eSuite Template Builder
A template is a preformatted document that an eSuite applet can load at run
time. A template typically
provides an end user with a quick and easy way of entering data in a form.
The eSuite Template Builder allows you to create spreadsheet, scheduler,
chart, presentation graphics,
and word processor templates and make them available to end users.
You do this as follows under Windows (Win95 or NT):
- Install the eSuite DevPack and the Java Development Kit (JDK). The eSuite
Template Builder has been tested under JDK 1.1.4 but may also run under
JDK 1.1.3 and JDK 1.1.5.
In order to use the eSuite Template Builder, you need to install the eSuite
DevPack release files on your workstation: the eSuite
Template Builder cannot be run from a web server because Java
security features generally prohibit access to the local file system
by applets unless they are loaded
from workstation local storage, and template files have to be saved locally. You
need to install the JDK because the eSuite Template Builder makes use of java.exe
and the java classes in classes.zip.
- Open the eSuite Template Builder by executing the batch file tbuilder.bat in the
eSuiteDPP\tools directory.
The first time you run tbuilder.bat, you are
prompted through a series of three dialogs for the location of your preferred browser in order to be able to display
Help. This information is written to a file (TemplateBuilder.properties) that
is read when you subsequently open the eSuite Template Builder. If you subsequently
want to choose a different browser, you can delete TemplateBuilder.properties.
You can execute tbuilder.bat in either of two ways:
- If your CLASSPATH environment
variable is set to a path that can find the JDK classes and java.exe
is on your path, simply execute tbuilder.bat the way you would any other batch file.
- If you have relocated the JDK class files or the eSuite JAR files, execute
tbuilder.bat from the command line, using the following switches:
-JAVA path to specify the directory
in which you installed the JDK. By default, the VM and core classes load from the
path and CLASSPATH environment variable, respectively.
-JARS path to specify the location of the DevPack JAR files. The path must
include a trailing backslash (for example, d:\myJars\). The default is "..\jars\".
You can include the -H or -? switch to display a list of these and a
few additional switches that you can include on the command line. These
additional switches are
- -CODEBASE path to specify the root of the directories containing
the resources (such as graphics files)
that templated applets will use. The default is "..".
- -DOCBASE path to specify the location of documents that templated
applets will use. The default is "..".
- -LOCALE 2-character Locale designation to specify the Locale of the Template Builder and
the applets that it loads. The appropriate resources must be available through the
CODEBASE setting.
- -TBHELP path to specify the location of the TemplateBuilder.properties
file that is created when you first run tbuilder.bat and is read when you
subsequently open the Template Builder.
- From the eSuite Template Builder File menu, select New Sheet, New WP Document,
New Presentation, New Chart, or New Project Schedule to create
a template from scratch, or select Open to edit an existing template.
- Edit the document that the eSuite Template
Builder displays. A tool bar
(the InfoCenter) is displayed
immediately below the document. Use the options that the InfoCenter
provides to edit the document.
- Choose File - Save from the eSuite Template Builder menu to save the document
as a template.
- Choose File - Exit to close the eSuite Template Builder.
- Create an HTML page that instantiates your template.
Example
Example