WHY SOURCECREATOR
AND WHY SMART TEMPLATES?
Traditionally, if you write [hardware/software] source code for "someone else" to read/modify/use then in addition to writing the functional code you must think how to communicate your ideas (and the way all the different parts of your code work) either in the form of documentation, comments, videos, samples of how to use it or face to face whiteboard sessions.
This is what we call the "Know-How".
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With this information, the "someone else" then needs to "apply" this knowledge to do what they want, whether it is learning something from your source code, using it as a part of their larger code or maintaining/extending/modifying the source code for owners/stakeholders.
This is what we call "Applying the Know-How".
A "Smart Template", is a means for embedding the "Know-How" within the same source code that you are writing for 'someone else'.
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The "SOURCECREATOR™ Visual Editor" is a tool that helps this "someone else" to "Apply the Know-How" without necessarily having the "Know-How" !
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Because you took the time to encode the "Know-How" into your "Smart Templates" rather than just writing a piece of code in the traditional way, "someone else" is now able to use the "SOURCECREATOR Visual Editor" to get what they want out of your code without having spent time on gaining the "Know-How". This means a lot of saved hours, high quality code and a smooth fun and interactive learning path.
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This approach was inspired by Stanford University professor Donald Knuth's "Literate Programming" which he proposed in 1984. In "Literate Programming" the documentation forms part of the source code in such a way that a simple tool can take the source and generate both a human-readable PDF e-book and the final source code that would make up an App.
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"Smart Templates", initially proposed in Feb 2015 [†], take the concept of "Literate Programming" one step further and allow you to mix applied "Know-How" instructions (as opposed to documentation) within your source code. Their aim is not to produce a human-readable PDF e-book from the same source code (although you could do that too if you wanted), but rather to allow tools such as a "Visual Editor" to take these instructions and help readers/users (someone other than the original author) to really apply and use the "Know-How" without having to read code or books.
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[†] The original article from Feb 2015 can be found by going to:
http://www.TaggedProgramming.com
or by accessing this file directly from this address:
