[Etester-devel] Re: E-Tester 2.1.2

[Dave M. <dm...@cs...>]

Hi Gunnar:

Thank you for your continued assistance in clarifying the changes.

to_html is a procedure and not a function, therefore 
print(to_html(filename)) will not work.

What you need to do is simply call to_html("filename.html")

and then use etester-gui or some html browser to examine filename.html.

Cheers,

DM

Gunnar Gotshalks wrote:

> Hi Dave,
>
> Responses interspersed with your message.
>
> At 6:04 PM -0400 9/9/03, Dave Makalsky wrote:
>
>> E-Tester 2.1.2 has been released.
>
>
> I downloaded and tried it on my dictionary system.  It failed to 
> compile, no to_string feature, see below.
>
>> Changelog:
>>
>> - indexing clauses have been updated to reflect the current version 
>> number
>
>
> Good.
>
>> - As per Gunnar's suggestion the folder is now named etester2.1.2 and 
>> not
>> etester2-dev
>
>
> Thank you.  It helps the user keep track of the different versions -- 
> I have now three:
> 2.0, 2.1 and 2.1.2.  Oops, need to remove 2.1.
>
>> - to_string has been removed since to_html is superior ... this will 
>> eventually
>>   be replaced with to_xml
>
>
> Thank goodness for this message as I would have been completely lost 
> without it.   I suggest that with every new version you give a change 
> log.  I do not believe that I am in the minority in saying that I have 
> may other things I want to do besides spending time reverse 
> engineering systems to find differences.
>
> Sorry but more negativity,  Using your statement, I replaced to_string 
> with to_html.   The compilation failed.  I now find out that the 
> parameters have changed.  My question, after searching for the feature 
> (which class is it in? I assume it is in the HTML_REPORTING cluster 
> but there are three classes tosearch).
>
> My point.  Why do I have to search?  The comment to_string has been 
> replaced by to_html needs to be expanded to somelike the following.
>
> to_string has been replaced by to_html.  In version 2.0 the use of 
> to_string was
>    print(to_string)
> The use of to_html is similar as follows
>    print(to_html(output_file_name))
>
> I have not tried that.  Is that correct?  Or do I have to do more 
> trial and error work?
>
> Please, when making changes for clear, unambiguous instructions for 
> users about the changes.  The computing world, and even the technology 
> world in general, has too many people and instances that like game 
> playing and think that all users should spend hours experimenting with 
> their systems when changes take place.
>
> Please tell me, and other users exactly what changes I need to make to 
> have old programs work.  This is very important as I have examples for 
> students that are "old" and on Prism they are using v2.1 or v2.1.2 so 
> my examples all fail.  I have may other things to to besides trial and 
> error playing with etester  (for example I have to prepare for a COSC 
> 3401 class in 45 minutes).    I repeat such instructions, should be 
> industry standard.
>
> I also note that you are planing on changing from to_html to to_xml. 
> Thus you are expecting me and others, to edit all old programs now and 
> again in the future.  This is not good design.   The interface should 
> be the most stable part of the system.  It is the most critical and 
> most time consuming for user's of your system to learn and then modify.
>
> If you are going to change the name then change it to  to_sgml because 
> SGML is the abstract standard that includes HTML, XML, Bookmaster, 
> Lector, and other tagging systems.  For variations you have   
> to_sgml_html, to_sgml_xml but these are additions to your system.  Do 
> not remove such features as that forces all clients to be edited.
>
> Cheers ... Gunnar