Winteracter

Visual Tools

As well as providing a comprehensive user-interface and graphics library, Winteracter includes a variety of visual development tools:

	Resource Editor	Menu/dialog/toolbar/icon/bitmap/cursor designer
	WiDE	The Winteracter Development Environment
	WED	Text editor with Winteracter/Fortran specific features
	Wizard	Winteracter program generator
	GraphEd	Graph designer
	HelpEd	Windows Help file builder
	Help2HTM	Windows Help to HTML/CHM converter
	PlotConv	Display/convert/print graphics files
	SetupEd	Installation script editor
	WPP	Fortran pre-processor
	IFD2DLG	Convert INTERACTER forms to resource scripts

Resource Editor

The resource editor is Winteracter's core GUI design tool, combining menu, dialog, toolbar and icon/bitmap/cursor editors in a single easy-to-use program.

The resource editor saves user interface definitons as a resource script. The resulting file is incorporated into Winteracter based applications, via the resource compiler and linker. Importantly, the resource script can be reloaded into the editor, allowing your user interface to be edited and maintained by this tool throughout the life of your application.

A Fortran source file is also saved by the resource editor. This contains PARAMETER statements defining identifiers for each item in the resource file. This file is USE'd or INCLUDE'd by a Winteracter program to enable it to refer to items in the resource using meaningful names.

The resource editor can optionally generate Fortran source code to perform message processing or dialog data assignment/retrieval. Both options are sensitive to the identifiers assigned in the resource and provide full control over the messages types or dialog fields to be processed.

Resources window

The entire contents of your program's resource are accessible via a simple treeview window:

Menu editor

The menu editor allows menus to be created in the conventional horizontal+pop-up format or as vertical floating menus.

The initial state of each option (enabled/disabled, checked/unchecked) can be specified. Keyboard shortcuts for menu options can be specified without requiring any additional code.

Dialog editor

Various field types and controls are supported including:

String fields (single line and multi-line)
Menus (list-boxes and combo-boxes)
Push buttons
Bitmaps
Check-boxes
Progress bars
Group boxes
Radio buttons
Trackbars
Treeviews
Numeric fields (integer, real and double precision)
Spinners on numeric fields
Independent foreground/background colours for each field
Tab controls (to create multi-part tabbed dialogs)
Grid controls (see below)

Grids are a particularly powerful spreadsheet-like field type. These are invaluable when entering array based data. Grid controls designed in the resource editor can be used both in dialogs and in resizable dedicated 'grid windows. Grid controls incorporate row/column cut+paste features allowing easy data transfer to/from 3rd party applications such as Excel or Word.

A set of alignment tools help to simplify dialog layout.

A 'test drive' option is also provided allowing developers to quickly try out their dialogs without having to recompile/relink their application.

Toolbar editor

Toolbars can be created from the supplied bitmap buttons or from customised buttons created using the built-in image editor (see below).

Where a toolbar is used to provide shortcuts to options in a conventional menu, such a toolbar can be added to your program with only a single line of code. Your existing menu handling code will then automatically process toolbar selections too.

Tooltips (or bubble help) can also be specified for each button. Adding these tooltips requires no extra coding.

Images for toolbar buttons can be created using the built-in image editor (see below) or 3rd party tools. Alternatively a selection of suitably sized images are supplied with Winteracter.

Image editor

The resource editor includes a built-in image editor which can be used to create icons, bitmap buttons and cursors. Both 16 and 256 colour images can be created at any size between 8x8 and 64x64 pixels. Pixel, line, rectangle, ellipse, text, fill and mirror/flip drawing tools are included plus cut, copy and paste facilities. Full colour control is also available.

WiDE

WiDE is our development evironment, which integrates the creation and management of Winteracter based projects via an easy-to-use interface. It offers a credible alternative to compiler/platform specific IDEs:

	Written by Fortran people for Fortran people.
	Edit, compile, link and run via a single interface.
	Quick and easy to learn and use.
	Same interface for all compilers, on both Windows and Linux. No need to learn a new IDE next time you change compiler or platform.
	Powerful built in Fortran/Winteracter aware editor (WED). Or, if you prefer, use your own favourite editor instead.
	Smart compilation error/warning detection, with option to jump direct to error line(s) in editor.
	Customisable filetype associations allow virtually any type of file to be maintained as part of a WiDE project. Add external applications as user programs.
	Built-in WYSIWYG resource editor to create/maintain menus, dialogs, etc.
	Compiler options can be set just as they would be from the command prompt.
	Incorporate your own subroutine libraries.
	Built-in pre-processor (WPP) can be invoked automatically during compilation, if source needs to target multiple compilers/environments.
	Separate Release and Debug configurations for each project. Optionally invoke the debugger which was provided with your compiler.
	Support for Fortran and C compilers, allowing C code to be called from Fortran applications, if required. Win32 C compilers: Microsoft, Intel, Borland, Fujitsu, Absoft or Salford. Linux C compilers: GNU or Intel. (Note: In normal usage, a C compiler is not required. This feature is for the benefit of advanced users who are comfortable with mixed language programming.)
	Access to Winteracter's other visual tools.
	Context sensitive help.
	Easy access to all of Winteracter's on-line documentation. Customisable Help menu also allows you to add your own favourite help files.
	Make facility reduces compilation time (choice of built-in make or interface to Polyhedron Software's Automake).
	Access to compiler command line help information.
	File viewer with hex dump option.

Project Creation

Creating a new project is simple and flexible. Choose from:

	Generate a substantial Winteracter program tailored to your requirements with the application Wizard
	Use a template project with the minimum functionality required of a Winteracter application.
	Start with nothing created for you, with the option to instantly import all files in a directory. A simple way to integrate previously written code with WiDE.

Resource Editor

The built-in resource editor provides the same functionality as the stand alone equivalent (the latter is included for the benefit of those who prefer to work from another environment such as the command prompt). The contents of your program's resource (i.e. its menus, dialogs, toolbars, icons, cursors, etc.) are all directly accessible simply by clicking on the Resources tab. Just double-click on any of your application's user interface resources to display that component in the WYSIWYG resource editor.

Fortran Tools

WiDE also provides various Fortran source manipulation utilities, including :

	Extract Routines : Allows the extraction of subroutines and functions into individual files.
	Fixed to Free Format : Converts fixed format Fortran 77/90 source into free format.
	List Routines : List the subroutines and functions within a file or files. A search string may be specified, in which case only those routines which contain the string will be listed. The results dialog allows the built-in WED editor to open the relevant file, positioned at the selected routine.
	Pre-process : A built-in version of the WPP pre-processor.

WED

WED is a standard text editor with many Winteracter and Fortran specific features. It is built into our interactive development evironment (WiDE) and is also provided in stand-alone form for the benefit of those who prefer to use a different environment.

Along with the usual text editing facilities, WED offers the following additional features:

• Insert Winteracter library call : Automatically inserts a template call to any Winteracter routine, selectable from a categorised treeview.
• Insert Winteracter symbolic name : Insert one of the many pre-defined parameter names provided for use with with Winteracter library calls, selectable from a categorised treeview.
• Insert resource identifier : Insert the name of any dialog/menu/etc. component in the current application's resource file, again selected from a categorised treeview.
• Insert dialog put/get code : Insert Fortran code to put or get dialog values.
• Insert message processing : Insert a message processing routine, to handle a selectable set of event types. Menu-specific and/or dialog-specific processing can also be included, when this option is used from within WiDE.
• Insert new routine : Insert a skeleton subroutine or function.
• Insert colour number : Insert 24-bit RGB value or 3-value WRGB function call.
• Insert file : Insert an external file.
• Insert date/time : Insert today's date or the current time.
• Syntax highlighting : Comments, strings, types, intrinsics, keywords, logical operators and Winteracter routine names highlighted in Fortran source. Highlighting also applied when editing C, HTML, resource, header and batch files. Supported on screen (Win32) and printer (Win32/Linux).
• Fortran aware printer listings : Syntax highlighting on both mono and colour printers. A subroutine index can be generated and each routine can optionally begin on a new page.
• Multiple buffers : Edit up to 20 files simultaneously in the same editor window.
• Find All : Show all occurrences of a string. Includes an option to show the name of the Fortran routine in which each matched line is contained.
• Find Routine : Jump to any Fortran subroutine, function, module, program or block data in the current source file, selectable from an automatically generated alphabetical list.
• Find Difference : Compare contents of two editor buffers.
• Goto Line/Column : Go direct to a specific line or column number
• Goto bracket : Bracket matching
• Comment/Uncomment : Comment or uncomment blocks of text with a single keystroke or menu option. Filetype sensitive.
• Indent/Unindent : Indent or unindent blocks of text with a single keystroke or menu option.
• Save Selection : Saves the currently selected block to a file.
• Code generation options : Control over style/layout of automatically generated source code.
• Subroutine help : Place the cursor over a Winteracter routine name and hit Ctrl+F1 for a quick argument summary.
• Mouse wheel : Supported under both Windows and Linux.

GraphEd

GraphEd is an interactive Presentation Graphics plot designer for Winteracter developers. The user selects their graph type and then manipulates the display to get the output they require. Styles, axis, labels, fonts and colours can all be altered. Once the graph is complete it can be saved as Fortran source code for use in a Winteracter program.

GraphEd allows the creation of all of the Winteracter supported graph types including bar charts, pie charts, line plots, 2D and 3D contour plots, etc.

HelpEd

HelpEd is a help file builder which provides two main functions:

	Overall management of the help project. The main window contains facilities to add, remove and re-order topics. Control is also provided over the appearance of the finished help file. The main window also contains facilities for the creation of an optional table of contents.
	Editing of individual topics. This is carried out using the RTF facilities of the Winteracter text editor. The editor's menu is extended with additional options specific to the editing of help topics. Both text and pictures can be included in the help file.

HelpEd maintains the source help file set in Windows Help format (i.e. as a set of rtf/cnt/hpj files) but can generate the final help file in any one of three formats:

	Windows Help (HLP) : Suitable for display by the winhlp32 program which is standard on all Win32 platforms. Compilation of the HLP file requires the Windows Help Workshop (supplied with recent versions of Lahey LF95, Compaq Visual Fortran and Absoft Pro Fortran).
	Windows HTML Help (CHM) : This format superseded HLP format around the time of IE4 and Windows 98. Supported as standard on Windows 98/Me/2000/XP. Requires IE4 on Windows 95/NT4. Compilation of the final CHM file requires the Microsoft HTML Help Workshop.
	HTML : Help files generated in HTML can be viewed in browsers such as Netscape, IE or Mozilla, on any platform.

Help2HTM

Help2HTM converts Windows Help file sets to one of two formats:

HTML : Files can be viewed in Netscape 4/6/7, Mozilla 1.x or Internet Explorer 5/6. (Other web browsers can also be used, subject to web browser quality considerations.) A Javascript contents/index control is generated, as appropriate, providing a user interface similar to that of the Windows CHM format. View the current Winteracter release notes to see an example of a HTML file set generated by Help2HTM.

HTML Help (CHM) : Files can be viewed using the Windows HH help viewer, which is standard on Windows 98/Me and 2000/XP. HH is also present on Windows 95/NT4, where IE4 or later is installed. (Note: Only the Windows version of Help2HTM generates CHM output. Compilation of the final CHM file requires installation of Microsoft's HTML Help Workshop.)

Help2HTM allows on-line documentation to be maintained in a single source format, while targetting both Windows and Linux. The same documentation can also be made available to Internet or intranet users.

Help2HTM is primarily designed to be used with HelpEd, our Windows Help file builder. In fact HelpEd includes a built-in version of Help2HTM, as of v5.0. However, Help2HTM can also be used standalone to convert Windows Help files created using some third party tools. For example, it has been used successfully to convert help files created in Microsoft Word.

Help files can contain both text and graphics. Windows bitmaps and metafiles contained in, or referenced by, the source help file are automatically converted to PNG format in the output file set.

PlotConv

PlotConv is a useful utility for viewing, converting and printing various Winteracter-compatible graphics file formats. Supported input formats include BMP, PCX, PNG, CGM, HP-GL, HP-GL/2 and (under Win32) Windows metafiles. Images can be viewed in a window or in a preview field. Multi-page images are supported and may be stepped through.

Various conversion options are included, depending on the input file type. Target output formats include all of the supported input formats plus EPS, SVG and DXF.

Graphics files can be printed via Print Manager (under Win32) or to HP PCL and Epson printers (under Linux). Printing in PostScript, HP-GL/2 and HP-GL formats is also supported on all platforms.

As an added bonus, PlotConv can be redistributed with Winteracter based applications.

SetupEd

SetupEd is the Winteracter install script editor. It allows the user to create and maintain scripts for use with our generalised Windows-based install program, SETUP which is also included free of charge. (Note: SetupEd and the generic installer are supplied with the Windows version of Winteracter.)

Unlike some installation builders, SetupEd does not require that your full installation file set be in place before creating the installation script. In addition, it can customise and test the dialogs and backdrops used in the install program. Its Verify option can be used to determine if all referenced files are in their correct locations.

Various installation functions may be achieved including the setting of environment variables, file associations and Start menu shortcuts.

The generalised installation program is freely distributable with Winteracter based applications.

WPP

Winteracter includes a Fortran pre-processor (WPP) which may prove useful if you need to target multiple platforms/compilers or generate multiple progam configurations. Unlike a macro pre-processor, WPP uses standard Fortran comment lines to identify pre-processor conditions and condition dependent code. Hence, the original source code and any generated code remains fully standard conforming code capable of being compiled directly.

WPP is supplied in two alternative forms:

• A version is built into WiDE, allowing code to be pre-processed transparently as part of the compilation process. WiDE also provides a GUI interface to WPP under the Fortran Tools menu, for the purpose of 'one-off' pre-processing.
• A command line version of WPP allows it to be used in batch procedures or shell scripts.

The source code syntax is extremely simple, providing a quick and convenient solution to a common problem.

IFD2DLG

IFD2DLG is a useful utility for existing INTERACTER users. It allows conversion of INTERACTER form definition files into Winteracter dialogs. These scripts can then be edited/imported by the Resource Editor, ready for use in Winteracter based applications.