[Manifold-l] macro-makers / scripters

Mon Oct 23 17:19:24 CDT 2006

I'm certainly with you. I have used MapBasic for many years and find it
very easy to use for developing both simple and more complex
applications.
As a newbie to Manifold, I recognised the power of Manifold's
implementation of SQL, but could sometimes do with a helping hand of the
sort MapInfo's MapBasic window provides. The MapBasic window VERY useful
for intercepting commands/queries as they are executed through the user
interface. Often the syntax generated in the MapBasic window can then be
copied and pasted directly into a MapBasic script which is a very handy
feature. 
It would be great to have something similar in Manifold even if only for
intercepting the SQL issued by the query toolbar.

Dan

	-----Original Message-----
	From: manifold-l-bounces at lists.directionsmag.com
[mailto:manifold-l-bounces at lists.directionsmag.com] On Behalf Of SCISOFT
	Sent: Saturday, 21 October 2006 12:31 p.m.
	To: manifold-l at lists.directionsmag.com
	Subject: [Manifold-l] macro-makers / scripters

	Re AutoIT and QuickMacros: I just cannot imagine that such a
product would have any "access" to the Manifold scripting engine. Tell
me if I'm wrong - but I think that even installing these and trying
would be a waste of time! 

	As has been indicated many times before, a number of people
believe that Manifold needs richer events. Just having some variation of
a "macro recorder" isn't enough for many serious coders. A few people
whose opinions / comments I respect have made a reasonable case for
this, here and on the Manifold Community website. 

	But having script echoing would be good. In contrast to 1 or 2
recent comments, I would predict a very big impact on those who are now
very tentative about beginning any Manifold scripting (and the common
Manifold answer to any question is "write a script"), by the
implementation of an "echoing" function. 

	That's certainly why the MapBasic (MB) scripting language in
MapInfo Professional has taken off, over many years - in the "immediate
window", users can see the simple statements that have been executed. MB
is not so object based, so my guess would be that implementing something
equivalent in Manifold might be a little tricky. What is very good about
MB is that it has a limited but very useful set of events that allow
simple icon-based user-defined tools to be easily created (to sit on a
button toolbar). What is very bad about MB is that it has an extremely
awkward way of defining forms or dialog boxes (no visual designer).
Despite all of that, the user fraternity of MapInfo has created a huge
array of user tools, for various specialist purposes. 

	Some of these tools (which are just encapsulated or modularized
scripts, put into a compiled package - a MBX file that the GIS itself
can run - and sometimes associated with a button on a user a toolbar, or
a menu) are very simple, others are elaborate and part of very
sophisticated work flows and have been supplemented by other extensions.

	Some of that is possible within the Manifold Add-Ins model. 

	As we all know, Manifold provides a lot more, for free, than
MapInfo does. MB is a significant extra cost (more than the total cost
of a mid-range Manifold license). 

	Manifold Net Ltd may regard MapInfo as an insignificant player
(or is it that some people have too much ESRI focus?) in their market
segment, but there are features of MI that I would like to see adopted
within Manifold. Over the past 2 or 3 years I have occasionally espoused
these, but I'm a lone voice I think. 

	IL Thomas
	GeoSciSoft  - Perth, Australia

________________________________

	From: manifold-l-bounces at lists.directionsmag.com
[mailto:manifold-l-bounces at lists.directionsmag.com] On Behalf Of Linus F
Upson III
	Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 3:54 AM
	To: JBurn_GIS; Simon Linder; Dimitri Rotow;
manifold-l at lists.directionsmag.com
	Subject: Re: [Manifold-l] Manifold reference clients

	I'll try AutoIT but I really think my scripter would be based on
Manifold natives (or scripts) which operates similar to ERDAS Imagine's
query machine but has a built-in "preview" capability (like PhotoShop's)
for both tabular and spatial 'tentative results,'  which in turn are
actively updated as the script is assembled and tested.  

		----- Original Message ----- 

		From: JBurn_GIS <mailto:jburn_gis at cogeco.ca>  

		To: Linus F Upson III <mailto:lupson at cox.net>  ; Simon
Linder <mailto:slinder at widernetworks.com>  ; Dimitri Rotow
<mailto:dar at manifold.net>  ; manifold-l at lists.directionsmag.com 

		Sent: Friday, 20 October, 2006 12:40 AM

		Subject: Re: [Manifold-l] Manifold reference clients

		While I'm not sure I agree w/ Simon's other points - we
have high school co-op students with no former GIS training figureing
those things out within a day or so; I agree that a macro maker/editor
would be grand.  I think I suggested it to sales in the form of a new
kind of component.  However, in the meantime I would suggest you look at
either AutoIT (free) or QuickMacros (I think its ~$30).  Both are
program independent "macro makers".  AutoIT will even make them into a
nice executable ... which could be added to Manifold as an add-in;-)

		Cheers.

		---------------
		James Burn BSc, GIS(pg), AScT

			----- Original Message ----- 

			From: Linus F Upson III <mailto:lupson at cox.net>

			To: Simon Linder
<mailto:slinder at widernetworks.com>  ; Dimitri Rotow
<mailto:dar at manifold.net>  ; manifold-l at lists.directionsmag.com 

			Sent: Friday, October 20, 2006 12:06 AM

			Subject: Re: [Manifold-l] Manifold reference
clients

			    Amen.  The theme of the next version of
Manifold should be "solutions" 
			and a click & move scripter + library based on
existing functions.  But then 
			these have been suggested before.  Linus

			----- Original Message ----- 
			From: "Simon Linder" <pslinder at earthlink.net>
			To: "Dimitri Rotow" <dar at manifold.net>;
<manifold-l at lists.directionsmag.com>
			Sent: Thursday, 19 October, 2006 11:09 AM
			Subject: RE: [Manifold-l] Manifold reference
clients

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