QuickBeam

 

Introduction

QuickBeam is developed as a layer over our server technology BeamServer. BeamServer allows the development, administration and monitoring in real time of multi-user applications in a easy, quick and efficient way.

BeamServer associated terminology summary:

Nodes: Nodes are the functional bricks of BeamServer, a BeamServer based application is developed as a node tree. Each node contains a server logic. A node will be a chat room in a chat system application or a game room in a multi-user game system.

Classes: Classes are the abstract code structures which will be instantiated later to create nodes. Classes contain the server logic which will be associated to the different nodes in the server structure.

Go to BeamServer documentation for more information.

Application elements reference image.

Project menu

File

- New project: Create a new project.

- Open project: Open an existing project.

- Save project: Save the current project.

- Save project as: Save the current project as a new file.

- Close project: Close the current project.

- Open file in editor: Open a code file on the code editor.

- Close QuickBeam: Close the application.

Edit

- Cut: Cut the selected text fragment and copy it on the clipboard.

- Copy: Copy the selected text fragment on the clipboard.

- Paste: Paste the text saved on the clipboard on the code editor.

Tools

- Preferences:

• Server IP: Server IP direction.
• Server Port: Server listening port.
• Default project: Project opened by default when QuickBeam starts.
• Start server at application run: If checked, QuickBeam opens the default project at the start.

Tools bar

- New project: Create a new project.

- Open project: Open an existing project.

- Save project: Save the current project.

- Save project as: Save the current project as a new file.

- Close project: Close the current project.

- Open file in editor: Open a code or text file on a new label. Right clicking on this label you can close or save the file. The C# code files, with .cs extension, will be showed with syntax highlighting.

- Start server: Start the server.

- Stop server: Stop the server execution.

- Refresh node tree: Refresh the structure panel in order to show the current node structure of the server.

- Reload project: Reload the current project.

- Undo: Undo the last action done on the code editor.

- Redo: Repeat the last action undone with "Undo" on the code editor.

- Cut: Cut the selected text fragment and copy it on the clipboard.

- Copy: Copy the selected text fragment on the clipboard.

- Paste: Paste the text saved on the clipboard on the code editor.

- Events: Allows you to select a server logic associated event and add it to the code editor for handling.

- Save and Build class in Code Editor: Save the edited class and compile it in order to be executed in the case that it is linked by a node in the server structure. If the compilation is unsuccessful a "(bad)" signal will be showed in the class panel until the class is successfully compiled, as long as the class is unsuccessfully compiled the last successfully compiled version of the class will be used.

- Close class in Code Editor: Close the class that is being edited in the code editor.

Structure panel

The structure panel shows the server node structure. When you right click on some of the existing nodes a context menu will be displayed with the following options:

• Create Node: Allows you the creation of a node inside the node list of one of the existing nodes, you need to specify a name for this node and the server logic class associated to the node.
• Delete Node: Removes a node from the node list of an existing node.
• Rename Node: Allows you the modification of the name of an existing node.

Classes panel

The class panel shows the server logic class structure of the project. When you right click on any of the existing classes, a context menu will be displayed with the following options:

• Extend class: Inherits a logic class from an existing class. you need to specify a name for this class
• Delete class: Removes an existing logic class.
• Edit class: Allows you to edit an existing logic class and open the associated code on the code editor.

Server class selector

QuickBeam allows you to inherit a new server class from the BSServer class. The server class selector allows the selection of the server class that will be instantiated when the project runs.

Attributes inspection panel

Shows the name and value of the attributes existing on a server node when this node is selected on the structure panel.

Variables inspection panel

Shows the name and value of the variables existing on a server node when this node is selected on the structure panel.

Console

Displays the QuickBeam console output.

Code editor

Allows you to edit code associated to the logic classes and the server classes.

Help browser

Allows you to navigate through the QuickBeam and BeamServer documentation.