Programming Without Coding Technology

Creating New VPL (Visual Programming Language) for PWCT Lesson (1)

Note: This lesson is written on PWCT 1.8 Smart and using PWCT 1.9 Art the path C:\SSBUILD changed to
C:\PWCT19\SSBUILD and the path C:\SSBUILD\PWCT18 Changed to C:\PWCT19\SSBUILD\PWCT19

After downloading from ( http://sourceforge.net/projects/doublesvsoop/files/PWCT%20For%20MS-

Windows/PWCT%201.9%20%28Art%29/Samples/PWCT_NewVPL.zip/download ) you will get the file
PWCT_NewVPL.zip (This file is updated to work with PWCT 1.9 Art).

1. Extract the file

From figure 1 you can find the folder named PWCT_NewVPL

Figure 1 Creating New VPL folder

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2- Open this folder and copy its contents (The folder NewVPL) to the C:\ SSBUILD folder which created
during the installation process of PWCT, as we did in figure 2.

Figure 2 copying the NewVPL folder to SSBUILD folder

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The copied folder named NewVPL contains six subfolders as explained in the following table:
Folder content descriptions

Batch run.bat Batch file used to run/build the user application using
our new VPL.

Components IDF,ISF,TRF folders IDF = Interaction Designer Files

ISF = Interaction Script Files
TRF = Transporter Files

Install.bat Batch file used to install the new VPL in PWCT

environment.

Remove.bat Batch file used to uninstall the new VPL from PWCT
environment.
NewVPL.txt Text file contains five lines as following:
C:\ SSBUILD\NewVPL\PWCTDATA to determine the
Config new VPL database which we can keep our components
names and files paths.
NewVPLPWCT determine the name of the new VPL.
.txt is the extension of the generated source code file.
build: C:\SSBUILD\NewVPL\batch\run.bat determining
the batch file that will run the application.
C:\ SSBUILD\NewVPL\start/start.ssf the default
application when we run PWCT.
Start Contains the files needs to starting the new VPL

PWCTDATA Folder used to keep the database files

Template Folder uses to keep the templates files

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3- Install your new VPL by clicking the NewVPL\Config\install.bat > open PWCT framework >
change the active VPL from HarbourPWCT to your new VPL. In our case we called it
NewVPLPWCT. When you change the active VPL to yours, you will be asked about to keep using
the current source file after changing. As explained in figure 3 you dont have this case now, so
click NO.

Figure 3 asking about to keep using the current source

After switching to the NewVPLPWCT we will have a default application just contains the first step
as shown in Figure 4

Figure 4 NewVPLPWCT as an active VPL with the start.ssf file

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4- Now we are ready to test the new VPL, On the Project Location screen click run button from the
toolbar !, which will Invoke the run.bat file to build and run the start.txt file as shown in figure 5

Figure 4 Run the start application using the new VPL

5- In our case we will start to support HTML as new VPL, Go to the config folder and open the
NewVPL.txt file as shown in Figure 6 and change the extension to .html instead of .txt then save the
file.
6- Run Install.bat to reflect the update of the configuration file to PWCT environment.

Figure 5 Change .txt to .html in the configuration file

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7- Open the file Batch\run.bat and add %1 to run our start.html file. As shown in Figure 7

Figure7 Add %1 to the run.bat file

8- Run PWCT again>click step code button > write hello world> click run ! the output will be as
depicts in Figure 8.

Figure 8 Test the first html VPL