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Feature
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Benefit
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Visual Language
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Visual functions with inputs and outputs
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Function as a picture you can select and move
promotes reuse
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Links for passing data between functions
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Pass data values between functions without
declaring any variables
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Constant values
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Required for a complete visual language
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Repeats (loop)
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ditto
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Pick Ones (conditional)
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ditto
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Packages (block)
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Allows you to collapse subdiagrams; makes
visual programs scaleable with limited screen real estate
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Error Handlers (exceptions)
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Required for robust error handling - errors
are noticed rather than ignored by default
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Ordering links (control flow)
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Required for a complete visual language;
allows you to constrain the order of execution from full parallelism to full serialization
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Comments
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Important to capture the programmers intent
for posterity
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Forms (modal dialog boxes)
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Required in order to interface to the user
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User-defined records
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Important in order to minimize visual clutter
or map external record data (e.g. databases) into the visual world
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Global record values
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Simplifies access to key data values used
throughout a program
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Data types: Integer, Decimal, Boolean, Text,
List, Record, Time, Money, Pointer, Error, Object, IDataObject, and types derived from
these
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Required for a complete visual language
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User-defined data type conversions (programmer
can define an automatic conversion from any type to any other)
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Simplifies programming, particularly for end
users and others not wanting to deal with strong typing.
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Links to remote connectors
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Allows deeply nested functions to refer to
data in outer functions; can eliminate links; important to minimize visual clutter
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Code generation (Java, C/C++)
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(OEM Version only) Can be used to improve run-time performance
and/or portability. Other languages can be added.
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Editor
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"Direct manipulation" of most
language features
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Ease of use
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Windows 95 style user interface
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Ease of use
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Infinite Undo/Redo
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Allows you to back out a change
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Journaling
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Means that if the computer crashes you can
resume where you left off, not where you last remembered to do a SAVE.
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Dynamic syntax checking (when connecting
links)
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Means you can't even create a syntactically
incorrect program
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"Gravity" to help make proper
connecting links
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Editor attracts you to the nearest connectors
having a compatible data type; ease of editing
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Implicit type conversions
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Ease of use
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Dynamic type inferencing
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ditto
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Navigation aids (e.g. finding functions using
a function, history, home)
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ditto
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Automatic flowgram layout
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ditto
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Scaleable icons (Windows metafiles)
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Allows you to treat a program as a set of
pictures; you decide how big (important) a function's picture needs to be on the screen
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Zoom In or Out
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Allows you to scale up to large programs
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Printing
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Hidable labels, and auto-show when needed
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Eliminates visual clutter
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Components Catalog
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Hierarchical Tree of folders for components
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Rapid access to components (one or a few
clicks to any component)
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Find (search for components)
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Allows you to search large libraries of
hundreds of components
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Navigation aids (e.g. finding functions using
a function, recently modified, or deleted)
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ditto
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Multiple cabinets (component libraries)
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Supports large scale development by multiple
organizations
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Permission bits on components and folders and
cabinets
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Allows a component creator to protect the
integrity of published components and libraries
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User supplied component descriptions
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Allows you to document functions you create
for your users
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Help file and help context on components
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Click to view the component-creator's help
text
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Automatic Help file source generation
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Fully integrated automatic generation of help
text from your component descriptions
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Small/Large/Text-only Icon views
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Ease of use and scalability
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Rapid Component Creation and Reuse
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Replace selected functions with flowgram or
package
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Eliminates visual clutter by letting you
condense and collapse diagrams as you please, as well as turn subdiagrams into new
reusable components with a few clicks
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Expand function or package in place
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ditto
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Replace constant with inlet connector
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ditto
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OLE Automation Wizard for building visual
components automatically, from IDispatch or from Type Library
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Allows you to connect to the vast world of OLE
components provided by others
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Supplied clipart
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Allows you to use appropriate or distinct
pictures for your new functions without necessarily using a drawing tool
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Icon creation using standard Windows drawing
tools
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Allows you to use ANY picture you want for a
function - just draw it or import the picture
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Visual Debugging—Step, Pause, examine
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Direct manipulation program debugging
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Export application as a Program Manager item
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Simplifies application creation
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Visual Components and Run Time
Functionality
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Arithmetic, File and Directory, List, Logical,
Text, Time, User Interface, DDE, Error
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Required for a complete visual language
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Controlling OLE Automation applications using
OLE Automation Wizard created components
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Allows you to create an application that
drives other PC applications, getting data from or putting data into them
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OLE Linking to other applications such as
spreadsheets for run-time access
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Allows you to copy a cell in a spreadsheet and
then paste inside the visual program to create a live link to that spreadsheet data
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System access such as Launch Application, Find
Window, Send Keys
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Allows you to control applications that may
not have DDE or OLE interfaces
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Callout to DLL shared libraries
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Allows you to interface to external program
libraries
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Help file and help context on errors
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Ease of use
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Runtime exception trapping
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Helps you create robust programs and detect
runtime errors
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Documentation and Examples
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Online documentation
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Ease of use
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Context-sensitive help
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ditto
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Example applications
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Help you get started
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Microsoft Excel component examples
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Built in support to interface to Excel
spreadsheets
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Microsoft Word component examples
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Built in support to interface to Word
documents
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Platforms
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Windows 95 / 98 / NT / Vista / Windows 7 |
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