From: cew@bat.gsfc.nasa.gov (ASTS Craig E Warsaw)
Subject: Re: Info on TAE+ wanted
Reply-To: cwarsaw@cen.com
Organization: Century Computing, Inc.
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 16:35:29 GMT

In article <Bu61oI.L8v@world.std.com>, boag@world.std.com (Scott A Boag) writes:
--[ Article crossposted from comp.windows.x ]
--[ Author was Scott A Boag ]
--[ Posted on Sun, 6 Sep 1992 16:53:11 GMT ]
--
--Does anyone know anything about TAE+, which is sold by an 
--organization called COSMIC?  I received the following blurb from 
--someone at COSMIC, but I am still not sure what it is.  My client 
--sounded like it was a User Interface Language (UIL), but the blurb 
--makes it sound like a GUI builder.  Maybe it's both.  Any information 
--would be appreciated.
--
-------- from message titled "COSMIC Info, September 1992" ------
--TAE Plus (Transportable Applications Environment)  provides a
--generic, user interface development and management system that
--allows anyone, programmers and non-programmers alike, to create a
--sophisticated graphical user interface for virtually any type of
--application.  TAE Plus utilizes MIT's X Window System, Version
--11, Release 4, and the Open Software Foundation's Motif Toolkit. 
--TAE Plus is portable across a wide range of computing platforms
--using either the UNIX or VAX/VMS operating systems, and is
--capable of generating code in C, FORTRAN, and Ada, as well as in
--the high-level TAE Command Language (TCL).  A new Silicon
--Graphics version is now available.  Site license, $750.
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The Transportable Applications Environment Plus (TAE Plus), developed by 
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, is a portable tool for designing, building 
and tailoring an application's user interface (UI) and for subsequently 
controlling it throughout execution of the application.  The main components 
of TAE Plus include (1) the WorkBench, an intuitive What You See Is What You 
Get (WYSIWYG) tool that supports the design and layout of an application's 
user interface; and (2) the WPT (Window Programming Tools) Package, a set of 
application program callable subroutines used to control an application's user 
interface.

The WorkBench allows the application developer to interactively construct the 
"look and feel" of an application screen and manipulate a set of "interaction 
objects".  These objects include user entry and informational items (such as 
menus, buttons, icons, scrolling text lists, etc.), and graphical objects 
called data-driven objects.  The data-driven objects have data "connected" to 
them and elements of their view change as the data values change (such as a 
dial, thermometer, strip chart, etc.).  

The WorkBench is a tool for anyone involved in the building of user 
interfaces.  It is designed for both non-programmers and programmers and there 
is no coding necessary to build a prototype (an operational mock-up).  For 
those who intend to develop their prototypes into operational applications, 
the WorkBench generates source code (C, Ada,  and TCL) and resource files, 
which fully control the designed user interface.  TAE V5.2 which will be 
released in November, 1992 also generates C++ source code.  

The WPTs are the runtime services used by application programs to display and 
control the WorkBench designed user interfaces.  Since the WPTs access 
resource files during execution, the details (i.e., color, font, location, 
object type) of the user interface remain independent from the application 
code, allowing changes to be easily made to the "look and feel" of an 
application without recompiling and relinking the software.  The WPTs are used 
by the  programmer to dynamically update elements of their user interface from 
an application.  

In addition to the WPTs, TAE Plus offers control of interaction objects from 
the interpreted TAE Command Language.  TCL provides a means for the more 
experienced developer to quickly prototype an application's use of TAE Plus 
interaction objects and add programming logic without the overhead of 
compiling or linking.  

TAE Plus is designed to be portable and uses the M.I.T. X Window System as the 
underlying windowing standard.  The latest version of TAE Plus supports the 
OSF Motif user interface style.  TAE operates on the SPARCstation/UNIX, Sun 
3/UNIX, VAXstation/Ultrix, DECstation 3100/Ultrix, HP9000 Series 300/UNIX, 
HP9000 Series 700/UNIX, Silicon Graphics/UNIX, and DEC workstations under 
VMS/DECWindows.  TAE currently has  beta releases for the IBM Risc/6000 and 
the 386 platforms.

Other benefits of TAE Plus:

   o  inexpensive, price includes:
	o  source code
	o  documentation
	o  support
	o  site license
   o  active support via TAE Support Office (contact info below)
   o  quarterly newsletter; training; workshops
   o  ftp access to contrib software and fixes

For more information about TAE Plus, contact the 

TAE Support Office/Code 522 
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Phone:     301-286-6034
FAX:        301-286-4627
e-mail:     taeso@postman.gsfc.nasa.gov   


-- 
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-- Craig Warsaw                         TAE Plus project                     --
-- Century Computing, Inc.              under contract to:                   --
-- Internet:  cwarsaw@cen.com           NASA Goddard Space Flight Center     --
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