and Modules. All you have to
define is how to do the link, and
HyperLINK will do the rest.  For
instance, Hyperlink has a build-in dBASE
compatible database manager.  It
automatically knows how to look up a
name found in one database from
another, you just tell it what fields to
use.  For more involved links, you can
include custom modules for the
application.  An assortment of such
modules is provided with HyperLINK, and
any others can be added at any time (ie
programmed in C and loaded into
HyperLINK with it's Module-load
feature).

Each Application is provided its own
windows for its forms, so a full history
of links can be present on the screen
at the same time, and you can
effectively edit all the data displayed
at the same time.  A single application
(ie the Message App) can have multiple
windows displayed at one time as well
(making this the first program to use
the "cluttered desktop" metaphor).


Some Specs:

- Fully dBASE III / dBASE IV compatible
database manager included.

- Support for Moniterm and other
special monitors; support planned for
all TT graphics and colour capabilities.

- "Launch" feature to run other
programs from within HyperLINK; includes
parameter passing and clipboard use if
the destination program supports it.

- dBASE data support, Text Support,
Graphics Support, Digitized Sound
Support, Speech Support, and HyperLINK
Module Support all standard.

- Document hypertext capability
standard, allowing use of existing or
new text files as hypertext documents
or HyperLINK control forms.  (ie link
text to text, text to graphics, or text
to another HyperLINK form, Application,
or Module.)

- Ability to actively link two
computers together to share, real-time,
information.  (Serial or Midi).

- "HyperLINK Module Protocol" will be
published and distributed public domain
to allow third parties and experienced
end users to create HyperLINK Modules
for special purposes.  (Use of custom
HyperLINK Modules will effectively
allow virtually anything to be linked to
anything.)

- Allows compiling "HyperLINK
Applications" into stand-alone programs
that may be distributed either
commercially or public-domain.

- To be distributed with sample
HyperLINK Applications: Message, Phone
List, Address Book, Calandar and To-Do;
Document Hypertext Sample;
Database-Graphics-CDROM Sample.


The possibilities are endless....

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HyperLINK™ was developed by :
JMG Software International Inc
892 Upper James Street
Hamilton, Ontario
Canada  L9C 3A5

Phone [phone],  Fax [phone]

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