Kromo

From IShell Wiki

Kromo is a module which expands the functionality of the Tribalmedia iShell multimedia authoring tool. It includes a collection of more than 200 useful elements, events and commands to provide new features and to simplify and speed up the production process.

Contents 1 What is Kromo? 2 Features - an overview 2.1 Dialogs 2.2 Filesystem Functions 2.3 RTF/HTML Creator 2.4 Calendar 2.5 Runtime control 2.6 Magic Calc Command 2.7 String Manipulation 2.8 Tables 2.9 Spunk Support 2.10 Kromo Database 3 Features - detailed information 4 Features - new in version 4 4.1 New & improved functions 4.2 New & improved demo projects 4.3 Other improvements 4.4 Bugs solved 4.5 Improved & changed documentation 4.6 Known limitations 5 Kromo Licensing 6 Download

What is Kromo?

Kromo supplies iShell with the needed functionality to round up its brilliant usableness as a Multimedia Authoring-, RAD- and CBT-Tool. It provides system dialogs, file handling routines and powerfull tools to handle text, numbers, date, time, table and database data.

Kromo is fully cross-platform (like iShell itself). It supports Windows and Mac OS X on PPC and Intel machines natively. (Older versions for Mac OS 9 are available on demand.)

What else do you get?

• Kromo is a secure investment. It is offered and maintained since 1998.
• Most used iShell module ever. Results in high stability.
• Over 200 unique commands and options. (Kromo is based on about 25.000 lines of source code.)
• Comprehensive documentation and demo projects.
• Fast support.
• Code customization (optional).

Features - an overview

Dialogs

With Kromo you can display the most important standard operating system dialogs. All dialog parameters are alterable by the author. You can display dialogs to let the user load or save files and folders, choose colors or create new folders. A custom alert function allows to build dialogs of own style and function.

Filesystem Functions

Kromo provides all necessary functions to handle the local filesystem.

The author can copy, create, move and delete files and folders. Check methods allow to test for the existence of files or folders. Several functions help to handle URLs and to provide access to special operating system folders, like the system- or preferences-folders.

The Kromo File element allows to navigate and search in files with binary- or textdata and to write and read data to or from them. Different file and text encodings, like Unicode, are supported.

RTF/HTML Creator

With the Kromo RTF/HTML Creator you can create RTF text and rich media HTML files during runtime. This is an easy and straight forward way to integrate dynamic text sources into your title. RTF/HTML Creator supports different text styles and hypertext linkage with custom labels. A great function to present dynamic data like user input or database content.

Calendar

Kromo provides access to calender functions like date and time comparisons and calculations. Now it is easy to provide full featured PIMs or similar management applications. A magic command allows to format dates in any national language style.

Runtime control

Kromos Runtime command gives you full control about your runtime environment...

• Check for platforms (Is your title running on Windows, Macintosh, PPC or Intel?)
• Check the actual version number of iShell, QuickTime, Windows and Mac OS X
• Executing AppleScripts and Shell scripts (Mac only!)
• Get and set the clipboard content
• Get the color of screen pixels
• Get and set the mouse cursor position
• Simulate user clicks
• Check for collision (intersection) of elements
• Print with or without dialogs
• Display simple alerts and text input dialogs

Magic Calc Command

With the magic calc command the author handles complex mathematical terms with only one command, instead of adding douzens of most complex Set and Get commands in endless queues.

The conversion functions are supporting any numerative system like dual or hexadecimal. A random function is providing real random behavior and rounding of real values has a financial option.

String Manipulation

Kromo provides a gigantic collection of string manipulation functions. You can modify, test consistence, check substrings, take parts, convert, change case, count items and tokenize strings.

The Magic Format command builds text paragraphs out of several variables with just one command. In many cases this saves hundreds of needless Set and Get commands.

The included encryption engine let the author savely protect data against unauthorized access with public or private code keys.

Tables

With Kromo you are able to sort complete tables without to tear apart the records dependences. Another function let you sum up rows or columns with use of just one command. A calc command with direct access to tables provides great spreadsheet functionality.

A copy function copies rows, columns or whole tables without building complex loops.

Spunk Support

Kromo supports the Spunk module to use HTML Forms with standard operating system widgets. Use popup menus, lists, buttons, checkboxes, markers, password fields to interact with the user. The Spunk Form Receiver event in combination with Kromo CGI commands give you full control. In combination with Kromos HTML Generator you can create forms during runtime, to modify lists or popup menus. The possibilities are unlimited.

Kromo Database

Like iShells Table element, Kromos local database engine handles tab separated text files - but - without loading them completely into memory. The engine contains a full-text retrieval system which enables you to process freely defined query structures.

Features - detailed information

To get more detailed information about the Kromo elements, events and commands please have a look at the Kromo manual. The manual is part of the Kromo distribution, which can be downloaded here.

Features - new in version 4

Kromo 4.0 is the first release which is build for, tested and optimized for iShell 4.5 and Apple Macintosh systems with Intel processors.

New & improved functions

• Kromo is now compatible with iShell 4.5. Former versions are not working with iShell 4.5!
• Kromo is now an Universal Binary and runs natively on Intel based Macintosh computers.
• A self-test during startup of the Kromo Editor module is now checking if Kromo can operate with the installed iShell release.
• Two new functions to set and get text from the system clipboard.
• Get QuickTime version is a new option for the K4 Runtime "Check Environment" command, to check if the right QuickTime version for your title is installed.
• Get iShell version is a new option for the K4 Runtime "Check Environment" command, to check if the version of the running iShell Runtime (or Editor) is correct. This command is very useful for online projects - it assures that the user has the right Runtime application installed.
• Two new options for the K4 Runtime "Check Environment" command are checking if your title is running on PPC or Intel based Macintosh computers.
• Three new command options for the K4 Table command are available to copy table data. You can now copy single columns, rows and whole tables without building slow while-loops.
• The K4 Table command option "Sort" has now a "Default" option to respect the "natural" column type.
• A new command allows to execute AppleScript and Shell scripts from your title. You can pass custom parameters to the script and it gives the result back to your iShell title.
• The new "Get Mouse Position" option for the K4 Runtime command makes the "Set Mouse Position" and "Simulate Click" commands much more useful.

New & improved demo projects

• The demo "AppleScript Demo" shows how to execute an AppleScript and a Shell script from within your iShell title.

Other improvements

• All Kromo 3 projects are compatible with Kromo 4.
• The Kromo Tell Database command options "Result To Table", "Result To Column" and "Result To Row" are now refreshing the screen output if the attached Data elements are visible.
• The K4 Table command option "Sort" is now refreshing the screen output if the attached Data elements are visible.

Bugs solved

• Alert boxes with long text messages crashed or were not proper displayed.
• K4 Math "Magic Calc" was not correctly calculating terms with many brackets.
• The K4 Table command option "Sum" crashed when the table had "real" Integer columns.

Improved & changed documentation

• Added the new commands.
• Changed all links to "Tribalmedia"

Known limitations

• The "Execute AppleScript" command is only working on Macintosh computers. We will provide a similar command for Windows in a future release of Kromo.
• Almost all screenshots in the manual are showing "K3 ..." commands. These commands are called "K4 ..." since Kromo version 4.

Kromo Licensing

Without a license Kromo can be used for evaluation purpose in the iShell Editor environment. It is not allowed to distribute titles including Kromo for any purpose without licensing it.

The Kromo license includes:

• No distribution limitations (unlimited platforms and number of copies)
• The right to install the Kromo Editor module on one computer owned by the licensee
• The right to distribute the Kromo Runtime module for Macintosh and Windows
• 1 year free support via e-mail
• All maintenance updates for free (e.g. version 4.0 to 4.0.1)
• All subrelease or major updates within 90 days (e.g. version 4.0 to 4.1)

The Kromo license is avalable from the tribalmedia store. These prices are subject to change; the official prices can be found in the store.

Pricing:

• Kromo 4 (Professional) full license: $249
• Update from any Kromo 3 license: $149
• There is no Standard License anymore. All users get the Professional package!
• All available licenses and updates are single user licenses.

Download

The latest Kromo package can be downloaded from the tribalmedia download page. An alternative download link can be found here.