Here, Special features of IF/Prolog for MS Windows are explained. For features of IF/Prolog commonly available on all platforms, please see "IF/Prolog V5.x Overview".

Graphical User Interface

A new graphical user interface for MS-Windows provides fast access to consulting, loading, debugging, tracing and compilation facilities of IF/Prolog, together with a comprehensive online hypertext manual and database browser.

In true MS-Windows style, hot-key menu bars allow you to access key functions of the system from a single `click' of a button. Pull-down menus provide equivalent and additional functions for configuring the environment.

The on-line hypertext help provides a comprehensive manual at your fingertips. The Manual is indexed by both predicate and functionality to help you find that essential predicate and see what other similar predicates are available.

The graphical user interface has been extended to fully incorporate the constraint technology package. The debugger and tracer extend the traditional four port box debugging model, to clearly show the suspension and activation of constraints.

The Database Browser allows you to list and examine predicate definitions in individual modules. Especially useful for development of large applications comprising many modules and code from a variety of sources.

Microsoft Developer Studio Environment

The comprehensive development environment compatible with Microsoft Developer Studio enables IF/Prolog to be developed in a multi- programming language environment interacting with graphic objects generated using the graphical tools of the developer studio environment.

Prolog has always been well known as a "rapid-prototyping" language; with this new interface we move Prolog into the world of rapid-application development. Developer Studio application templates are provided to initialise the environment and make compilation of Prolog, C++ and graphic objects at the click of a button.

The environment allows you to mix the development of user defined Prolog predicates written in C++ with editing toolbars, pull-down menus and dialog boxes and of course, Prolog programming. Windows messages are passed to Prolog via the event interface. Dialog boxes and the user-main window are started from Prolog directly. A Prolog system window centralises message events passed to the application and shows Prolog stream output and error messages.

Unlike many other Prolog's, IF/Prolog does not intend to compete with grahic development tools. Instead, IF/Prolog provides an integrated development environment compatible with Microsoft Developer Studio and flexible enough to interface with any other Windows product.

DDEML, COM, Event and ADO Interfaces

Especially for MS-Windows, DDE, COM and Event interfaces provide easy and essential access to other applications software.

DDE and COM provide direct bi-directional communication to other tools such as Visual BASIC, Microsoft Word and Excel. The COM Interface allows you to manipulate COM objects from IF/Prolog. You may create new instances of COM components or invoke their methods.

The IF/Prolog COM component allows you to use the IF/Prolog engine directly as a COM object from other COM compatible programs such as C++ and Visual Basic.

Event Interface supports Windows own event call-back mechanism directly inside IF/Prolog. In conjuction with the Microsoft Developer Studio environment an easy way to bring Windows events and messages into Prolog is provided. Typically an event occurs when a button is depressed, a menu selected or a dialog box is adjusted.

These interfaces are in addition to the C / C++ interface are included in the standard development system. Applications with IF/Prolog may naturally take advantage of all interfaces simultaneously.

System Requirement

Hardware Requirement

• An Intel Pentium compatible processor.
• We recommend at least 32Mb of main memory.
• A CD-ROM drive.

Software Requirement

• Microsoft 2000, NT, '95 or '98.
• Approximately 50Mb of free disk space.
When using the IF/Prolog C / C++ interface, a 32-bit C / C++ compiler is required, recommended is Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0 or later.