Amiga Computing - Commodore Is Awesome

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GRAPHICS
new feature5
Ithere are many updated functions and commands as well as new
ones In this version of CanDo Below are just a few examples.
Improved
Border Requester; Font Requester: Contig CanDo: Document
Object Tool: Field Object Tool: Menu Object Tool: Proportional
Object Tool: Timer Object Tool: Screen Definition: Window Editor;
Window Options.
New
Editor Tools: ARexx Buffers: Brush Effects: Palette Effects;
Librarian Objects: Variable Browser.
Object Tools: Align Object: BufferManager: LastScript Print;
Text VariableManager.
Script Editor: Calculator; Help Menu (now uses AmigaGuide):
Lexicon Assistant.
need to know, you have to look in two separate
places before you are guided to the
right area, This might not be a problem in a
40-page manual (you could probably flip to
the right page anyway, with practice), but in
this monster it is quite a nuisance.
The resemblance of the manual to the
accompanying on-line help is further
reinforced by the fact that the entry for a
command in the manual is exactly matched
by that in the on-line documentation. There
are no added examples or explanations
which is a great shame as it can be quite
frustrating to have to search through all that
documentation, only to find that the explanation
you were looking for isn't there -
only a command template. I think my
solution is going to be to get some dividers
for my manual to at least make my
searching easier.
BETTER BY DESIGN
The Tutorial manual is much improved
over the rather simple examples provided
with CanDo 1.5. There are complete script
breakdowns, and the features demonstrated
are, for the most part, a little more interesting
and useful than showing a picture of
a rabbit and a porcupine. They skip over
certain features, but I think that in all my
years of trying software tutorials I have
never found one that explained absolutely
everything, and I'm aware that other people
might have different priorities.
One of the other features that was sorely
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Amiga Computing
MAY 1995
lacking in my previous version of CanDo
was support for system file requesters, confirmation
requesters, and so on. In my old
copy of CanDo. if I wanted to have a file
requester for my programs I would actually
have to make a separate 'deck' (which is
what CanDo calls the programs it creates)
that contained the file requester I would
have to write myself, then call that deck up
from my original program.
Well, now CanDo supports calls for ASL
requesters and allows you to use the
command AskForResponse, which puts a
standard Amiga DOS requester on the
screen, of the 'Are you sure you want to
quit?' variety. These requesters are proper
AmigaDOS ones and can have their choices
selected with the left Amiga-V or -B keyboard
combinations. If you are using ARC
then these requesters do pop up in the middle
of the screen.
CanDo 3 now has a special effects feature
which can be used for transitions
between brushes, palettes or pictures,
much like that which comes with Scala, and
which takes exactly as long as you want
them to - no matter whether you are using
them on a humble A500 or the fastest
A4000 going_ In addition to its already good
brushanim support, this feature will guarantee
fans who want to further jazz up their
presentations.
TUTORIALS
CanDo's brushanim support is amply
demonstrated in two of the tutorial scripts
provided One is one of those practically
ubiquitous lottery number picker programs,
but this one is really nice as you can see by
the picture on the previous page. The balls
with the numbers on are actually all from
one brushanim which shows a ball with the
numbers from 1 to 100 on it.
CanDo then simply sets the brushanim to
whichever frame is required to show the
correct number. Simple and effective. The
other tutorial is an interactive drive-through
of an endless city, created by having
brushanims for moving straight ahead, turning
left and right and doing a U-turn.
But I don't want to cast too much of a
downer on CanDo. It is probably the only
way I am ever going to be able to produce a
standalone program which could be run by
anyone. II is an incredibly powerful program
which can be used for things from the simplest
button-based toolbar, through databases
and spreadsheets to multimedia
applications
ACH
tditor tools
CanDo's complete set of editors include.
Align Object - lets you neatly arrange the
elements in your program on a grid basis.
ARexx - this tool is for defining a script INV
will occur when your program receives a
message through its ARsoc( port.
Bookmark - this comes in very handy wher
you have a lot of scripts. In the script editor
one of the first buttons down the right-hano
side is the Bookmark button. Clocking on the
makes CanDo take a note of the script you
are editing_
BrushAnim - this is for editing the
BrushAnims that are going to be used by
your program. It isn't used as a drawing
package.
ButterManager - brings up a requestet
showing all current buffers and their contents
and lets you play around with them.
Button - one of the most used tools. This
lets you create buttons of all shapes, colours
and sizes, which can be dragged, singleclicked
or double-clicked on_
Confi gCanDo - basically CanDo Preis
lets you edit vanous aspects of the CanDo
interface to suit your tastes.
Disk - this tool is for the creation of scripts
when a disk is inserted into a drive or
removed.
Document
- or scrolling L e t s text box in your program.
yField o - u this one lets you create text or
inumeric n c fields o for your program
GamePort r p o r - lets you determine what poystice
a
or mouse
t e
actions do in your program.
Keyinpul - lets you set keyboard-controlled
a
events in your program.
l i
LastMark
s
- Bookmark this you set, without having to use the
t
jBookmark u m tool.
v
pLastScript s - this jumps you straight to ths
i
ylast script o you edited.
e
u
Menu - this tool lets you create menus fur
syour
program which can be standard text
s t r
a i g
h t
t
o
t
h
e
l
a
g
-
based ones, or contain images.
MenuRender - lets you perform a sonpt
before the menus are created for a program
ObjectLayer - this lets you rearrange the
relative depth of your buttons, fields. etc.
Print - this will print out your complete deck
or parts of it, as you like.
Proportional - lets you create proportions
gadgets (sliders) for your application.
RighlMousebutton - you can attach scepts
to a right mouse button event with this toot.
Routines - CanDo lets you have routines
that are independent from the normal scripts
and this tool lets you access them directly.
Sound - this lets you attach scripts le
sounds played in your application.
SuperDuper - A tool to make copies ce
buttons. fields, etc.
SuperMover
- more this objects around your interface using an
tx.y ooffset. o l
lText e - tthis s tool is for placing text into your
yprogram_ o
VariableManager - this brings up a list of the
u
variables in your program and lets yes
m o
manipulate them.
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