IDE
The IDE is a Windows application which provides a
friendly GUI interface to the Prolog system. From within the IDE you can:
- Edit source files
- Compile files
- Link programs
- Create and manage projects
- Debug programs
- Execute programs
- Enter a standard Clocksin & Mellish ?- Prolog listener
Note the final point. This means that there is nothing you can do with
the command-line tools that you cannot do in the IDE environment. .
Interface
After the IDE has been invoked you are presented
with a screen divided into four main areas:
- Running along the top of the screen is the menu bar. Many of the commands
will already be familiar to experienced Windows users.
- Below the menu bar is the tool bar which gives you access to the most
commonly used commands and functions by clicking on the corresponding icon.
- Running along the bottom of the screen is the status bar which indicates
what the highlighted menu option does.
- The bulk of the middle of the screen is empty. Depending on which option
is chosen, the area will fill with windows. It is within these windows
that most of the interchange between you and the IDE takes place.
Each open Prolog source file is displayed in its own window. Windows
can be moved, resized and reduced to an icon. If there is a project currently
open, then it also appears in a window.
The listener is also in its own window. The current release allows only
one listener window to be active at one time. The debugger runs in a separate
window, but it can only be turned on when the listener is active.
The listener/debugger sessions can be logged to a file, saved or printed
for later review.
Using menu commands, source files can be compiled into object (.plm)
files. Both source and object files can be consulted into the listener.
Also using menu commands, you can link multiple .plm files into a load module,
which can also be run in a window.
Unicode and ASCII
The editor in the IDE will accept either
Unicode or ASCII files, and save a file in the same format it was originally
read in. New files can be saved as either ASCII or Unicode.
To view Unicode characters it is necessary to set the IDE font
to a Unicode font. Lucida Console has a large number of Unicode characters.
Gulim is a font included on the NT 4.0 distribution disks that has Japanese
characters in it.
File Menu
New
File
Opens a new, blank edit window.
New Project
Creates a new project and displays the project
dialog box.
Open File
Opens an existing Prolog source file (.pro).
Open Project
Opens an existing project.
Close
Closes the current edit window.
Close All
Closes all open edit windows.
Save
Saves the source file or project associated with the current window.
Save As
Saves the source file or project associated with the current window
in a new file.
Save All
Saves all open source files and the current project (if one is open).
Unlock
Prompts for the user name, organization, serial number and unlock code
issued at time of purchase and enables many product features.
Print
Prints the contents of the current edit, listener or debugger window.
Print Preview
Displays how the contents of the current window will appear when printed.
Print Setup
Select a printer and set parameters for printing.
Recent File List
A list of the Prolog source files most recently opened.
Recent Project List
A list of the projects most recently opened.
Exit
Exits the IDE.
Edit Menu
Undo
Reverses the last editing change made.
Cut
Deletes the currently highlighted text and saves it on the clipboard.
Copy
Makes a copy of the currently highlighted text on the clipboard.
Paste
Inserts the contents of the clipboard at the cursor.
Delete
Deletes the currently highlighted text.
Select All
Selects (highlights) all the text.
Find
Finds the first occurance of a string in the current window.
Find Next
Finds the next occurance of a string in the current window.
Replace
Finds and replaces text in the current window.
View Menu
Tool Bar
Toggles the display of the tool bar at the top of the main IDE window.
Status Bar
Toggles the display of the status bar at the bottom of the main IDE
window.
Set Font
Sets the font name and size to be used for edit, listener and debugger
window text.
Listener Menu
Start
Opens the listener into a window and emits the ?- prompt.
End
Closes the listener.
Consult
Consults a Prolog source file (.pro) or loads
a Prolog object file (.plm) into the listener.
Reconsult
Consults a Prolog source file into the listener, replacing any current
definitions for the predicates.
Debug On
Opens the debugger into a window.
Debug Off
Closes the debugger.
Build Menu
Compile
Compiles a Prolog source file (.pro).
Link
Links one or more Prolog object files (.plm)
into a Prolog load module (.xpl).
Build
Compiles all modified files and links all files and libraries in a
project into a Prolog load module.
Run
Loads a Prolog load module and calls the main/0 predicate in a new
window.
Window Menu
Cascade
Rearrange all open windows (including the listener, debugger and current
project, if any) in a cascading fashion from the upper left to the lower
right.
Tile Horizontally
Arranges the windows in a horizontal fashion.
Tile Vertically
Arranges the windows in a vertical fashion.
Close All
Closes all windows.
Open Window List
A list of all currently open windows.
Help
Index
Displays the top-level index to all the Amzi! help files in a web browser.
About Amzi!
Displays version information for the installed software.
Change Browser
Changes the web browser program to use for displaying help.
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