The SmartCAE FAB
A Framework for Application Building

Albert Retey/SmartCAE

What is it?

Who does it adress?

Why does it exist?

Build an Application

The FAB - What is it?

A set of tools and libraries which help a Mathematica developer with the time consuming parts in the path from a working Mathematica notebook to a deliverable application.

It is a pragmatic approach, it tries to make simple things simple and to be not in the way for more complicated tasks.

The FAB - Who does it adress?

Whoever solves problems in Mathematica and wants an easy way to give these solutions away to people with limited or no Mathematica knowledge

Experienced Mathematica users which would not know how to create an application or are afraid of the effort to do so

Commercial oriented Mathematica consultants who appreciate the time they save when providing solutions

The FAB - Why does it exist?

SmartCAE does provide custom software solutions to technical problems based on Mathematica for more than 10 years

Despite the wide spread reputation in industry, we have always believed that Mathematica is not only good for proof of concepts, but also as a platform to build and run applications

For many years we have collected useful bit and bytes to enhance and speed up the process of building applications based on Mathematica

Last year we decided to rewrite the most useful parts of this collection and provide a better user interface to them and to offer it as a Mathematica add on package.

What exactly would you call a "deliverable application"?

An Application

... with a graphical user interface

... which is too complicated for just a Manipulate in a Notebook

... for users with limited or no Mathematica knowledge

... that is able to run in the Mathematica Player Pro

... which is packed for delivery and easy installation

Some Examples

HeatTransmission

Evacuation of Vesselt

Build an Application: Starting Point

Start off with an everyday Mathematica Notebook

Screenshot

Build an Application: Step 1

Start off with an everyday Mathematica Notebook

Create a new package directory and add objects

Screenshot

Build an Application: Step 2

Start off with an everyday Mathematica Notebook

Create a new package directory and add objects

Define properties for all input and output of your program

Screenshot

Build an Application: Step 3

Start off with an everyday Mathematica Notebook

Create a new package directory and add objects

Define properties for all input and output of your program

Fine tune graphical user interface by editing "View"

Screenshot

Build an Application: Step 4

Start off with an everyday Mathematica Notebook

Create a new package directory and add objects

Define properties for all input and output of your program

Fine tune graphical user interface by editing "View"

Add Files to package and define a start palette as an entry point to your application

Screenshot

Build an Application: Step 5

Start off with an everyday Mathematica Notebook

Create a new package directory and add objects

Define properties for all input and output of your program

Fine tune graphical user interface by editing "View"

Add Files to package and define a start palette as an entry point to your application

Build and test the application in Mathematica and the Player Pro

Screenshot

Build an Application: Step 6

Start off with an everyday Mathematica Notebook

Create a new package directory and add an object

Define properties for all input and output of your program

Fine tune graphical user interface by editing "View"

Add Files to package and define a start palette as an entry point to your application

Build and test the application in Mathematica and the Player Pro

Build a package installer to be sent to your customer

Screenshot

Additional Features not Shown in Detail Today

Predefined parameter sets

Provide translations to various languages

Make documentation available in Player Pro

Integration with Wolfram Workbench

More to come...

Summary and Outlook

We do believe that Mathematica and the Player Pro are fit for building serious industrial applications

Summary and Outlook

We do believe that Mathematica and the Player Pro are fit for building serious industrial applications

... but it misses some help to the developer to do so in an efficient way

Summary and Outlook

We do believe that Mathematica and the Player Pro are fit for building serious industrial applications

... but it misses some help to the developer to do so in an efficient way

The SmartCAE FAB tries to offer some of that help as far as that is possible as a third party add on

Summary and Outlook

We do believe that Mathematica and the Player Pro are fit for building serious industrial applications

... but it misses some help to the developer to do so in an efficient way

The SmartCAE FAB tries to offer some of that help as far as that is possible as a third party add on

... and we will keep improving it and adding to it

Summary and Outlook

We do believe that Mathematica and the Player Pro are fit for building serious industrial applications

... but it misses some help to the developer to do so in an efficient way

The SmartCAE FAB tries to offer some of that help as far as that is possible as a third party add on

... and we will keep improving it and adding to it

We hope that everybody at WRI will further enforce their efforts to make Mathematica an even more attractive platform to provide solutions in a commercial environment