Faster Than Light -- For Real This Time
Doekman has posted an example implementation of FTL. "FTL" ("Functional Text Language" or "Faster Than Light"), is one of the "million dollar ideas" I posted about a little while ago. It gives wikis the ability to use input controls and dataflow formulae (the same type of formulae you use in spreadsheets). Hence, when fully implemented, it would be the fastest and most open way to develop a simple web application. We're talking blisteringly fast stuff. It's one of my favourite ideas -- but I've never had time to take it further. A few people contacted me about this idea when I re-blogged it -- and I'm really glad to see an implementation. Doekman's demo has some nifty features too -- there's built in range operations for summing or averaging a group of controls in one go. (You can go "@Sum(t1..t10)" for example to sum up ten textboxes). He's done the tooltip text thing I'm after where the formula behind a textbox is visible as the tooltip for that textbox. There's no comment facility at Doekman's blog -- so leave feedback here with me (as a comment) and I'll make sure it gets to him.
Also doekman: -- please email me! leonbambrick at gmail dot com.
'Peter McArthur' on Fri, 18 May 2007 06:06:43 GMT, sez: Wow! I'm impressed. I think I'll take a peek at the implementation later.
'Ryan Smith' on Fri, 18 May 2007 14:28:45 GMT, sez: That's pretty slick.
Just what I need another syntax to learn.
'John Rusk' on Fri, 18 May 2007 20:02:14 GMT, sez: Hi Leon,
Thanks for the interesting posts on FTL. I recently wrote a library which enables dataflow-style programming in C#.
For instance: if you have a class with properies A, B and C, you can write a method like this:
[AutoExecute]
private void CalculateC()
{
C = A + B;
}
The method will automatically be called whenever A or B changes. It is primarily for rich-client apps rather than web apps.
You can find the (very brief) documentation here: http://www.activesharp.com/RulesEngine.aspx
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