Curl - The Curl IDE

The Curl Integrated Development Environment (IDE) helps you develop Curl applications efficiently. It includes tools such as a source-code editor, a debugger, a drag-and-drop Visual Layout Editor (VLE), project management and deployment tools, and comprehensive documentation about the Curl platform.

Curl/Personal and Curl/Pro IDEs

Two versions of the Curl IDE are available: the Curl/Personal IDE and the Curl/Pro IDE.

Noncommercial users can download and use the Curl/Personal IDE at no charge. It includes a rich set of development features, including all the features described below except where otherwise noted.

The Curl/Pro IDE contains all the features of the Curl/Personal IDE plus the following features that are particularly useful for developers of enterprise-scale applications:

Automatic interface to source-code control software.
Code coverage tool (for use with test suites).
Performance profiler.
HTTP traffic monitor.
Class browser.
The ability to generate compressed "pcurl" files.
Deployment of an applet for occasionally connected computing.
Deployment with code signing.
Ability to extend the VLE object palette.
Creation of VLE palette extensions.

Further information about these differences can be found in the Curl Developer's Guide documentation that is include with both the Curl/Personal and Curl/Pro IDEs.

You can download the Curl/Personal IDE, or a free 60-day trial of the Curl/Pro IDE, from here.

Main IDE Window

The main IDE window provides access to the various tools that are provided in the Curl IDE. Individual tools are hosted in panes that can be resized and can be docked or detached, giving developers great freedom to customize the overall organization of the IDE user interface to suit their individual needs.

*Project Window

Helps you manage all the files needed for your application, including source text files, packages, and even image files.

Source Editor

*Source Editor

Provides an easy way to edit your application source code. Features include auto-indentation, syntax highlighting, and context-sensitive auto-completion and help.

In Debugger Mode

*Debugger

Helps you track down syntax errors and runtime bugs. Extensive stack trace and object inspection features are provided. The debugger also has breakpoint and stepping features that let you execute applications line-by-line while examining their variables and objects.

Graphical Inspector Window

*Graphical Inspector

Presents detailed information about the visual objects used in an application. Three views are provided: a graphic hierarchy view that shows the relationships between the application's visual objects, a graphic statistics view that shows detailed information about the layout of an individual object, and an inspector that shows the values of data fields in graphical object instances.

*Immediate Execution in Browser Window

The Curl IDE provides the ability to run your newly created application in your default browser window straight from a control button in the main IDE window.

Visual Layout Editor

Visual Layout Editor (VLE)

The Visual Layout Editor (VLE) provides drag-and-drop editing functionality (similar to Visual Basic) to help you build screens and forms quickly.

A view of the VLE component palette. Predefined components are organized by function into several different tabs. In the Curl/Pro IDE, user-defined components can also be added to these tabs, or to new user-defined tabs.

*Components for Improved Productivity

Boxes and labels are frequently used during the development phase. These have been registered as standard components. It is also possible to register a set of components that you or another developer have created. (This feature is available only in the Curl/Pro IDE.)

Source-Code Editor Screen

*Source-Code Editing

You can also use the source-code editor for editing screens created with the VLE. This capability is especially useful when writing the scripts for event handlers or other active aspects of an application.

Deploying Applications

Deployment Wizard

The Deployment Wizard transfers your application from its source-code project location to its deployed location on your Web server. Optionally, if you have the Curl/Pro IDE, you can deploy applications using a compressed "pcurl" format that significantly reduces network bandwidth requirements and is not human-readable.

Interactive Documentation with Live Examples

A comprehensive on-line documentation set is provided with the Curl IDE, including a Developer's Guide with overview information about how to use the Curl platform and a detailed API Reference with specific information about the thousands of built-in Curl APIs. The documentation also includes manuals explaining how to use the various tools that are included in the Curl IDE.

Documentation Screen for Regular Expressions

*Interactive Documentation

Various features are documented with live examples built right into the documentation that you can use to test the operation of a feature being documented. The documentation pages are themselves written using the Curl content language, whose architecture naturally lends itself to creating this kind of interactive presentation.

Running a Live Coding Example

Many documentation pages include live coding examples that show some sample Curl source code along with the result of executing that code. The sample code is "live," so the reader of the documentation can change the sample code and immediately observe the effects of the change without even leaving the documentation page.

A Live Example Showing Coding Changes

The source code in this live example has been edited by the user.

Saving the Modifications in a Live Example

After editing the sample code in a live example, you can save your changed code as a Curl applet for further use.