Re: Xy under OS/2 (Was: running xy 3+ under windows xp - aarrgghhh!)

["Chris Madsen" cmadsen@xxxxxxxx]

GENERAL DISCLAIMER: Nothing I write here is meant in anyway to represent TTG
or its reincarnation. I am not endorsing any product. I am simply offering
my answers to Robert's questions.

Nota Bene has moved forward with adding more capabilities to its menuing
system. At one point, I believe Dave Erickson was working with them to get
some of the kinks out of the engine code. The menus are compiled VB that
hook into the editor engine. I can hear your next question coming, so my
answer is: I suppose it is possible to add your own menus if you know the
hooks. It is still possible to use XPL to develop menus. In fact, some of
the menus in SmartWords are still XPL, and the VB code is recognizable as an
"extension" of XPL. For example:

In XPL
BC ca filename XC

In VB:

With Xy
  .Text = "ca filename"
  .Execute
End With


XPL:
  DF NP DF

VB:
  Func (XyCursorDefine)
  Func (XyCursorNextParagraph)
  Func (XyCursorDefine)
(of course the first thing anyone in their right mind did was define some
constants for those ridiculous function names)

SmartWords's database capabilities allow you to create a library of phrases
or words that can be manipulated in structured documents. Its capabilities
are definitely slanted for the legal world. For example, you can specify a
person's name, gender, and address. SmartWords can then automatically use
pronouns correctly, format the name of the state or country you live in
correctly for different circumstances, etc. You can add levels of logic to
decide how to format stuff. Here is a simple example:

Date: ≪LG1{date of document,dd} <> 0≫≪GC{date of document,d1}≫{DATE OF
DOCUMENT,D1}≪GC≫≪LG?0{date of document,dd} = 0≫_______________®LG≫

LG is the logic command. GC means we're going to get something from the
database. The stuff in curly brackets is the name of the variable we're
going to get from the database. The stuff after the comma in the curly
braces (i.e., d1) is how we are going to format it. In this case, if we find
that the date of document doesn't equal 0, we're going to format in the d1
style and put it in the document. Otherwise, we're going to stick in some
underline characters so someone can manually fill in the date.

Nota Bene's database is completely different and I really don't know much
about it. Anyone looking to get more up-to-date stuff would do best to
purchase NB and replace the menus and keyboard file with something more
XyWrite-like. Keyboard files should work fine (you might have to add a line
so it recognizes the mouse). U2 files should work fine (but the wise person
would make sure -- don't take my word for it!)

When I said that you wouldn't get anything out of TTG, I knew that folks had
been trying for years and had given up. I just didn't want to raise any hope
that the revival of LawOnTheWeb.com meant any changes afoot for SmartWords
a.k.a. XyWrite. As far as XyShell/U2, it has been my experience that the few
times I have ventured a solution to a problem, the answer turns out to be to
use some routine deep in XyShell/U2/etc. However, I follow many discussions
with interest and am happy to offer my opinion from time to time. I remain
in contact with several people from the good old days, and it is safe to say
we all wish we were back at Xyquest.

Chris

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Holmgren" 
To: 
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 9:12 AM
Subject: Re: Xy under OS/2 (Was: running xy 3+ under windows xp -
aarrgghhh!)


> ** Reply to message from "Chris Madsen"  on Sun,
22
> Jun 2003 20:04:23 -0400
>
>
> > There is no chance you will get TTG to revisit XyWrite code.
>
> Andrew is, or was, the person who (ten years ago!) wanted TTG's help --
not I.
> Nobody holds any hope for TTG today. I was simply answering your
assertion
> that "there never was an OS/2 version of Xy." Andrew implies that TTG
knew all
> about the OS/2 port, but declined to assist with further development.
>
> Can you tell us -- if you know -- how SmartWords 09/2001 and NotaBene for
> Windows compare to each other? Are they basically the same beast, or
what?
> How close? NB has database capabilities (Orbis) -- is SW superior in this
> area? Also: could you describe a little bit the menuing system that SW
ended
> up with, the language it was written in, and what it did -- replace the
> operations of DLG, or what? NBWin seems to use a hybrid of XPL and
compiled
> VB4 for menus...
>
> You're in a position that some here thoroughly envy, namely you have the
last
> (Sept 2001) code for SmartWords, plus a menu for it, and nobody here has
> anything remotely close to that -- our code is 6 years older than yours,
at
> best. Do you know of any way that the SW code could be unimprisoned
(without
> any expectation of support, of course)?
>
> > I lurk because I do not use XyShell and find that
> > my solutions to problems are often contraindicated
> > because of it.
>
> Surely you mean U2, not XyShell (which only a few people here use). U2 is
just
> a library of routines, like DLG -- mostly doing things that DLG doesn't
do. As
> you know, in XyWrite there are almost always several ways to skin the cat,
and
> I don't think there is any tyranny of U2 here, or any incompatibility of
> solutions. We discuss a huge variety of topics.
>
>