Elecat 'ApplicationPaper'
'e-paper' is well known today primarily through PDF. However, PDF
is quite 'stupid' as it provides no functionalities beyond displaying
and printing pages in the PDF reader. And there is no good feasible
way to implant and embed PDF into other applications for use in
e-business. Also, PDF in the browser is not really a good solution
for many reasons.
Elecat 'ApplicationPaper' makes the
difference
ApplicationPaper offers menus, links,
actions plus behaviour, application logic and database access and
therefore substantially more than just displaying pages nicely in
a browser.
Feature |
What is does |
PDF |
EleApplicationPaper |
Links |
We all know links from HTML. |
Yes, but not for article numbers |
Yes, of course |
Links into
database |
The essential feature and precondition for using
e-paper catalogs for
e-business. The links are the minimal form of integration into
an application software to make use of the e-paper catalogs. |
No way |
Yes, automatically created |
Menus |
Context sensitive menus are placed on page
elements like text objects, image etc. The user can choose
from these menu items and start some action. |
No |
Yes |
Actions |
Some actions are invoked when the user clicks
on or the mouse hovers over any page element like text objects,
image etc. Actions are like an automatically selected menus
item. Typical actions are showing related information in another
window, showing additional images or mouse over texts or performing
anything that could also be part of a menu but without asking
the user to make a selection. The user's mouse action IS already
the selection that leads automatically to an action. |
No |
Yes |
Behaviour |
Behaviour is the generic term for a combination
of features, menus and actions, which are invoked conditionally
by some event, which occurs when an e-paper page is presented
and used or by some external state of the database content.
More details below. |
No |
Yes |
Application
logic |
Application logic or 'business logic' are
the specific rules that are implemented |
No |
Yes |
Database
access |
The contents of a page are enhanced or updated
from a database resulting in catalogs that are updated up-to-the-minute. |
No |
Yes |
Elecat 'ApplicationPaper' with behaviour
Here is an example: If a product is part of a special sale this
is marked only in the database and if a page showing this product
is shown some special for of presenting this product is the 'behaviour'
that we mean. This needs no change to the page. All that is needed
is a definition of the condition and the behaviour, which is embedded
invisibly in the page and which is activated by some external event,
in this example some state of a database record.
We are currently not yet fully exploiting the potential of Elecat's
'ApplicationPaper', because we currently still have to rely on PDF
as the very 'stupid' input medium. Behaviour becomes soon more important
when Elepub generates Flash pages from database content, because
Elepub then applies such behaviour automatically to generated pages.
Rome wasn't build in a day and neither is the full potential of
this new Elecat release 6 exploited from the very beginning.
Therefore, let's first use what you have, your existing PDF catalogs,
and in a second step you can then generate new pages and entire
catalogs full automatically - for Elecat and also for paper - in
Elepub.
Standard plus individual features
Many of these features are supported by the Elecat software or
by EleAIS or the other products that incorporate Elecat. And even
beyond these standard features it is generally quite easy to add
your special requirements to further enhance Elecat.
We are a small and very customer-minded company with a large family
of great software and we shall be glad to respond to your requirements.
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