FormTool: Difference between revisions

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[[Category:Techniques]]
<hide>
[[Techniques]]: Software: '''FormTool'''
[[page type::article]]
FormTool (by [http://www.imsisoft.com/ IMSI]) is a Windows application
[[thing type::software]]
for creating database-linked smart computer forms and reports, with a
[[category:software]]
focus on live forms filled out on the computer. These forms can be
</hide>
automated to some degree, and indeed at least one
==About==
niche-commercial-grade application ([[BookEm]]) has been developed with
[[FormTool]], by [[IMSI]] ([http://www.imsisoft.com/ web]), is a [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] application for creating database-linked smart computer forms and reports, with a focus on live forms filled out on the computer. These forms can be automated to some degree, and indeed at least one niche-commercial-grade application ([[BookEm]]) has been developed with it. In that respect, FormTool may be usable as a replacement for more expensive development platforms such as [[Microsoft Access]].
it. In that respect, FormTool may be usable as a replacement for more
 
expensive development platforms such as [[Microsoft Access]].
As of 2015-01-31, it does not appear to be available from IMSI anymore.
Deployment appears to be an issue, however, as there does not appear to
==As a platform==
be any obvious support for automated installation of the form-filler
Deployment appears to be an issue, however, as there does not appear to be any obvious support for automated installation of the form-filler executable (despite the fact that licenses for unlimited copying of the form-filler executable are available) so that the end-user can automatically install both (a) any developed applications requiring FormTool and (b) the FormTool form-filler required to run them.
executable (despite the fact that licenses for unlimited copying of the
 
form-filler executable are available) so that the end-user can
''see [[/deployment]] for more''
automatically install both (a) any developed applications requiring
FormTool and (b) the FormTool form-filler required to run them.
==Automated Deployment==
(Documentation of this technique is still in progress, as I have not
yet achieved a working deployment this way. --[[User:Woozle|Woozle]]
17:03, 14 May 2005 (CDT))
FormTool does have a form-filler-only application (Filler) which either
may be licensed for unlimited redistribution or else comes that way
(not sure). However, there does not seem to be any support for
automated deployment of Filler along with the form data/application --
that is, one has to install Filler separately from one's FormTool-based
application.
However, it appears to be relatively simple to make a working,
single-application deployment of Filler by simply copying the right
files to a common folder.
===The Install CD===
Looking at the FormTool 5.0 install CD, you see some setup-related
executables (autorun.exe, instmsia.exe, instmsiw.exe, setup.exe,
setup.ini), what may be an encoded install script of some kind
(FormTool v5.msi), and an archive file (Data.Cab) which is readable by
WinZip 9.0 SR-1. This last file appears to contain the actual files
needed to make FormTool run. Each file in Data.Cab is prefixed by a
5-digit code plus a hyphen; I don't know what the code means.
===Files Needed to Run===
By attempting to run FormTool.exe and Filler.exe (after removing the
filename prefix for each), I was able to determine that copying and
renaming the following files (also shown after renaming) to a separate
folder will allow each .exe to load:
{| border="0" cellspacing="2" style="font-size:12pt;"
|- bgcolor="#dddddd"
| '''Designer'''
| '''Filler'''
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee" valign=top \
| ''FormTool.exe'' CodeBar.dll CTOCRC32.DLL FTFrm.dll GrPropts.dll
IMSIctrl.dll Inspector.dll Password.dll Rotr.dll Utils.dll
XControls.dll zlib.dll
| ''Filler.exe'' CodeBar.dll FTFrm.dll GrPropts.dll Password.dll
Rotr.dll Utils.dll XControls.dll zlib.dll
|}
===Frontline===
The FrontLine.exe executable appears to be one of those ever-popular
Flash-like front-ends for people who don't know where the Start menu
is. It uses MSIE through ActiveX to load the HTML files in the
Program\Pages folder, which execute VBScript to load the various other
programs. I haven't gotten as far as getting it to work without a
proper install; the VBScript function calls at least one procedure not
found anywhere in any of the HTML files; it may be in a DLL which has
to be registered in order for VBScript to find it.
Fortunately, FrontLine's functionality is minimal.

Latest revision as of 22:05, 31 January 2015

<hide> page type::article thing type::software </hide>

About

FormTool, by IMSI (web), is a Windows application for creating database-linked smart computer forms and reports, with a focus on live forms filled out on the computer. These forms can be automated to some degree, and indeed at least one niche-commercial-grade application (BookEm) has been developed with it. In that respect, FormTool may be usable as a replacement for more expensive development platforms such as Microsoft Access.

As of 2015-01-31, it does not appear to be available from IMSI anymore.

As a platform

Deployment appears to be an issue, however, as there does not appear to be any obvious support for automated installation of the form-filler executable (despite the fact that licenses for unlimited copying of the form-filler executable are available) so that the end-user can automatically install both (a) any developed applications requiring FormTool and (b) the FormTool form-filler required to run them.

see /deployment for more

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