ShowBasic 1.0

Tutorial/Demo/Training/Presentation Development Kit

ShowBasic for Windows v1.0 is a new Windows development kit for creating
interactive demos, tutorials, computer-based training materials, authoring
presentation and multimedia titles. The unique approach of ShowBasic
allows developers to create programs which control other Windows
application by emulating Windows input devices - mouse and keyboard. The
complete or partial interactive session can be either recorded using
special recorder tool or written manually. In both cases result is the
ShowBasic program code. Using this code as a basis, programmers then add
code to create popup windows with text and/or graphics, dialogs and
routines to handle special events. The presentation quality might be
achieved by using special transition effects, sprite animation,
decorations and highlighting effects. Multimedia sound and video (WAV,
MIDI and AVI) are supported. CBT titles and tutorials employ ShowBasic's
ability to watch and react on certain events: keyboard and mouse actions,
window activation and deactivation, focus change, closing of windows and
Windows messages. Numerous specialized functions support DDE,
communications with Program Manager, compressed and compound files,
wallpaper control and more.

ShowBasic's ability to call functions in external DLLs provide access to
Windows API and allows to extend functionality of ShowBasic applications.
For example, Autodesk Animator Windows Player can be integrated with any
ShowBasic program by using API in AAPLAY.DLL. At the same time ShowBasic
programs can be controlled from another Windows applications which allow
to call functions in external DLL.

ShowBasic is designed to be very cooperative with other Windows tools and
applications. This means that in most cases the power of ShowBasic can be
combined effortlessly with the power of other tools and use the best
features of each one. For example, ShowBasic doesn't have a hypertext
capabilities, but WinHelp or MediaView do. However ShowBasic application
can control WinHelp application and/or can be controlled by it. This is
how cooperation and integration of different tools can be achieved in one
project.

ShowBasic demo is avalable on CompuServe (sbdemo.zip in WINSDK forum) and
on Internet (ftp.cica.indiana.edu  /pub/pc/win3/demo/sbdemo.zip).

MIKSoft, Inc.,
37 Landsdowne Road,
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
tel/fax (908) 390-8986
CompuServe: 74127,3671
Internet: mik@cnj.digex.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Features outline.

ShowBasic allows to build stand-alone applications or add-ons to another
applications in the following areas:

 - Computer Based Training (CBT) materials for any Windows
   applications;
 - automated product demos/presentations which control application
   itself (do not depend on snapshots of the application's screens);
 - independent Windows based tutorials which may use any other
   Windows applications or be self-contained;
 - independent presentations;
 - integration of existing applications;
 - macro-extension for existing applications;
 - Windows utilities;

Scripting engine:

 -  Full featured Basic language implementation includes:
      * Source code interpreter;
      * P-code compiler;
      * Run time P-code interpreter;
 -  Unlimited language extensions by means of using custom dynamic
    link libraries, access to full Windows API or any other DLL;
 -  Interpreter can be "embedded" into user's application or called
    from WinHelp or any other program which allows to start another
    Windows application or able to access functions in an arbitrary
    DLL;
 -  Ability to multithread: any Basic program can spawn another Basic
    program either suspending until the "child" is terminated or
    running with the "child" concurrently;
 -  Ability to handle certain events which are triggered as a result
    of interaction with user, therefore allowing asynchronous, event
    driven subroutines.

Emulation, application and interaction control:

 -  Ability to start any application and wait until it is terminated
    (optionally).
 -  Locating any window (control) based on its caption text or class;
 -  Window or application forced termination;
 -  Switching focus/activation;
 -  Complete emulation of standard Windows input devices: keyboard and
    mouse;
 -  Virtualization of screen/application dimensions in order to
    uniform emulation in different video modes;
 -  "Smart" mouse actions: ability to emulate mouse actions in
    Windows controls and menus based on control/menu labels instead of
    physical screen coordinates;
 -  Ability to watch and react to certain Windows events:
     * keyboard and mouse actions;
     * window's activation/deactivation;
     * window's focus change;
     * closing of windows;
     * Windows messages;
 -  Extensive system, window or current state information;
 -  DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) support;

Interaction features:

 -  Dialog boxes templates defined as part of the Basic language and
    allow to use any standard Windows controls and custom Windows
    controls implemented in DLLs;
 -  Several enhanced controls included and supported: "picture-button"
    and "progress bar";
 -  "Event handlers" can be attached to any control or a dialog itself
    ("event handler" is a subroutine which is called asynchronously
    when some event is triggered by user's interaction with a
    control);
 -  3-D control effects;
 -  Pictures on the background: bitmaps (BMP, DIB, RLE) or Windows
    metafiles (WMF, CLP).

Presentation features:

 -  Sprite animation;
 -  Dynamic popup windows presenting graphics from bitmap files
    (BMP, DIB, RLE) or Windows metafiles (WMF, CLP);
 -  "Transparent" graphics support;
 -  Dynamic replacement of the picture (or part of the picture) on
    a popup window;
 -  Dynamic construction or extension of the picture on a popup window
    using typical graphical constructors: lines, rectangles, polygons,
    filled areas, ellipses, text blocks; picture clips
    (bitmaps or metafiles);
 -  Transition effects as in "slide show" type presentations for popup
    windows (a very rich set of effects);
 -  Special window decorations including "shadows" and "pointers";
 -  Special highlighting effects as dynamic color change,  "zoom" and
    "spotlight";
 -  Animation or sequencing using Microsoft Video AVI files;
 -  Sound support:
     * MIDI sounds;
     * WAV sounds;
     * ability to play tunes using PC internal speaker;

Miscellaneous:

 -  Program Manager DDE control support;
 -  Compound files with compression support;
 -  File copying;
 -  Wallpaper control;
 -  Ability to combine in one executable P-code of several
    programs and required presentation files: bitmaps, metafiles,
    sound files, etc.
 -  Self-extracting compressed executables including ShowBasic
    run-time;

Utilities:

 -  ShowBasic DialogThief - Dialog Description Generator;
 -  ShowBasic Recorder;
 -  ShowBasic Executable Compressor;

 ============================================================
 From the 'New Product News' Electronic News Service provided
 via AOL (Keyword = New Products) & Delphi (GO BUSINESS PROD)
 ============================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the 
 company or author mentioned. For additional details, please 
 contact them directly at the address/phone number indicated.
 All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
 ============================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  U.S.A.
 Email: RBakerPC (AOL/Delphi), rbakerpc@delphi.com (Internet)
 ============================================================
