AppMaker CD #13, September 2000

AppMaker 2 Highlights

This release adds support for AppleScript; updates the support for Carbon, for recent releases of Apple's header files, and for the most recent release of CodeWarrior; and brings all of AppMaker's languages (except for Java) to the same level.

In previous releases, one language tended to leapfrog other languages. In this release, all of our languages except Java have the same major features. These include: code fragments in commands, file I/O for persistent data members, multi-column custom listboxes, NavServices, Preferences documents, an application-wide DataDef, title-bar proxies and window path popups.

Scriptability

AppMaker now generates scriptable applications. It generates the 'aete' resource, and code to resolve object references, to handle GetData and SetData events, and to create elements. The support for scriptability goes far beyond even a framework like PowerPlant. AppMaker knows about the data structures of your application so it generates code to access your particular data.

Scripting support is free. It is generated automatically from existing DataDefs in an AppMaker project. You don't have to do any extra work to get scriptability because you are already specifying DataDefs for other purposes.

Overriding generated code

Another major new feature is the ability to override generated code with your handwritten code. You can specify an override name for the App, Doc, Windows, Dialogs, or DataDefs. AppMaker's generated code will instantiate your class instead of the standard class. Your override class is assumed to be a subclass of the standard class. I.e. your code overrides the standard code.

If the override file does not already exist, AppMaker will generate a trivial subclass as a starting point. Once the override file exists, AppMaker will not touch that file.

In theory, it should never again be necessary to modify the generated code. You can put code into embedded code fragments, into separate application logic files, or in separate override files. When you regenerate you won't lose any of your code.

CodeWarrior stationery

We have provided Project Stationery for CW Pro 6, 5, and 4. The easiest way to start a new CodeWarrior project is to choose New from CodeWarrior's File menu, then choose an AppMaker project from the stationery list. CW will create a copy of the stationery, named as you specify, and will create a copy of AppMaker's standard resource file. The CodeWarrior project will have all of the AppMaker library files already added to it.

Generating Windows code

Oh. One more thing. There is now an add-on product which generates Windows source code and resources. You design your application then generate either Mac or Windows code from the same AppMaker document. In the Examples folder is a Demo of this nifty product.

AppMaker #13 was tested with various combinations of Metrowerks CW Pro 6, Pro 5, and Pro 4; Apple's Universal Interfaces 3.4d4, 3.3.1, and 3.2; CarbonLib 1.1a3; and PowerPlant 1.9.3 and 2.1a8; on Mac OS 8.5.1, 8.6, OS 9, and briefly with OS X DP4. When newer versions of CarbonLib are released, we will post updates if needed.