This file is a copy of the README.txt.
See the EXAMPLES below for ways to use this tool.
Thoughts-At-Play 0.1 (2004/04/10)
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OVERVIEW
This release will show the core of the system which is interesting in
it's own right. You will see how to create a Java object, run methods
on it, and expand and collapse its constituent parts. Much more
functionality is included in this release, but documentation lags
development (as always).
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INSTALLATION
Prerequisites:
- Java 1.3 or higher
- OpenOffice 1.1 (earlier versions also possible, but not as easy)
- The file AddInJavaObjects.zip
- Optionally, the files macros.tar, optional.tar, optional2.tar, and libraries.tar
Instructions:
1) To install the core spreadsheet add-in functions:
Inside your OpenOffice "program" directory is a program called
'pkgchk'. Run it on a command-line as follows; if the last word is
"ok", it succeeded:
pkgchk -v AddInJavaObjects.uno.zip
2) To install the basic extensions:
Create a directory named ".thop" in your home directory. (In windows,
this is in "C:/Documents and Settings/".) Extract the
contents of optional.tar into it.
3) To install the additional OpenOffice macros:
Run OpenOffice. Append Thoughts-At-Play as a Macro Library ('Tools'
> 'Macro' -> 'Organizer' -> 'Libraries' -> 'Append', browse to
wherever you extracted macros.tar, choose 'script.xlb' or
'dialog.xlb', choose OK).
4) To install the additional extensions that require external libraries:
Follow the instructions in step 2, then extract optional2.tar in the
same location.
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EXAMPLES
Try the following spreadsheet entries (requires step 1 above):
(Start in cell A1 and move down the A column as you enter each formula.)
=NEW("java.lang.StringBuffer")
=RUN(A1; "append"; "Hello World!")
=RUN(A1; "toString")
=NEW("java.util.GregorianCalendar")
=NEW("java.util.ArrayList")
=RUN(A5; "add"; "Hello, again,")
=RUN(A5; "add"; "World!")
Try the following macros (requires steps 1-3 above):
Put cursor on any cell and run the macro "ExpandMaybeWithoutPrompt".
You will see some data about the object inserted ("expanded") in cells
to the left of the object. The calendar and list cell will be the
most interesting; they prompt for different kinds of expansions.
Run it again on any of of the data results for one of the new lines
(especially the objects, usually starting with the "@" symbol). You
will see nested expansions.
On any of the data results, run the macro "Collapse". That level of
nesting will disappear.
Try the following spreadsheets (requires steps 1-4 above):
wsdl-google.sxc
Expand A2 (a URL pointing to Google's free web service). If you
select the "doGoogleSearch", for example, you'll get a list of all ten
parameters needed to make a call to that web service.
Get a license key from Google to run your own web service requests to
their servers (http://www.google.com/apis/). Then fill in C6 with
your own key and see how A10 fills in with a "Data" object. This can
be expanded; try expanding the first data item in each result (usually
with child elements) to drill down to the results. (Automated nested
expansion is on the way!)
scripting.sxc
This doesn't have much interactivity; it's just an example of using
scripting with a couple of different languages. It's straightforward
to plugin more languages (as well as encodings and expansions).
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Contact me with any questions: trentlarson@users.sourceforge.net
More to come!
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