Getting Started : The Visual Development Tools
The Visual Development Tools
VAST Platform (VA Smalltalk) provides a set of visual tools that put all of these concepts to work for you as follows:
This is the starting point for your VAST application. This is where you create your application and its parts as well as manage them once they are created. From the Organizer window you can load previously saved versions of your application parts, both visual and nonvisual parts, as well as create an executable version of you application. You can execute your application in test mode as well as set specific personal preferences for VAST Platform . You can also gain access to all the power of the Smalltalk language right from the Organizer.
This is the heart of the VAST Platform visual construction environment. This is where you lay out the visual parts that make up your windows, add the nonvisual parts that perform the logic you need, and make connections. Much of your application can be constructed visually, by making connections between visual and nonvisual parts in the Composition Editor.
This enables you to create and modify Smalltalk scripts that extend the logic of your application. Scripts are another way to control how your application behaves. For example, you can write a script that performs some action when an item in a list is double-clicked. Scripts are useful when you need to add unique behavior to a part or when there is not a feature that does precisely what you need.
This enables you to define what features are to be included in a part's public interface. The Public Interface Editor can also generate the default scripts necessary for supporting the features you define. You do not need to use the Public Interface Editor if you construct applications using existing parts.
The remainder of this section shows you how to use the tools to do the basic things covered in the todo list and investment examples. For more information about the tools, refer to the Visual Programming User Guide.
Last modified date: 02/24/2021