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Created: Sat 8 Dec 2001 00:15:13 GMT+00:00 Modified: Wed 17 Nov 1858 00:00:00 GMT+00:00
Moving AUGMENT files and browsing functionality
Doug Engelbart Note: This draft memo describes background and requirements for converting exported Augment files into web-browsable html files. Eugene Kim then developed an a2h tool (see his OHS page for details) building on earlier work of Shinya Yamada and Raylene Pak. Although this tool was made obsolete in 2006 by augXml written by Jonathan Cheyer as part of the HyperScope project. However, the background and requirements are still very much illustrative of the Augment file architecture. [CE]2 INTRODUCTION3This memo is about more-detailed and -automatic translation of AUGMENT files into "Web-useable" form -- AND about then developing browser extensions that provide enhanced, AUGMENT-equivalent, mobility and viewing options on the translated AUGMENT files. 3a Note that the implementation would provide much enhanced value if it could be "integrated" with that proposed in Multiple payoff is anticipated:3b
BACKGROUND ABOUT A2H TRANSLATION4Translating AUGMENT files into HTML form, with level indentation and "purple numbers," was first done in the mid 90's by Christina Engelbart and Bob Czech (who wrote the Smalltalk program for our "modern" AUGMENT client, called "VAT" for "Visual AugTerm"). This translation process required a fair amount of specialized hand labor.4a Early in 2000, Shinya Yamada began working on a more direct translator, but had to return to Japan before getting it useable for me.4b Frode Hegland suggested adding a feature to the Purple Numbers, which orignally were simple address labels. He suggested (and did the installation on some trial files) that the Purple Number installation be enhanced by making these numbers be clickable links to their respective paragraphs -- and thereby enabling a user to do the "right-click" copy process which enabled her subsequently to paste the complete URL for that paragraph into another document.4c In Fall 2000, Eugene Kim produced (and named) the "a2h" translator, for which I put together some simple processes to apply to an AUGMENT file which produce a sequential file which could be ftp'd to a location where Eugene's translator would automatically process it and install the translated HTML file in an appropriate Subsequently, Eugene produced his "Purple" processor which automatically added Purple Location Numbers as well as AUGMENT-like Purple (integer) SIDs Statement Identifiers -- with both numbers having Frode-like links to their paragraphs. Extending the a2h translation process5Planned -- A fully automatic process: Simply supply name(s) of AUGMENT file(s); then automatic processes in AUGMENT environment operates on each designated file, creating an appropriate sequential-ASCII file and ftp-ing it to the Kim-developed translator, which installs the translated XML (evolvable, HyperScope intermediary) file at appropriate web address. 5a Raylene Pak will develop this "AUGMENT-launch" capability.5a1 Automatically deriving the "a2h-installed" file names (and thus URLs) from the AUGMENT-file addresses:5b Journal files:5b1 www.bootstrap.org/a2h/JName/JNumber.html5b1a E.g. NOTE: a2h translator recognize journal-target links because they are the only ones for which the "file name" is an integer.5b1a2 Most-used Journals likely to be: AUGMENT; BI; perhaps ALLIANCE.5b1b Other Journals that may contribute: MDC; OAD; ASD; ESL; TAC; ... 5b1c Non-Journal files:5b2 www.bootstrap.org/a2h/Structure/Directory/File.html5b2a Likely use non-journal files from only two of the DEC20 Structures:5b2b DEV: holding all of the developer-spec and source-code files.5b2b2 JRNL: 5b2b3 Each registered user owns a directory in the USER Structure; e.g. ENGELBART, PAK, COPPERNOLL, ... from which some files may be translated.5b2c But most would be from special directories, e.g.: USERGUIDES, BOA, ADMIN, CCC, DRAFT-DOCUMENTATION, FEEDBACK, HANDBOOK, MDC-SOFTWARE, NASP, OHS, PROGDOCS, PUBS, TUTOR, ... 5b2d Adding the rest of AUGMENT-file properties to the translation:5c Origin-node, every file5c1 "External" Link: Command Jump Name External, click on a word, and the system goes to the file pointed to by this file's "External Link" property, finds the node labelled with that selected word, and expects to find a link on that node which is traversed. This "indirect addressing" feature is VERY useful in situations such as for source code, where the compiler creates the external-ref-linkage file, so that the sorce-code definition for every procedure and global variable is always just one "jump-name-external" click away. "Link-default Directory" -- usually cites its own Directory/File combination; but offers value in special circumstances when set to point to another directory/file. Marker name/link pairs -- up to ten "labelled markers" can be set up within a file, arbitrarily named/renamed and located/re-located to serve as always-useable addresses to a node, or actually to a given character in a node's string. the data for these, consisting for each established marker of (up to 5-character) label string, and the SID+Offset address of the "marked" character -- are kept in the file's "origin node" property structure Origin-node, Journal Files also have5c2 Every node 5c3 Name Delimiters Statement signatures [* a2h has already been dealing with the following: *]5c3c Location Number Statement IDentifier Statement Name Translating AUGMENT links to URL-links whose "link executions" would replicate the addressability within the translated XML files to the equivalent of what would be done by AUGMENT link jump actions withing the originating AUGMENT files. (Note below that the equivalent of the AUGMENT link's viewspec actions are also planned to be implemented within the HyperScope's evolving, XML-intermediary-file actions.)5d Note: AUGMENT's addressing conventions enable minimal link-address strings:5d1
Adding browsing/viewing functions to a special "AUGscope" Browser (hopefully, the actualy evolving HyperScope) for navigating and viewing these a2h translated files.6 NOTE: Special extensions to the AUGscope "Browser" 6a All AUGMENT links, as translated into URLs, yield same Jump/View result in AUGscope as they do in AUGMENT (assuming the target files are in the "translated" form and location).6b Establish URL syntax providing ASCII string designating a ViewSpec; accept all the AUGMENT Vspec characters/effects. 6b1 Example: ViewSpec designators ... characters which can be combined into meaningful "View Specifications" Blank lines Blank lines between statements on/off y/z6b3a Statement numbers Statement numbers/SIDs on/off m/n Statement names Show statement names yes/no C/D6b3c Statement signatures Show statement signatures yes/no K/L6b3d Level clipping Show first/+1/-1/all levels d/b/a/c Line clipping Show first/+1/-1/all lines t/r/q/s6b3f Outline/normal Show first level and first line only x Structure clipping Show branch only g Content filtering Filter statements based on Set Content i Indenting Level indenting on/off A/B Frozen statements Show frozen statements o Screen refresh Put viewspecs into effect now f AUGMENT-Style, Double-Click Jumps: Also, equivalent Jump XXX capability -- with extra click required, allowing options for: (1) in between-click interval, enter characters stipulating what the end viewspec is to be; and (2) moving cursor to another window before final click, designating where the new location/view is to be displayed.6c Note: The Jump commands are available in all subsystems. Cf. "Jumps" at Jump (to) [MARK] VIEWSPECS6c2 Jump (to) Link CONTENT6c3 Jump (to) Origin (of file) (from) LOCATION VIEWSPECS6c4 Jump (to) Next/Back/Down/Up (from) LOCATION VIEWSPECS6c5 Jump (to) Successor/Predecessor (from) LOCATION VIEWSPECS6c6 Jump (to) Head/Tail (of plex at) LOCATION VIEWSPECS6c7 Jump (to) End (of) File/Branch/Plex (from) LOCATION VIEWSPECS6c8 Jump (to) Content/Word First/Next [RC]/CONTENT VIEWSPECS6c9 [TAB] command repeats a previous word or content search.6c9a Jump (to) Name First/Next/Any CONTENT VIEWSPECS6c10 Jump (to) Return OK6c11 Jump (to) Return File OK6c12 Adding "Extended Addressing" ... including "Relative Addressing" -- see LINKS AND ADDRESSES at ADDRESS = FILEADDRESS for origin statement of file FILEADDRESS = FILENAME, at current site and directory Note that every form of FILEADDRESS ends with a comma.7c1 FILENAME = NAME [ESC] fills out file names and directory names.7d1 INFILEADDRESS is one or more of the elements below, separated by [SP]. [SP] is not required if the next element begins with punctuation. Use Help to get information about any of these elements (by typing its name) or about other elements (by typing "INFILEADDRESS"). (See ONLINE HELP Element Name Example STATEMENTNUMBER 1a2b7e2 SID 0127e3 NEXTNAME *statementname7e5 SUBNAME !statementname7e6 CHARACTERSEARCH 'c7e7 CONTENTSEARCH "text"7e8 WORDSEARCH "word"=w7e9 RELATIVE POSITION .n .b next and back statement STRINGPOSITION +e +f last or first character of statement7e11 About the associated "Link Databases":8"Back-Link Database" -- listing of two-link entries. Each entry points8a "Forward-Link" Database -- A of two-link entries. Each entry points8b Automatic updating of the "Back-Link" Database whenever:8c Miscellaneous:9 |