DEMO!



A demonstration of DynaLab is included here in the form of a Java applet.

NOTE: This demo runs best using Netscape 4.0. The ongoing changes with the Java language, Java SDKs and Java Virtual Machine implementations on the various browsers sometimes causes inconsistencies in the operation of the DynaLab applet. It should also be noted that there is a significant delay as the applet initially loads and when a program is first selected for animation, but once the animation starts, it should proceed smoothly.


DynaLab is in the process of being ported to Java, and this applet is now available to give a feeling for how DynaLab animates programs. This demo applet supports only a small subset of the features that DynaLab has to offer. The demo applet will be updated as more features are implemented in the Java version of DynaLab. The sample programs demonstrate various Pascal features such as the if statement, while loop, procedure call, function call, and recursion (in the Factorial program).

To start the animation, click the "Show Program Animator" button shown below. The program animation window will now appear. Next, click the File menu and then click Animate. Finally, select a Pascal program from the Animate sub-menu. Currently, the Pause mode is not implemented, so use the execute button to run the program. The "execute to end" is also functional, and both forward and reverse execution are possible. Note that keyboard events are not yet supported by the demo applet, so the mouse must be used to control the program animation. Notice how values in the Variable window are highlighted whenever the current execution step has changed variable value(s). One thing this applet cannot do is allow the user to input values in response to a READ or READLN statement. The actual DynaLab system -- which runs in Microsoft Windows 3.1 with the Win32s extension or in Microsoft Windows 95 and NT -- allows for input to be provided from a keyboard or from a file. Reverse execution allows for reversal through a READ or READLN statement, as well, allowing different values to be input during the subsequent forward execution.

If the applet demonstration intrigues you, you should definitely download DynaLab and give it a try under MS Windows!

Apparently your browser doesn't do Java.