Introducing Template Spy
- Rapid understanding of how Clarion templates are structured - saving many hours trying to work through the convoluted template chains.
- Time saving in creating your own templates - by allowing code segments to be copied from existing templates, and dropped into new templates - extendiong the power of Clarion even futher.
The Template Spy concept came about after endless hours of working through TPL / TPW source printouts and/or painfully navigating through the Template Registery - to develop an understanding of the structure of templates created both by Clarion and 3rd party suppliers. Unfortunately the template chains are spread across numerous files and thus without an enabling tool, requires a masochistic bent in order to decipher.
Save yourself hours and hours of frustration - get the tool that turbo charges your template development capabilities - get Template Spy.
Key Functions of Template Spy
The key functions of Template Spy are to:
- View the template structure in an Explorer pane, with the text of the selected element in a Source pane
- Facilitate the editing and creating of templates via drill-through to a text editor, and copy and paste
- Assemble full template source - across multiple template files
- Template-Search : search through a template / template component for a text string
- Source-Search : search through multiple source files for a text string
- Compare template source version differences Identify which applications are using templates
- Track applications using templates
View Templates using Template Spy
The main interface of Template Spy is the explorer tree / detailed text pane interface listing registered template sets, and associated source code, as shown below.
Create Composite Templates with Template Spy
The Composite Template feature enables the packaging of all associated code into a file or printout. This can be used for:
- Documenting an individual template,
- Distributing a single template from a template set,
- Listing a template, or section of a template to facilitate debugging.
The process is started by selecting a template from a popup window, which provides the template hierachy. Any level within a template can be selected. Thereafter the system compiles the full set of associated code for the selected element.
The resulting listing combines the code across the various source files, as shown below:
This listbox has similar functionality to the View Tree procedure - namely:
- The Mark/Copy capability in order to copy code snippets to the clipboard, and
- The Editor Drill-Through.
Search Templates with Template Spy
The Search Template procedure allows a template to be searched across the source file elements for the existence of a string / substring. The process ...:
- Select the template set, template or template element
- Type the Search Text, and
- Press Search ...
The results of a search are provided in a split window:
- All occurrences of the located string are listed in an Explorer list on the left, and
- The source listing of the highlighted string is listed in a Detailed Source pane on the right.
- The Mark/Copy capability in order to copy code snippets to the clipboard, and
- The Editor Drill-Through.
Search Source with Template Spy
The Search Source procedure allows a set of source files to be searched for the existence of a string / substring.The process is simple:- Define the set of source files
- Type the Search Text, and
- Press Search ...
- All occurrences of the located string are listed in an Explorer list on the left, and
- The source listing of the highlighted string is listed in a Detailed Source pane on the right.
The source pane has similar functionality to the View Tree procedure - namely:
- The Mark/Copy capability in order to copy code snippets to the clipboard, and
- The Editor Drill-Through.
Compare Versions with Template Spy
This feature was created to assist in identifying any changes in source files between versions - utilised primarily with for Clarion and 3rd Party templates that the developer has customised between official releases. There is nothing, however, preventing the use of this feature to check the clarion source changes that applying template settings to a procedure.
A list of Old and New versions of source files is used to save selections.
Selection of one of the list items results in the code being analysed, and the Old and New file source listing being displayed. The first line with a code discrepancy is highlighted.
It is possible to drill-through to the Text Editor for either of the source files by double-clicking on either the left or right sides of the listed source.
View Template Usage with Template Spy
Template Usage is represented once again using a split windows, with an Explorer tree of templates on the left and a lsting of application procedures on the right. Two modes are provided for:- Showing only Used Templates:
- Showing All registered Templates - with unused templates indicated via shading:
View Application Templates with Template Spy
This view provides an alternative means of identifying template usage - from an application perspective.
Simply select an application from the list on the left, and see all templates used in the application in a tree format on the right.
Give Template Spy a try |
|
For you to have got this far, you are clearly interested in our product. |
|
| To get to use the product on a Try Before You Buy basis, download the 30 Day trial version. |