Discussions related to Visual Prolog
Audun Tönnesen
Active Member
Posts: 36
Joined: 27 Apr 2000 23:01

Repeat: documentation

Unread post by Audun Tönnesen »

I'm not a pro programmer, but I can use VP for occational easy apps, like CRUD with nice guis.
But: scrolling through the PFC, I find it daunting, and there are no comments. A few years ago, I needed to use an SQL server database. I bought a book, "Inside ODBC," where everything was thorougly explained, and to my joy, the PFC Odbc classes turned out to be wrappers using the same terminology.
The other day, however, I tried to understand the XMLlite classes in the PFC. I tried to compare the predicate names, data types, etc. with the terminology used in XML DOM, XMLQuery, Xpath, which I'm familiar with, but instead the PFC seems to implement some specific Microsoft API, the MSXML, which even needs to use the COM-package to work. That's really very different from javaScript :-(
Well, anyway.....
Back in 2007 I suggested to establish the Wiki, specifically for users to document PFC packages of special interest to them, so that also the rest of us could reap the fruits.
The PFC contains 52 directories. Some of them are well documented, like GUI, String, and several others. But some of the cryptical ones are quite obscure (to me, at least) and could need some explanation.
So, now I expect a rush of knowledgeable people rushing to write a few paragraphs about their favorite obscure PFC classes to the Wiki :lol:
Regards,
Audun.
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Thomas Linder Puls
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Posts: 1398
Joined: 28 Feb 2000 0:01

Unread post by Thomas Linder Puls »

Good and understandable documentation, descriptions and tutorials would of course be nice. We do however interface to more technologies than we can our self describe.

PFC contains both an XMLlite package and an MSXML package (divided into some sub packages). They are represent two quite different approaches to XML and are both based on the corresponding Microsoft API's.

We are not allowed to copy-paste Microsoft documentation and we judge that it is a waste of time to rewrite it from end-to-end. So for such imports of Windows API's you will have to read the corresponding Microsoft documentation. And perhaps find C++ (or JavaScript) examples on the Internet.

The XMLlite package is much simpler (lite) package than the MSXML package: it can only read and write XML.

MSXML on the other hand is Microsoft's implementation of XML DOM, XMLQuery, XPath, etc. Many of the XML related things in JavaScript is actually this COMponent in disguise (at least in the Internet Explorer). It is a COM component, but it comes pre-imported with Visual Prolog (Commercial Edition). It is a huge complex package requiring lots of documentation, including understanding of XML DOM, ... So I am afraid that you will have to search the internet for documentation.
Regards Thomas Linder Puls
PDC
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