TouchKey Engine

Overview

The TouchKey Engine is a database transaction processing engine. The engine provides a method to present users with a uniform interface to process any number of previously defined database transactions, which can include dynamic, replaceable parameters. These transactions are built parametrically without involving any language coding or compiling of a hard coded program. The TouchKey Engine has been designed to interface with a variety of touchscreen monitors and barcode readers, to simplify data entry. The engine is compised of three main elements.

A TouchKey Transaction Set is comprised of transaction steps and transaction commands, and selected for execution from the transaction menu or called from the command line in a script or batch file for automated processes.

Requirements:

The TouchKey Engine runs on DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows9x/NT & Linux.
The DOS version works with Paradox 3.x & 4.x tables.
The Windows 3.x version is fully compatible with the DOS version.
The Windows9x/NT version is a 32 bit ODBC client, which works with SQL servers and other systems supported by ODBC.
The Linux version is a console client working with the PostgreSQL dbms.

In a heterogeneous setting, you might see a Win32 ODBC client, a Linux console, a Dynapro touchscreen, and a Wyse50 terminal, all accessing the same PostgreSQL database simultaneously, both locally and remotely via the internet, a wide area network, or with modems! And all visibly working with virtually the exact same user interface! End user training becomes incredibly simple.

Descriptions:

Transaction Menu:

The transaction menu contains multiple pages of, from 1 to 10 transaction sets each. This allows for logical grouping of like-kind transaction sets on one page. A transaction is executed by selecting a "button" on the menu. These buttons are configurable for size, location, text label, font, and an optional bmp image (Windows versions only). A total of 250 transaction sets are accessable from one transaction menu. An infinite number (as allowed by the dbms) of separate menus can be defined.

Transaction Steps:

Transaction steps have multiple duties, the first of which is to interact with the user. Each step can prompt the user to enter data,  provide selection lists, lookup data from the dbms, verify data for correctness, assign values to variables, and branch to other steps based on rules. A total of 100 steps can be defined for each transaction set.

Transaction Commands:

Transaction commands are primarily for updating the dbms following successful completion of the transaction steps list. Transaction commands can also display data in a report format and execute other programs. Any number of commands can be defined for a particular transaction set.

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