Pushbutton done for One-Click EXE-File

Sunday is over, a new week began. It did not look well for my One-Click EXE-File Generation. Together with visualFORTH, which is based on ForthForm, a Forth Console, like a virtual Terminal to the virtual Forth system, which is connected to visualFORTH, can be opened to receive output from the visualFORTH and to send commands to the visualFORTH.

Example: values and variables of the visualFORTH may be changed from this console, or a visualFORTH program under development may send text to this console. I used it several times, especially for debugging purposes. To debug, I simple type: "debug module", and when I start a program under development, this program stops when this "module" starts within this program, and I am able to go through this "module" step by step, until this module is done. Then the remaining program proceeds.

I used this console to load the sourcecode file for the Form-Project, which is generated by one click only, and it only had a working result when no Form was opened, would be a really odd thing: First you create the Form for your project, then compile and save the loadable sourcecode by a pushbutton click, then close visualFORTH, open again, and generate an EXE-file with one mouseclick again. With this method I could pretend it is a one-click turnkey generation, but, really odd. May be I could do these steps - switching off the system and restarting - per program.

I proceeded to the next point without finishing: I tried to change the picture on the menu pushbutton I choose to convert to the One-Click EXE-File Generation pushbutton. I found out how to do this, but after recompiling the system the result was that the BMP file used seems to have the possibility to generate transparent colors as I know from GIF files. Another odd story. Never have seen this before. That was the second hurdle. I decided for now not to change this pushbutton Icon-Picture, may be later, I have to ask how to do this. Then I discovered that it was not possible for me to control enabling and disabling for this menu pushbutton.

After three frustrating experiences a break was needed. Breaks are always good when stuck in program development. The best is to do an outside walk in this wonderful wake up springtime nature. I discovered long ago that after a walk the solution suddenly is there. My theory is that while walking, the brain, which is floating in the brain fluid (the Liquor cerebrospinalis), through this increased relative motion receives more nutrients and works better. And another theory I have: If you do not annoy your brain with thinking, the brain is able to work much better. The brain only needs an order what to achieve, and then, let it go! Works by itself.

The break gave me a great inside: why not start a new virtual console, just used only for the EXE-file generation, and after this it has to be closed anyway. Suddenly I did not need to change the enabling procedure of the menu pushbutton, because it was just right. This pushbutton I needed showed up enabled when a form was opened.

The procedure for development of a new form is as follows: on the pulldown form menu select "New" (or "Open" if you did something before), or use the keyboard <ctrl>+N to open the form. With some clicks position some controls onto the form, with a right mouseclick open the "Properties+" popup, change the captions if needed, and type in the commands which you like to be executed with this pushbuttons. These commands should be defined in a file. Generally with Forth it is possible that everything you can do with keyboard typing, can be automatically run by Forth: you simply type it into a file, and load this file with "fload" from console.
Then click the "Test" menu pushbutton, to see if it works as intended. Make changes if needed.

When the test is finished, and everything works fine, click the "Turnkey" menu pushbutton, and, voilà, the EXE-file is done.

Recognizing this is the way to do it, I started working again, now more relaxed, and now the work is done for today. The "Turnkey" pushbutton is done, it compiles a sourcecode with everything what is needed to generate an EXE-file. For security I added a message "Generating EXE-File" and the possibility to cancel. It is not needed, but I thought "better safe than sorry", to avoid the situation where you click on a button, nothing happens, and the system freezes and you do not know what is going on. But when writing this, I just had the idea instead of using a message box - which needs another click to proceed - I should write a message on the status line. Yes, it is good to explain how things are working to somebody to get better ideas. Thanks for listening!

Today's work is done, tomorrow I do the last steps to finish the turnkey process.
Take care!

P.S. While adding links to my story, I discovered there is a One-Click Patent.
First I was concerned I should withdraw my One-Click claim, but then I calmed down.

The One-Click Patent, filed by Jeffrey P. Bezos, is about "A method and system for placing an order to purchase an item via the Internet", and my One-Click Turnkey operation is not for placing an order via the Internet. But be careful, when developing a form for purchase via the Internet! Apple Inc. and Barnes & Noble took a license from Amazon.

May be that's why other people call my method a Single-Click operation!