1Summary of function
2===================
3
4The Tk Remote development tools enable the development tools to be used with
5any session of ECLiPSe via the Tcl remote interface. This allows the tools
6to be used with an ECLiPSe that does not use ECLiPSe's Tcl embedding
7interface, such as the tty toplevel, and an ECLiPSe that is already embedded
8into another language. The development tools can also be run on a different
9platform from the ECLiPSe session, as long as the two machines can be
10linked through the network.
11
12The full suite of development tools is provided, and they can be used much
13as with Tkeclipse. The only difference is that the user can only
14interactively use the tools when the tools have `control', that is, when
15ECLiPSe code is not being executed. 
16
17When the tools have control, execution of ECLiPSe code is
18suspended. ECLiPSe execution can be continued by either pressing the `Resume
19ECLiPSe' button, or through interacting with some of the development tools,
20such as the tracer.
21
22Control can be transferred from ECLiPSe to the tools by the tools/0
23predicate.
24
25Layout
26======
27
28The remote development tools toplevel has a menu bar, below which is a
29status bar, below which is a `Resume ECLiPSe' button.
30
31Menu bar options:
32-----------------
33
34File Menu:
35
36   Disconnect -- disconnect from the ECLiPSe session. The tools window(s)
37                 remain, and can be examined further. However, interaction
38                 with the ECLiPSe session is no longer possible. The
39                 disconnection will cause the ECLiPSe to abort what it was
40                 doing. 
41
42   Exit       -- Terminate the execution of the remote development
43                 tools. If it is attached to an ECLiPSe session, a
44                 disconnection will be performed first.
45
46Tools Menu:
47
48  This provides the same suite of development tools as the Tkeclipse
49  toplevel.
50
51Help Menu
52  
53   Balloon help - toggles balloon help
54
55   Help topics for the development tools
56
57
58Status Panel:
59-------------
60    This indicates the status of the TkTools. It can display 2 different
61    statuses. This is indicated by the message on the panel, and the colour
62    it has:
63
64        ECLiPSe Active:  the panel is grayed out. ECLiPSe side has control,
65             and the user cannot interact with the development tools.
66
67	TkTools Active:  the panel is highlighted. Remote development tools
68	     has control, and the user can interact with the development tools.
69
70Resume ECLiPSe button: 
71----------------------
72
73This allows the control to be passed explicitly back to ECLiPSe so that
74ECLiPSe execution can continue. This can only occur when the remote
75development tools have control. However, it is not always possible to pass
76control explicitly to ECLiPSe: for example, the control has to implicitly
77passed back to ECLiPSe via the tracer while debugging a program. In such
78situations, the button is disabled even though the development tools have
79control. 
80
81If the ECLiPSe side is disconnected from the development tools (e.g. by
82terminating the ECLiPSe process), then the development side has control but
83no longer has an ECLiPSe side to pass control back to. In this case, the
84button is also disabled, and the `Resume ECLiPSe' label is replaced by
85`Disconnected'. The user can still use the development tools to view any
86previous results that was generated while the development tools was
87connected to ECLiPSe.
88
89Differences From TkECLiPSe
90==========================
91
92The main difference from using the development tools with TkECLiPSe are:
93
941. In TkECLiPSe, the toplevel is provided by TkECLiPSe. With the remote
95   tools, the toplevel is provided by the ECLiPSe side. This can be the
96   ECLiPSe application that the user is developing, or the standard tty
97   ECLiPSe top-level.
98
992. The user cannot interact with the development tools when ECLiPSe side
100   has control.
101
1023. The development tools can be run on a different machine than the ECLiPSe
103   process. The defaults for the development tools (editor to use, the
104   values for the preference editor) is taken from where the remote
105   development tools are run from, and not from where the ECLiPSe process
106   is (With TkECLiPSe, the two are the same).
107
108
109