On Sep 23, 2008, at 10:25 AM, Ken Close wrote:
Dennis:
It looks like you have done a tremendous amount of programming (maybe not that much for one of your skill level), and have a good objective in mind.
My programming skill level is not all that great, and this was a big effort for me. It is also not completed either.
I have downloaded the files you created, successfully installed them as instructed in your note, looked inside each one, "applied indicator" although it is not so obvious one should do that, looked at the Parameters box, and finally clicked on the first entry, "Click to Write File". I have even saved some of your past messages on this subject, and went and reread them. But....I am left puzzled.
.......
Frankly speaking, while this is a great effort with a noble goal, I feel it will not get very far because the work (so far) lacks a description of how the "system" is supposed to work, how people will use it for utility, and how people will contribute to it.
Fair comments, let me see if I can make sense of this for you and others (and myself):
The doc generator AFL is a proof of concept program to be used as an aid for those who are contributing glossary definitions to the project at this stage. It can be used to check that a glossary database file is formatted correctly and generates a useful entry. Ultimately, It may be used to generate a document that can be useful for everyone. The generator is not meant to be the main means of searching for information, but to generate documents that can be used for that purpose. It could end up being just a generator of an alternate database format (XML?).
Since the content of the database will be changing often. We need a document generator that can create an updated document easily. The final program may not be an AFL program, but could be something like a _javascript_ program running on a web page that generates results of searches on the fly. I can't predict the final form at this point. I am just proceeding to eat the elephant one bite at a time.
I can see the utility of having a local RTF document that is just an alphabetical or functional listing of the complete glossary (one per line) with one live link to more information as the current AFL functions do (but with the complete glossary of terms and overlapping functional groups). I could also see the utility of a text document that could be printed as a cheat sheet. The different forms that the database can be converted into is ready for imaginative proposals from the people who will use it. And since it is an AFL program, it is easy to modify by others to get other output formats.
As I said, the AFL program is a proof of concept and a checking aid for contributers at this stage. It is not complete for generating other types of outputs like XML or HTML, but can generate stand alone searchable text (and rtf) documents that are formatted for humans to read.
For example, if I want to make an entry, how and where do I do it?
This is the easy part. Make a copy of the first example file AFL_Glossary_1.txt, change the name to AFL_Glossary_2.txt, and edit the entries to reflect the entries you would like to contribute. It would be best to take one of the functional sections I previously mentioned because, functionally related entries tend to duplicate a lot of information between them which makes them go like on a fast assembly line. Make sure to announce which functional group you are working on here so that your efforts will not be duplicated.
You can place your glossary text file in the same folder as the example AFL_Glossary_1.txt file, and the generator program will use both to generate an output file for checking.
You can share your work like I did in the AFL library, but I don't know if that is the best way to distribute segments. It was just the easiest way I could think of late last night for making it easy to find and share. It is certainly acceptable until we come up with a better solution.
I assume if I need to learn or find something, I separately open the txt file and use Word's search tool, is that right?
Once we have enough entries to make it useful (at lease duplicating the current AFL functions list) then it can be used in this way. However, I would like to see more than this as I previously mentioned. Even though I only made 18 entries about string manipulation functions I found I was referring to this limited database a bunch of times in continuing to write the program, and even answering a couple of questions posted. So, i guess this is going to be useful even in the incomplete stages for those who are working with it.
A part of me suspects that what is "obvious" to you and some others, will not be to a larger number of users here who long for improvements in help related issues. If I am right, then the lack of this kind of understanding will either doom the effort or else inhibit how far it can go and grow. I would like to help, but am too unclear about a variety of issues, that I cannot.
I hope that with good feedback like yours and participation by a number of those who have shown in the past that they are willing to help others, we can work through any technical issues and make something that will benefit all of us. I would be happy if someone with a better knack for explaining things could contribute in that area also. I am just a middle of the road ability in just about everything that is being attempted here.
Please help me take this farther down the road in whatever areas you see as lacking coherency. If my answers are not sufficient, ask away. I am just the cheerleader (who wants the final product also)!
Best regards,
Dennis
I hope you are not put off by this feedback.
Ken
Hello,
I have uploaded to the AFL Library a program called AF_Glossary_Generator (yes a typo in the name) that takes another file uploaded called AFL_Glossary_1 and generates parameter selectable formatted TXT or RTF files for this project. It took me a couple of hours to make a database file for all the string manipulation functions, and forever to make the program that spit out formatted documents. Creating the files for both forced me to refine the database specification a bit further.
Please download them both and try them out. You have to create a directory called AFL_Glossary in your main AmiBroker folder and put the file named AFL_Glossary_1.txt into it. Rename the file to strip off the .afl and make sure it ends in .txt. The output files will be written to the same folder. On a PC, the .txt and .rtf files read fine in WordPad, but the links don't work in that program. They do work in Word. In the Mac, all formats work fine in TextEdit program.
Please download the program and data and give me some feedback. Sorry there are not a lot of instructions, but you just select parameters, and click on the Convert Database button to get something written out. You can try out all kinds of different formats.
Next, we need volunteers to write small sections of the database to make headway. If you make another file called AFL_Glossary_2.txt, etc., it will combine them into one database for outputs.
Best regards,
Dennis
PS. here is a sample of one possible output:
AFL -- AmiBroker Formula Language
-- Abbreviation for AmiBroker Formula Language
-- Group Tags: AFL
-- See Also: AmiBroker Formula Language
n =
Asc( String, CharacterPosition=0 ) [AB 4.8] -- get ASCII code of character
-- Returns the ASCII code number for a text character
-- Group Tags: AFL,Functions,String manipulation,Type Conversions
-- Search Tags: ASCII,character,convert,code
n =
StrToDateTime( DateTimeText ) [AB 4.8] -- convert string to datetime
-- Returns datetime number from a text representation of the Date/Time
-- Group Tags: AFL,Functions,String manipulation,Type Conversions,Date and Time
-- Search Tags: datetime,date,time,convert
-- See Also: DateTimeToStr(),Now(),DateTime(),TimeNum(),Date()
The rtf file of the whole sample output is also attached here for those who get individual emails: