by Ted Brockwood

A Look at Microsoft Visual Basic and Layout from Objects Inc.

Rapid application development (RAD) has long promised to be a boon to the computing community. The idea is to develop a method of designing software so that the whole process is quick, painless, and nearly effortless. The tools used should be easy to learn, powerful, and allow the designer to interface his/her freshly minted application with other applications, databases, and file types.
July 10, 1997

Microsoft has long understood the need for a wide base of programmers of all skill levels, and so several years ago they introduced what is considered by many to be one of the best tools available in the RAD field, Visual Basic (VB). VB, since its inception, has allowed application designers to create a wide variety of programs and make them available much more quickly than they would be had they been developed under more traditional programming methods. While some of the more "serious" programmers have long considered Visual Basic a "toy" and not a serious design tool, many are now finding that when it comes to designing programs for use on a Windows-based system, VB simply can't be beat in terms of speed, ease of use, learning curve, and simplicity.

Another company, Objects, Inc., has taken a shot at making programming even easier than Visual Basic does. A few years ago this company released their own software development tool, which was dubbed Layout. Layout takes programming to an entirely new level of simplicity.

Traditional programming code (which is even used in Visual Basic) is thrown out the window completely. Instead of the user needing to understand programming code (or just code for short) the developer uses a flowchart to design applications. All the commonly used pieces of code (for example, code to call up the printer and have it print out your data file) are pre-compiled for the user and are referred to as "Blackboxes". These chunks of code (which you never actually see) are placed into a flowchart, designed by the programmer. User interfaces (Windows, input boxes, etc.) are referred to as "cards." The programmer (actually "designer" may be more appropriate) plugs all the Blackboxes and cards necessary to the creation of the application into the flowchart in order. According to the manuals, Layout promises that just about anyone can put together powerful, useful applications in a short amount of time.

I've had a chance to use both Visual Basic 4.0 Standard Edition, and Layout 3.01 (the most recent version), both for Windows 95 (Layout will also work fine under Windows 3.1x).

The Documentation

Visual Basic 4.0 wins hands down. The manual is clean, precise and comes filled with useful examples. If you're not a fan of paper manuals, there are copies of the manual stored in the Help Files on the CD. The examples are well-explained, simple to set up, and actually quite fun to use. The on-line tutorials are uncomplicated and well worth taking the effort to walk through.

Layout's documentation, while not the worst I've ever seen, could certainly use some work. The package comes with a total of five books: a "Read me first" booklet, two small startup guides, one tutorial style manual, and one programmer's reference. The startup guides are not of much use. They are more of an introduction to what Layout is, the ideas behind it, and a short history. The tutorial manual is fair, but it does not give nearly enough useful examples to learn from. These tutorials are incredibly simplistic and scarcely scratch the surface of how to use Layout for designing powerful applications. Worst of all, some of the screen shots used in the manual must have come from a previous version of the software, as I could not find the same screens anywhere when I was using Layout.

The programmer's reference is nice, but does not give the reader nearly enough information about the Blackboxes, cardfiles, and samples supplied with Layout. The reference attempts to explain what a Blackbox is used for and sometimes cites a (very) brief example of it in use. Unfortunately, the example is usually more cryptic than the explanation.

The Software

Visual Basic 4.0 wins again. The interface is smooth and slick, showing the user how a real design tool should look. The Toolbox is simple to understand, and passing the cursor over any icon on it will give you the name of the tool itself. The names of the tools (or Objects) are straightforward enough that you get an instant idea of what the tool will do when plugged into the application.

With VB 4.0, you first design the user interface, then plug in the code to make everything work. The interface is designed on "forms," which are essentially windows containing buttons, text, images, etc. After placing the necessary controls on the interface, the next step is to write code for the events that occur. For example, if there is a command button titled "Click me for Help," the programmer must attach a piece of code to the button so that it responds in some manner to the user's mouseclick. Being event-driven (as Microsoft refers to Visual Basic's methodology) allows the programmer to create a logically flowing application. You can build a program in small pieces by first designing and coding each event, then putting all the events together on an interface. Of course, you will have to learn the essentials of BASIC programming under Visual Basic, but the language is easy to grasp. With the help of the manual (and perhaps one of the "Visual Basic for Dummies" books) the whole process becomes rather effortless. That's not to say VB 4.0 will make someone a master programmer overnight, but it's an excellent way to start learning the fundamentals and then work your way up to powerful designs.

Layout promises ease, but delivers mostly frustration. It seems to suffer from over-simplifying the programming process. Without the ability truly to manipulate code, it becomes a disappointing experience.

The user interface in Layout is created by designing cards, which in turn may contain links to other cards, controls, text, images, or pieces of code in the form of Blackboxes. It seems simple enough. You need only open up the card editor, place the necessary buttons, controls, boxes, etc. on the card and save it. Unfortunately, it's just not that easy. First, the card editor is sluggish and overbearing. It takes several steps to create a simple click button, and it only gets worse. The toolbox, which contains all the elements needed for designing a card, is nowhere near as clean as the Visual Basic toolbox. Each button is an unlabeled icon, and passing the cursor over one (in an attempt to see the label pop up, as it does in VB4.0) accomplishes nothing. The buttons just sit there staring at you, mocking your attempts at using them. Page 36 of the manual lists all the buttons and their related uses, but who is going to keep the manual handy all the time? I admit that it is possible to memorize each button, but being realistic, it shouldn't be necessary, and some of us are simply forgetful.

Writing code in Layout simply means attaching a Blackbox to a card, or inserting a Blackbox into the flowchart where it is needed. Again, this is easier said than done. Some Blackboxes cannot be attached to cards and some are designed only to be used with cards. If you attempt to attach an incompatible Blackbox to a card, the system responds by stating the impossibility of this attempt, and that you should attempt to build a procedure that uses the Blackbox and attach the procedure to the card. Soon, you end up buried in procedure after procedure, all in an attempt simply to get the Blackbox to activate when you need it.

The Test

After studying the manuals for an equal amount of time and tinkering with the tutorials and sample applications, I set about creating my own application. The test application was to be a very simple invoicing program. The program would have no pull-down menu bar. For the sake of simplicity, it would consist only of click buttons, input boxes (for text information), and a few drop-down list boxes. The program would allow the user to create a file for each customer and assign each a file number, and each file would contain an invoice history which would be accessed through the drop-down list.

Quite honestly, Using Layout, I never finished this project. After three weeks, I managed to create a workable interface. Beyond that, I couldn't get anything to work correctly. I found myself cheating by stealing chunks of the sample applications and using them to create mine. I have nothing against "recycling" code, but I don't think it should be the only way one can complete a project. The project was deemed an abysmal failure.

Next it was VB's turn. After four days of coding I had a fully functional interface, about 50% of the actual application coded, and was considering expanding the project to interface with databases.

VB 4.0 allows you to interface easily with databases (preferably Microsoft Access) so this idea didn't seem too far-fetched or complex. I have yet to recycle code from VB's tutorial applications, and probably won't need to. I actually look forward to working on more projects in VB.

Conclusions

If you're looking to get into programming or seeking a RAD tool to make your life a little easier, Microsoft Visual Basic 4.0 is definitely worth looking into. Its ease of use, superior documentation, and overall effectiveness are well suited to a fast-paced programming environment.

Layout, on the other hand, suffers from trying to be too much for too many people. It's almost overzealous in its efforts to simplify things. The ability to manipulate code is too limited, the Blackbox concept too confining, and the documentation lacking. Perhaps if I had understood what some of the Blackboxes were doing behind the scenes, I would have found it a much more useful tool. Instead, I found that it takes too much out of the designer's hands, thus constricting the design environment.

Ted Brockwood is the Information Services Manager for a real estate listing service in Oregon. His experience covers Java, Linux, UNIX, NT, Win95/98, Win3.x, and DOS.