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FAQ about the VDE

What is VDE?

An interactive Visual Development Environment (VDE)  includes text and various graphical editors, code generating tools (Experts), build control logic, and extensions to Prolog in the form of a Visual Programming Interface (VPI). It also includes a Prolog compiler, various include files and libraries, a linker, various examples and help files.

The Visual Prolog Environment is designed to make it easy, convenient and fast to develop, test, and modify applications written in Visual Prolog.

Can I use the Visual Prolog text editor in my own programs?

Yes. The source for the whole Visual Development Environment is included in the Professional Version.

How to avoid problems with handling of non-English characters?

In the versions previous to Visual Prolog 5.1, build 565 the default setting for "Convert ANSI to OEM" option in the Compiler Options dialog is ON. This causes problems with handling of non-English characters, because the second part of the code table is unavailable.
To avoid problems with handling of non-English characters, uncheck the "Convert ANSI to OEM" option if you use a version previous to  Visual Prolog 5.1, build 565. Since the build 565, the default setting of the option is OFF.

How to extend the VDE with user-defined commands?

How can I copy a dialog into another project?

See: Visual Prolog online Help (Contents -> Visual Development Environment   -> Resources Import Facility).

How can I change the name of a project?

To rename your project, use the "Project Name" edit control in the General tab of the Application Expert.

How can I change the name of the executable Visual Prolog creates?

FAQ about the Help Maker

Can I create an on-line Help for my application using Visual Prolog?

Visual Prolog contains the Help authoring system, the Help Maker, which allows you to produce an on-line Help for your applications interactively.
Visual Prolog Help Maker is an integrated part of the Visual Development Environment (VDE). It provides developers with a set of tools to plan, create, build and test online Help for their applications.

An online Help file created using the Help Maker can run under OS/2, Microsoft Windows 3.1x, Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 95.

Where can I find information about creating online Help system in Visual Prolog?

How can I add an on-line Help to my application?

Although it is possible to invoke on-line Help in many different ways, Visual Prolog supports a simple framework that makes things a little easier.
When the Application Expert generates the main module, it will generate a global predicate that should be used to invoke an on-line Help. In this way, the invocations are centralized and any change can be done in one place.
For detailed information, please, see the  "Implementing On-line Help" topic of the Visual Prolog on-line Help (Contents -> Visual Programming Interface (VPI) Fundamentals -> Help implementing).
 

How can I  initially activate "Help Topics" window  in my 32-bit on-line Help?

"Help Topics" window can be activated only by clicking on the "Help Topics" button in the Help window.

Workaround

Please see a detailed description.

Can I import Help topics from external files?

The Help Maker provides the possibility to import topics from ASCII, RTF, IPF files, or another hyperbase by invoking Topics | Import from menu item.

Can I copy Help topics and hyperlinks using Clipboard?

You can copy topics using Clipboard, but hyperlinks will be destroyed, though green coloring of hotspots will be preserved.
Note that Visual Prolog provides an import facility that allows to copy hyperlinks. While import the Help Maker parses topics, scans for hypertext links, tries to resolve these links, and suggests to remove or redirect unresolved links.

I tried to import the .RTF files containing graphics into a Help hyperbase and my system was hanged.

The current version of the Visual Prolog does not allow to import the .RTF files containing graphics. An attempt to import .RTF file with embedded objects causes the necessity to restart Visual Prolog. Nevertheless, it does not mean you cannot import file with graphics at all, because it is possible to replace embedded objects in the source .RTF file with the references to image files. For detailed information, please, see the on-line Help (Contents  -> Visual Development Environment (VDE) -> Help Development System -> Importing .RTF Files with Graphics).

How can I format Help topics for the OS/2 Help?

OS/2 restricts the formatting opportunities of the Help Maker. It allows to:

determine left and right paragraph indents;
create bulleted or numbered lists;
define a paragraph as unwrappable.
(Unwrapped paragraphs might be useful for displaying programming examples, tables, etc.)
Some of the formatting facilities that are not compliant with Windows Help and are not realized by Help Maker can be implemented using IPF tags. This tags can be directly included in Help Maker's topics and must be enclosed in brackets.

Can I assign Help macros using Help Maker?

The use of Help macros depends on whether you choose to generate an OS/2 or Windows native Help system from a hyperbase. Windows Help system has a set of macros that is available for your use in the Help Maker. These tools can assign macros to the entire Help (Project macro) or to individual topics (Topic macro).
Help macros are not available in the OS/2 version.

Do you supply a Help compiler  with Visual Prolog?

Help compilers are not supplied with Visual Prolog.

How to port an OS/2 .IPF file or its part into Windows Help File (WinHelp)?