Tk/XML/WizardMaker version 0.90
===============================

The Software Wizards are popular for tasks like software installation,
upgrade or just gathering of configuration options. There is a lot of
good software (often called as Install Schild) which provides
developers with APIs for building of those Wizards.

This package is just one "Install Shild" more.

Many of those Install Shields provide only API interface. You have
a lot of functions or methods to build a wizard page and to bind
some callbacks. So if you develope an install script, you have to
code in how to create and maintain all its wizard pages.

If you maintains this script some time later (because the new
release of your software is ready in 6 months), you will have to
change a lot of code. If you want to add a new page into the old
script, you have to program:

  1. prepare variables to hold new values.
  2. the code to create the new page with all its components.
  3. changes in callbacks (what to do on the NEXT button)

But all this is not your problem as it is a new developer
who must maintain your script now ...

After some new releases your script is less readeable and seems to
have bugs.

Not so if you use the Tk::XML::WizardMaker. It does provide an API interface
too, but it can help you separate the page building from what to do
with information gathered.

You just describe the entire wizard in XML. All the pages will be than
generated automatically.

All callbacks can be described both in XML or directly in the script
code. All callbacks can be individual functions for every page -
your code is more.

If you will maintain your script some time later, the only you
have to do is to program

  1. what to do with new informations.

All other things can be descriptive XML code.


INSTALLATION

To install this module type the following:

   perl Makefile.PL
   make
   make test
   make install

Or you simple copy the file WizardMaker.pm into one of the @INC 
directories on your machine.

DEPENDENCIES

This module requires these other modules and libraries:

    Tk
    XML::Simple     (requires XML::Parser and File::Spec)
    Data::Dumper
    Storable
    Win32           (Win32 plattform only)
    Win32API::File  (Win32 plattform only)


COPYRIGHT AND LICENCE

  Copyright (C) 2004 Viktor Zimmermann, ZiMTraining@gmx.net

  This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
  modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.