BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY

  Humanities Technology and Research Support Center

DigHT 310
Techniques Stack Assignment

Each class member will collect at least 20 LiveCode scripting Techniques and Tips and compile them into a stack to be submitted to the instructor at the end of the term.

What is a technique?

A technique is simply a way of solving a specific problem using LiveCode's scripting language. It is typically short, say 10 - 30 lines of scripting, but there is no real limit on the length. It is not simply demonstrating how to use a single command in LiveCode, but rather a collection of message handlers, commands, properties, functions, etc. used in combination to solve the problem. Well-written techniques can be reused in other contexts, so having a "library" of them can be useful. That is the objective of this exercise, to have you create your own library of scripting techniques.

Here is an example of a technique you might develop: Say you wanted the background and text of a text field to change colors when the user moved the mouse pointer inside the field. How would you script this? To find the answer you would look for a standard message that gets sent when the mouse moves into the boundaries of an object, then you would look for properties that you could change that would affect the color of the background and text of the field. Then you would combine these elements to create the effect you want.

Requirements

• You must collect a minimum of 20 Transcript scripting techniques. Each technique should include a description of the technique, the source of the technique, some sample scripting for the technique, and a working demonstration of the technique. The techniques should come from the following sources:
  • At least eight techniques that you discover on your own or as a result of work done in your final project group. However, keep in mind that this is an individual assignment; I don't want every member of your project group to turn in the same set of techniques.
  • At least five techniques you gather from class lectures. Remember that all of the class lectures are available from the DigHT 310 Web site schedule page.
  • At least five techniques from other sources. There are several good sources of ideas, including:
    • the RevOnline User Spaces, a collection of stacks posted to RunRev's web server, accessible from within LiveCode, through the Developer menu > Rev Online; or on the LiveCode toolbar
    • members of the LiveCode email list, a discussion group composed of LiveCode developers, which you may join by going to the LiveCode Web Site and clicking on Developers > Community link;
    • some very good scripting examples listed in the LiveCode Resource Center.
    • the Resources/Tips & Techniques/ folder on the DigHT 310 server contains LiveCode scripting tips from various sources, including Techniques Stacks from previous years.
  • The remaining two techniques may be in any of the above three categories.
    
• You may use the Techniques Template stack provided (see the Templates folder on the DigHT 310 server), or you may design and create your own stack to present your techniques. If you choose to create your own stack, it should have at least the following capabilities:
  • An index of all techniques in your stack that allow you to easily jump to any technique.
  • An Title card that gives the name of the stack, your name, course number, date submitted and the instructor's name.
  • Each technique card should have description of the technique, a sample script, a working demonstration of the technique, and a credit field showing the author and source of the technique.
    
• You may not use techniques already included as examples in the Techniques Template Stack unless you modify them in some significant way and produce your own demo.

Grading

This project is worth 150 points out of a total of around 700 possible points for the entire course (the total of all projects and exams). If you use the template provided, with no modifications or enhancements to it, and you complete all 20 of the required techniques with no errors, you can receive no higher than a B grade (85% of the total, or 127.5 points) for this project. To get an A on this project (up to 100% of the total points) you must do more than the minimum requirements. You could, for example:

• Include more techniques in your stack. You will receive two points for each extra technique from your own or your group's work that you include or one point for each extra technique from another source.
• Make enhancements to the Techniques Template stack. The existing template stack was put together quickly with minimal testing. It is not perfect. You could improve it by making the index more powerful or easy to use (perhaps putting the index in a menu that would be accessible from any card in the stack.) You could cross reference related techniques, provide URL links to the internet, improve the stack's help. Your imagination is the limit. Improvements could include the following:
  • Upgrade the graphic and/or color design of the stack.
  • Improve the scripting of any part of the stack.
    If you make any enhancements to the template stack that may not be immediately obvious, please include a summary of them with the stack, either as a separate "Read Me" file or as a link within the stack itself.
• Of course you may create your own technique stack. I will take into account the extra work this requires when I grade the project. It should have at least the capabilities of the template stack. If you choose to do this, don't concentrate on stack design and programming at the expense of finding and documenting good techniques.

Finally, I will look at the overall quality of the techniques, sample scripting and demos. For the techniques you borrow from other sources, you should make your own demos, not just copy the ones in the source stack. I want to know that you understand how to use the technique in your stack. I will also look for typographical and stack finishing quality, so be sure to proofread your text and correct spelling and grammar mistakes. Make sure that fields are locked unless they need to be unlocked for user input. Try to put a professional polish on your stack before you submit it.