Ringer
Ringer's goal is to allow end users to produce simple scripts for the browser without having to write any code. The idea behind this project is to allow end users to program by demonstration. The user should only have to demonstrate the task that he or she wants to accomplish and perhaps answer some simple questions.
Dependencies
The following dependencies are only required for the Makefile (which is run on node.js). The project does not need to be built to be executed, so the average user should not need to download any of the dependencies.
make.js
- node.js
- google javascript lint (gjslint)
Quick Setup
Ringer is a Chrome extension. Directions on how to install an unpacked extension can be found here:
http://developer.chrome.com/extensions/getstarted.html#load-ext
After clicking the "Load unpacked extension..." button, point it to the /src directory of this project.
Using the tool
This section gives a quick guide to using the tool (with the default parameters).
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To begin recording a script, click the "Start" button in the panel. The info box should now say "Recording."
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Demonstrate the series of actions you want executed on the page or pages. This should populate the middle section of the panel with information about all events that are raised on the page or pages.
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Once your demonstaton is over, click the "Stop" button.
To replay the script you just recorded, press the "Replay" button. This should open a new tab in which the tool replays the script. The "Pause" button stops replaying events until the "Restart" button is pressed.
The other buttons are used to handle divergences in script executions. The "Skip" button will skip over an event -- this is useful if a page is now different from what the script expected and a particular event cannot be replayed. "Resend" will try replaying an event a second time (in case the extension did not succeed the first time). Pressing "Play 1" while the replay is paused will cause the tool to execute exactly one event, then pause the replay again.