TCB Real Time Prototyping
Note: the prototyping has not kept up with TCB upgrades. It isa little buggy but is included to show where the TCB prototyping is going. Works great on adjusting process screens created by a process.


Real time prototyping is ability to dynamically change the placement and size of objects on a process screen while the process is running!. Note that with the beta TCB runtime prototyping is a little buggy and object placement may not be precise in complex screens.  Most of the TCB process screens in this distribution and screens created by a process have a prototyping control button on it. It is the tiny grey square in the top left corner of the process screen. Pressing this button provides access to the Prototyping Control Panel. 

The control panel provides access to process functions that may not have been included on process screen as delivered. The 1st button exits the process, the second button toggles ancillary tool-tip command execution, the third toggles the process screen staying on top of other windows, the fourth minimizes the process screen to the system tray - double-click icon to restore, the fifth splotch turns on the Prototype Console, but, you have to double-click it to work, the sixth, the purple button, selects a file to save the changed process in. 

The Prototype Console has 3 buttons that appear near the top middle of the process screen. The first button is the mode toggle button. The console has two modes, drag and size. It starts up in the drag mode. Simply use the mouse to "drag" any object where you want it. When you save the process, all objects are saved with any changes you and all command objects are saved in a standard process file. Any none object specification lines are discarded internally when read and so cannot be saved.

When the drag button is pressed, it morphs into a "Size" button and the "-" button now works. When in "Size" mode and "Height" and "-" is visible, when you move the cursor, the object will shrink in height from the bottom up. If you hit the "-" button, it morphs to a "+". Now the object will expand in height from the bottom down.

Now, hit the "Height" button. It morphs to a "Width" button. The object selected will now expand or shrink in width from the object's right edge towards the screen's right edge or the from the object's right edge to the left. Regular buttons, including the "Save" button will not work until the Prototype Console is closed. You close the console by double-clicking the fifth sploch in the Prototyping Control Panel.














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