source: trunk/Cocoa/F-Script Anywhere/Source/Read Me @ 7

F-Script Anywhere 1.1.2a1 [17 July 2002]
=========================

Add a F-Script interpreter to Cocoa applications dynamically.

Written by Nicholas Riley <mailto:fsa@sabi.net>.
Obtain updates from <http://web.sabi.net/nriley/software/>.


WHAT IS IT?
-----------

Ever wanted to inspect a Cocoa application's objects from the inside?
Frustrated with using GDB to debug Objective-C?

You need F-Script Anywhere! (with apologies to Guido van Rossum)


INSTALLATION
------------

Install F-Script; you can download it at <http://www.fscript.org/>.
In particular, make sure the framework is installed in a Frameworks
directory, such as /Library/Frameworks or ~/Library/Frameworks.

F-Script Anywhere 1.1.2 was tested with FScript.framework 1.2.1 (20020422)
and Mac OS X 10.1.5 (5S66).  It may or may not work with earlier or
later versions, I don't know.  If you are using an earlier F-Script
version, please upgrade.


USAGE
-----

Open the F-Script Anywhere application.  Pick a Cocoa application from
the list and click Install or press return.  F-Script Anywhere will
either install itself in that application, give you an error message,
or crash.  (Hopefully not the latter!)

Switch to the application, and you should find a ÒFSAÓ menu there.
Select ÒNew F-Script WorkspaceÓ to display a F-Script workspace.
This behaves like any other workspace, except it's executing within
the context of the application.

You can also install F-Script Anywhere by using its dock menu.  If
the frontmost application is a Cocoa application, just pick ÒInstallÉÓ
from the menu and F-Script Anywhere will install in that application.
If F-Script Anywhere canÕt install, the menu item will tell you so,
or F-Script AnywhereÕs icon will bounce to indicate a pending sheet
explaining the problem.

When you're finished, quit the application before quitting F-Script
Anywhere, otherwise the application will crash.  This is an inherent
limitation of the Objective-C runtime, and I can't do anything about
it.  F-Script Anywhere will warn you if you try to quit it when it's
still installed in active applications.


BUILDING
--------

The source to F-Script Anywhere is included.  It has a number of
dependencies.

1. Install FScript.framework (see above).

2. Install libPatch by Ed Wynne.

   <http://www.phasic.com/~arwyn/libPatch-1.2.tgz>

   I'd suggest you do it this way:

   % cd /
   % sudo gnutar --preserve-permissions -zxf libPatch-1.2.tgz
   Password:
     (please don't use StuffIt Expander)

   This installs files in /Developer/Examples and
   /usr/local/{bin,include,lib}.  If you're paranoid, you may want to
   check the contents of the directory before installing.

   Please note that the layout of the libPatch distribution has changed
   since libPatch 1.0; the above instructions will not work for 1.0.

3. Check out the source of 'otool' from the Darwin CVS repository.
   This is required because there's a bug in the function that returns
   the 'flavo(u)r' of an application: Cocoa, Carbon, Classic, etc.
   It identifies all Cocoa applications as Carbon ones.  So as a
   workaround, F-Script Anywhere examines the application itself to
   see what libraries it links with.  (This may fail if you're doing
   something weird like linking to development versions of Foundation
   and AppKit, but since I don't work for Apple, I couldn't test that
   eventuality.)

   Check out Commands/Apple/cctools/{include,libstuff} from Darwin
   CVS into the "Darwin source" directory.  If you don't have a CVS
   account, go to <http://www.opensource.apple.com/> and get one.

   cd to the libstuff directory and type 'make' (it doesn't use
   jam/pbxbuild).  I _think_ this is all you need.

4. Open 'F-Script Anywhere.pbproj' in Project Builder and build the
   Application target.  It depends on the Library target, so you don't
   need to build it separately.  You shouldn't see any errors or
   warnings, and the F-Script Anywhere application (as well as the
   library, which you can ignore because it is also copied into the
   application bundle) will appear in the build product directory.

If you have any problems building F-Script Anywhere, please let me
know.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
--------------------------

Q. What is F-Script?

A. F-Script is a dialect of Smalltalk which includes a bridge to
   the Objective-C runtime on Mac OS X.  It's open-source, and
   very nice.  Its author, Philippe Mougin, has written several
   articles on it, and documentation is available from the
   F-Script Web site:

   <http://www.fscript.org/>


Q. How do you access user interface elements?

A. Like this:

   > app := NSApplication sharedApplication

   > windows := app windows

   > windows
   NSCFArray {<NSWindow: 0x186770>, <NSWindow: 0x1ba4a0>, <NSWindow:
   0x1f0cea0>}

   > windows collect: [:each | each title]

   error: an instance of NSWindow does not respond to "collect:"

   (...a gentle reminder that this is not Smalltalk...)

   > windows title
   {'F-Script', '', ''}

   (...but F-Script has some tricks of its own...)

   > fsw := windows at: 0

   > fswView := fsw contentView

   At this point, click "New Browser: Object...", click on fswView,
   then click 'subviews' in the message list.  You can use 'subviews'
   repeatedly on container views if needed.


Q. That's too hard, especially all that scrolling.

A. [XXX fix me for 1.1.2 support]


Q. I don't like F-Script's syntax.  I don't like the object browser.
   I don't like you either.

A. I didn't write F-Script.  Please address your questions to
   F-Script's author or the F-Script mailing list.
   
   <http://www.fscript.org/contacts.htm>

   Oh, and get lost.


Q. My question isn't answered here.

A. That's not a question.  But if you have a question about F-Script
   Anywhere, a suggestion or a bug to report, please email it to me at
   <fsa@sabi.net>.  Please try to keep your messages short and to the
   point, and I'll get back to you as soon as my schedule will allow.
   Thanks!


VERSION HISTORY
---------------

1.1.2a1 - 17 July 2002  - fixed more startup issues with list management;
                          properly scale icons of apps which have no
                          small icons; added UI association interface
1.1.1 - 3 July 2002     - fixed inefficiencies responsible for long
                          startup time; reorganized Window menu; support
                          paths to applications which contain non-ASCII
                          characters [Martin HŠcker]; added sample code
                          to grab UI elements [Philippe Mougin]; cleaned
                          up code and distribution layout
1.1   - 25 April 2002   - revised terminology; updated for F-Script 1.2;
                          zoom to fit in application list; added help
                          tags for workspace; focus workspace initially
1.0.2 - (unreleased)    - minor cleanups, added error messages, updated
                          scroll view component for faster UI response,
                          removed help menu item because it's useless
1.0.1 - 1 March 2002    - corrected message for error 5; libPatch 1.2;
                          fixed endless confirmation on window close
1.0.1d1 1 February 2002 - added error messages
1.0   - 3 February 2002 - added dock menu, URL launching, check for
                          F-Script framework, floating window,
                          application name in interpreter window title,
                          fixed bugs, cleaned up error handling,
                          licensed under the GPL (because of ASM code),
                          packaged, added Read Me file and license
1.0d1 - 1 February 2002 - proof of feasibility, private test version


CREDITS
-------

Thanks to the following people for their software and generous
donations of source code:

Philippe Mougin, for F-Script
Mike Ferris, for TextExtras
Apple, for Darwin
Frank Vercruesse, for ASM