mf2u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Matthew Raymond Flatt) (12/16/90)
A friend of mine is looking for a flowcharting program. Apparently, SUM II does not do what he wants. He's trying to make flow charts like they used to use (still do?) designing programs - simple "do this and then if that is tru do this other thing otherwise go back to here" stuff. What's out there to do this? Thanks, Matthew
warner@scubed.com (Ken Warner) (12/17/90)
In article <IbOrbkO00WBN00sI1K@andrew.cmu.edu> mf2u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Matthew Raymond Flatt) writes: >A friend of mine is looking for a flowcharting program. You could use a Smalltalk (PP's or DT's) and roll your own. We used Nodegraph-80 from Knowledge Systems Corp. and integrated it into XSIS's Analyst. Works great! Ken Warner
wnn@ornl.gov (Wolfgang N. Naegeli) (12/19/90)
In article <IbOrbkO00WBN00sI1K@andrew.cmu.edu> mf2u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Matthew Raymond Flatt) writes: > A friend of mine is looking for a flowcharting program. Apparently, SUM II > does not do what he wants. He's trying to make flow charts like they used > to use (still do?) designing programs - simple "do this and then if that is > tru do this other thing otherwise go back to here" stuff. What's out there > to do this? I use MacFlow 3.5 from Mainstay. Unlike most other drawing programs, this is a virtually modeless program, which makes drawing charts blindingly fast. You don't have to select tools, such as pointer, line tool, rectangle tool, text tool. MacFlow is excellent for drawing flow charts, but it is also superb for organizational charts, network diagrams, concept maps, and many other types of schematic drawing. What you have instead of a tools palette is a symbol palette. In addition to the standard flow chart symbols, you can create your own, or purchase special palettes, e.g. for electrical circuit symbols, mathematical set symbols, office furniture, etc. To start a chart you select a symbol, e.g. a diamond from the palette and click anywhere in your chart--and the entire diamong is already drawn in the default size. You can resize it, which makes the new size the default. Just by Command-clicking in several more spots, you can insert additional diamonds of that size, or click on another symbol in the symbol palette to start adding squares, circles, etc. To connect the symbols with lines, you simply click inside the first symbol, draw the line to the second symbol and release the mouse (no need to select a line tool first!). You can create lines with vertices by briefly stopping, releasing the mouse button then holding it down again before continuing where you want vertices in between symbols. There is an option you can select from the menu so that lines will automatically be drawn at right angles, or your can convert a line to a bezier curve, to give it a smooth curve or even let it take a loop. To label the symbols, simply click in their center an start typing the text (no need to select a text tool!). To label a line, click on the line and start typing. You can use multiple styles, fonts, and sizes. There is an option for symbols to grow automatically to make the text fit inside them. To draw lines or place text independent of symbols, hold down the option key before clicking with the mouse anywhere in the chart. To rearrange your chart, grab a symbol by its edge and drag it (no need to select an arrow tool!). Lines stay connected and at right angles if that option is selected. Clicking on the edge of a symbol also gives you handles for resizing. The built-in symbol editor lets you customize the behavior of symbols, e.g. initial default size, how lines will connect to them, where text labels will be placed, etc., and it even lets you install into your savable symbol palettes such things as PICT images and PostScript graphics created in MacPaint or in Canvas, for example. To any symbol you can attach a nested chart, a comment (text window) or another application. Menu selections let you highlight the symbols that have a comment, a nested chart, or an application attached. Double-clicking such a symbol to open the nested chart, the comment window, or to sublaunch the application. This neat feature is useful to darw flow charts of office procedures, for example. A clerk may then study the chart to determine how to handle a special case, and, after finding the correct answer, double click it to be transfered right into the application that handles it. MicroMacFlow, a utility from Synergistic Applications, takes advantage of this feature. It lets you convert your MacFlow documents into standalone executable documents, that anyone who does not own MacFlow can view, print, and use to navigate through nested levels and comments, and to launch applications. This makes MacFolw also suitable as a simple authoring tool for self paced tutorials. I have no relationship or interest in Mainstay or Synergistic Applications other than being a very satisfied customer and Beta tester. ************************************************************** Wolfgang N. Naegeli Internet: wnn@ornl.gov Bitnet: wnn@ornlstc Phone: 615-574-6143 Fax: 615-574-6141 (MacFax) QuickMail (QM-QM): Wolfgang Naegeli @ 615-574-4510 Snail: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6206 **************************************************************