ActiveMaker v.6.1 for Visual Basic Copyright (c) 2000 by V.Kapara&N.Krasnenko&V.Valsenko NOTE: ACTIVEMAKER IS DISTRIBUTED "AS IS". NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND IS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. YOU USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE AUTHORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DATA LOSS, SYSTEM DAMAGES, LOSS OF PROFITS OR ANY OTHER KIND OF LOSS WHILE USING OR MISUSING THIS SOFTWARE. Objective Point ActiveMaker is designed to dramatically reduce time and effort in large MS Visual Basic projects development. Using ActiveMaker in complex projects (more than 30 components) saves up to 15-25% of integration and sustaining effort. ActiveMaker is a utility for building and managing multiple cross-referenced Microsoft Visual Basic projects. It minimizes development time by tracking the projects' cross-references automatically. System Requirements * IBM PC or compatible; * Intel 80486/66 processor or higher; * Windows NT 4 (SP3), Windows 95/98/2000 or higher; * 16 MB RAM (64 MB recommended); * 16-color VGA video (16bit-color recommended); * Microsoft or compatible mouse recommended. Installation * Copy ActiveMaker executable file (AMAKE.EXE) at the place where it will be accessible, e.g. C:\Program Files\Active Maker. * Copy ActiveMaker help file (aMakeR.chm) at the same place where the executable one is placed; * ActiveMaker is ready to work! Uninstallation * Just delete both AMAKE.EXE and aMakeR.chm files! ActiveMaker Features * Reduce building large and complex ActiveX software projects within your development process to several mouse clicks. * Save your time on rebuilding already existing software projects. * Manage cross-references among projects and existing components. * Modify properties of any included project or set of projects. * Fast project rebuilding in command line mode. * Tune multiple project's settings in single dialog to automate common steps of large projects building. * Pre- and Post-build scripts allow you to perform various tasks including Source control system integration. * Source Control integration allows you to manage you source code database without leaving ActiveMaker. ActiveMaker Lite Limitations * This version does not support Pre/Post build scripts; * Lite version does not support SourceSafe operations; * Product support is not provided for users of this version - only for registered users of full ActiveMaker; Using Command Line 1. Open Existing Project ActiveMaker enters into dialog mode and opens an existing project. If no project name is given via command line, ActiveMaker will display an open dialog box where you can choose an existing project file to open. Command line: AMAKE.EXE , where - the name of your project which usually has the VMM extension. 2. Build Build operation compiling all projects that were not build yet or their source code has been changed since the last build. When the build process is finished (successfully or not) ActiveMaker will close itself. Command line: AMAKE.EXE /make, where - the name of your project which usually has the VMM extension. 3. Rebuild All This operation builds each Visual Basic project. Rebuilding is launched in any case even if there are no changes in the projects. In the end of the process ActiveMaker will close itself. Command line: AMAKE.EXE /rebuild, where - the name of your project which usually has the VMM extension. 4. Source Control support If you wish to perform Source Control actions before building project(s), see command lines below Command line : AMAKE.EXE [/make|/rebuild] /getlatest /sspwd={, where - the name of your project which usually has the VMM extension. The "/getlatest" option tells ActiveMaker to connect to Visual SourceSafe database(s) and get latest version of all files for each project that has Source Control settings defined. Use "/sspwd=" option to specify custom password via command line (NOTE that this password will be used for each SourceSafe connection - if you have different passwords, this option will not help you). NOTE: If you specify both "/make" and "/rebuild" options, "/rebuild" mode will be used. Common Questions and Answers What Is ActiveMaker application for? ActiveMaker is a utility for building and managing multiple Microsoft Visual Basic projects that have cross-references among them. It minimizes development time by tracking these projects' cross-references automatically. How can I start using it ? * Open hard disk directory the ActiveMaker executable is placed. * Run AMAKE.EXE. * Press Escape not to open an existing project. * Add your Visual Basic projects by clicking File menu item and selecting Add multiple VB Projects. * Select projects you want to build as a complex one from the open dialog box. * Click Build button on the left panel to start building up your projects * For more information, use ActiveMaker Help file (aMakeR.chm) or simply press F1 to show up Help window How is ActiveMaker integrated with Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0? * All your projects are built with command line version of Visual Basic. All errors and its messages are shown in the Log view. To enter Log view, click Log tab on the upper side of the ActiveMaker window. * You can modify your Visual Basic project by simply launching Visual Basic integrated development environment (IDE) by clicking Edit button on the left panel or by using ActiveMaker's Properties window. * If you have changed one or more of your Visual Basic projects while using ActiveMaker, refresh projects' information by clicking Refresh button on the left panel I've found a weird BUG! If you have found any bug or functional mistake while working with ActiveMaker, please e-mail to amake@tet.com.ua and we will do our best to fix it. When it is completed, you will be the first to know about this. Useful Tips * You can search for Visual Basic project by clicking "Add VB Projects" toolbar button while holding "Shift" key - this will bring up "Add multiple projects" dialog, which performs recursive scan of your disk for VBP files; * If you have encounter an error during compilation, you may switch to LOG view, position cursor onto a line with error description and press "Edit" button on the toolbar - default editor will be run on the file where error occurred; * If you want to select all projects, just use Ctrl-A shortcut; * You can use Ctrl-Tab and Shift-Ctrl-Tab to switch to the next/previous tab in the main window; * Projects and Build Tree views have context menus. These menus contain the most frequently used functions - and even more (some of the functions are ONLY accessible from context menus). Trial Version Limitations * It is a 30-days trial - this means that in 30 days after you DOWNLOAD this product the ActiveMaker will limit you to managing small projects only (with up to 4 cross-referenced projects). * As any application, this program may contain some bugs. But with your feedback, we will fix them all thus making your work with ActiveMaker enjoyable and efficient. * Do not think ActiveMaker can do everything without any efforts from your side. In certain circumstances, utilities like Microsoft RegClean will help your complex project to work right. How To Contact Us If you enjoyed using ActiveMake software product or have any questions about it, e-mail us your thoughts, comments, suggestions, questions or any notes to amake@jobwork.biz. ActiveMaker Development & Support V.Kapara&N.Krasnenko&V.Valsenko Kanatnaya str.29,139 Odessa, 65011 Ukraine Tel/fax:380 50 3929773 Tel: 380 48 7210733 http://www.amake.jobwork.biz