HowTo_Tinker.txt

Path: rwd_files/HowTo_Tinker.txt
Last Update: Fri Dec 24 20:32:10 PST 2004

RwdTinker framework for RubyWebDialogs

RwdTinker is a web brower interface to and system for developing programs

Usage

How to Use the Tinker framework Program (rwdtinker)

  1. stand alone application
  2. framework for building applications
  3. Open brower windows with html documents

The GUI interface used is RubyWebDialogs

Start the program by typing ruby init.rb

Then point your web browser to: localhost:7705/

Installing Applets

  • unzip an applet
        You can download an applet created by someone else
        put the file in the zips directory
        unzip the directory into the program directoy
        unzip randomapplet.zip
    
        This should right the needed files in the correct directories
    

Viewing a installed Applets:

Go to "List Scripts" tab

     You can get a list of all installed applets by clicking the listfiles button

      To see the text of a install file
       Type in the name of the file you want.

       type it without the inf ending
       rwdapplet-0.1

       Then click the "View Installed File" button

       If it finds the file it will open it. It displays the text the search box.

Adding Applets

To add code, commands and gui tabs

Move program files into a directory under the code directory. Move gui files into a directory under the gui directory.

 The gui directory name you create is important, because the gui
 rwd file is built in alpha order by directory name

There are two ways to add applets to the directories.

 Creating code
  • Manually write code and gui files
        The files go into your code directory
        the filenames for code do not matter
    
        The gui files go into your gui directory
        The gui files need to be in order by name and end with .rwd
    
        If you need a config file that goes in the configuration directory
    
     internationalization and localization are helped by replacing the
      gui files in the subdirectories under gui
    

Documents

  when you click on a document name, the document should pop up in a
  browser window, or in another browser tab.

To exit, press the x inside the browser window.

Languages

 You can add tranlations in the lang subdirectory
 You change the $lang constant in Tinker config file in the configuration directory
 You can see one translation on the install applet tab, after you have installed and applet

Requirements:

RubyWebDialogs - I am using 0.1.2

 This package you downloaded should have a runtime version of
 the needed rubywebdialog files

Ruby I am using version 1.8.2

I have tested this under Linux-Debian kernel 2.6.9

Operation:

The code files reside in the code directory and are combined before the main Class is loaded

The rwd files in gui are combined before the gui is activated

Translated text reside in the lang directory

Installing:

untar the file tar zxvf rwdtinker-x.y.tar.gz then cd to the directory cd rwdshell-x.y then start the init.rb program file ruby init.rb Then point your browser at localhost:7705 or where it tells you. Trouble shooting:

If the program is not working, try looking at the ev subdirectory. That is where the runtime of rubywebdialogs are.

for long term installation, I would suggest putting most files in a lib directory like /usr/lib/rwdshell then make a writable directory the local directory for command files to be written like ~/rwdshell

Closing the browser doesn’t terminate the application. You have to use the application’s close-button And terminating the application doesn’t terminate the application when running in network mode. You just log out.

Don‘t use the back-button of the browser! Strange and unpredictable things may and will happen!

RubyWebDialogs is a platform independent graphical user interface for Ruby applications. It generates HTML and serves it with an internal HTTP server, so you can use your favorite web browser as the front end for your Ruby application. All this means, that it can be used on almost every platform, like Ruby itself. www.erikveen.dds.nl/rubywebdialogs/

Credits

Thanks go to:

  • Matz, for creating Ruby in the first place.
  • Erik, for creating RubyWebDialogs.
  • Charlotte, my wife for coming up for the name Tinker.

License

rwdtinker is copyright © 2004 Steven Gibson. It is free software, and may be redistributed under the terms of the GPL licence:

  For more information see:

rwdapplications.rubyforge.org/wiki/wiki.pl

For more information about RubyWebDialogs see: www.erikveen.dds.nl/rubywebdialogs/index.html

Thanks, Steven Gibson

Changelog:

version 1.23

 moving diagnostic tab and applet handling tabs to second window
 added selection panel tab to choose secondary windows.
 

version 1.2

 added gemspec for creating a rwdtinker.gem
 added rdoc comments

version 1.1

 changed order of elements on install applet tab
 Add more i81n ablility - added lang directorys for language hash files
 added in test file using WATIR stands for "Web Application Testing In Ruby,

version 1.0

 Improved name selection in zips and applet screens
 added rubyslippers applet and rwdrefreshacpi applets as zips

version 0.9

 Fixed bug introduced in 0.8 - code files not sorted correctly - class end was not in correct location
 updated RubyWebDialogs for people who do not have it installed
 added rwdschedule applet as zip file

version 0.8

 changed location of code files
 only directory of code files needs to be added to inf file
 changed location of gui files
 only directory of gui files needs to be added to inf file
 Added constants in conf file for code location and gui location
 removed all zips not yt updated to new directory layout
 change loading of conf files to not need intermediate file
 and favicon.ico

version 0.7

 moved changelog to HowTo_Tinker.html
 copied english gui text to the dirs I think we should translate to
 update backup zip files to newest versions
 upgraded the ev directory - for those who don't have RubyWebDialogs

version 0.6

 updated version number
 changed merge name to rwdtinker.rb

version 0.4

 added zip listing and installing - Linux only

Version 0,3

 changed name to Tinker

Version 0.2

 added some i18n directories for the gui files

Version 0.1

 first public version released
 includes document screen
 Open Photo screen
 included configuration directory
 zips directories
 installed directory
 installed applet lister

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