Programming Question

[Bran_deeno]

Im kind of new to programming and want a good challenege I can do for fun when im in the mood to create my own program.

I have VB Express, VC++ Express VC# Express, VJ# Express and SQL Server express as well. Im trying to design a program that is a GUI but allows input/output that will display fares, schedules and create PNR's like an airline system does. If a program looks like this http://www.mundus.com/galileo/bookscrn.j... or http://www.viasinc.us/resources/previews... & gives a command prompt thru the whole program to pull up fares & create pnr's etc. How do I get the program to allow me to do that?

I have tried text boxes & still cant come up with how to get the free form emulator/simulator that will accept the actual native commands. Like an Apollo command for availbility would look like A23JANDFWLAS (enter) and would display the schedules available.

I want to be able to have my own that i change change schedules or input schedules, fares, change airlines with out having restrictions.

I have a program that mocks the Apollo GDS system. The CD is an offline program, i have used it on a computer that has never been hooked up to the internet and requires IE5 or IE6 to work as well & pulls the information off the cd.

If it has a database or where ever the information if pulled from, does not change when like a seat is sold, and I dont want it to change either. The PNR's when saved can also be retrieved by the command *DCS1F or by last name of a passenger by doing **-lastname

I did find these files on the CD when browsing in windows explorer

exe.manifest, .DTA, .ID0, .ID1, .ID2, .DTZ

a basic PNR would look like this command wise when creating

►A23JANDFWLAS (enter)
►01Y1* (Sell 1 seat from y class from line 1 and connection)
►N:Last/First╪N:last/first (passenger names)
►R: Name (recieved from)
►T:T/ (ticketing)
►T:$BB0 (to price and store lowest fare available)
■:3OSIYY PLZ BRNG WCHR (wheelchair assistance)
►ET (end transaction)
ZS2FD (Record locator)

How would I program it to accept the native entiries, cause the actuall apollo keyboard layout is changed a lil and dont require the shift key to be pressed.

`/~ = ► (SOM aka Start of Message which would normally be required before an entry is accepted but not required)
+/= = * (Display key)
[/{ = ■ (Pillow Key)
]/} = $ (Dollar sign)
,/< = ╪ (End item key)
;/: = : (Colon)
-/_ = - (dash key)

[TheCPUWizard]

You have to write code that will take the input string (probably entered into a text box) and parse it into the various components. Once you have parsed the string you would then call specific functions to perform the actual operations.

[Bran_deeno]

i have a CD that simulates the program i want to make my own without limitations but create my own based off how it operates.

I noticed on the CD when exploring... exe.manifest, .DTA, .ID0, .ID1, .ID2, .ID3 and .DTZ. I have never seen those beofre. Also it has a host?? When I unhooked my PC from the internet it still works..

[dglienna]

I've done that. APOLLO doesn't like outside sources, as they have pilots, attendants, and flight crew.

Also, likely to be changing often

[Bran_deeno]

Apollo doesnt like outside sources?? Last time I knew from a friend of mine who retired from United, told me that pilots, flight attendants and other flight crew members use a different system called Unimatic which has access to Apollo, but I know unimatic has different commands.

[dglienna]

They changed over to the Unimatic system. They were involved with CompuServe at one time. Not sure if they are now or not.

[Bran_deeno]

Yes they used to go thru CompuServe, now its thru AOL even with a Free Account have to have AOL to access it. What did you mean by I've done that? Did you program Apollo or something?

[Bran_deeno]

I looked up today on wikipedia about emulators, and then saw that a gui app with an emulator/simulator is actually called a terminal window? So how would I create then a terminal window in visual basic, c++ etc? I know when I try to create a gui app it shows a form where then I can put like a text box etc. So if a terminal window has the main form box and then a text box that allows input/output then how would I get the text box to allow input/output within the text box as multiple line text? I know how to make the text box mulitiple line...but if I want to tell the program to pull up fare info for what i was looking for it would then send the command to the program and the program would display the fares and input for the next acceptible commands, like passenger names, or look up other fares schedules etc?

[TheCPUWizard]

For VB http://support.microsoft.com/kb/171654

There are other links for other programming languages on the same site.

[dglienna]

Make sure that you can use HyperTerminal to access the system. I used to emaulate thru CompuServe a long time ago. Dial-up even, as I recall.

[Bran_deeno]

Hyper Terminal for a Simulated Apollo? I dont need to be connected to the actual Apollo host, just program a mock of like the computer was..but it really isnt, just simulated like i would be. So would I still need that for the simulation? While this is going... better start making database for profiles and fares etc. Would XML be best? Cause i did some reasearch on the Apollo FocalPoint System, and looks like XML is used for pages i guess, if i understand it correctly??

The program i have currently that is limited looks like it has .dta and .id0, .id1, .id2, .id3 which looks like would be the database i assume cause of a file like airln.dta etc is before the .dta. From researching looks like .dta is part of xml???

[dglienna]

Those are indexing files of Dbase 3 I believe. The modern way to do it is to read XML files (off your CD or live off a service) You could create tables for each category

Your program can be a console application that just parses commands, like the CpuWizard was saying before.

Once you started it, it would run until you entered the END keyboard sequence.

[Bran_deeno]

Doing some research looks like it was programmed using visual c++ and is a win32gui application.

Cause it is a learning program for Apollo, it has tree selections for how to sign on etc. I just want the simulator part. I got the program cause I already know apollo and to keep up with native Apollo, incase I ever have to use it again.

Maybe it is a console application, but if it was a console applicaiton why would the program then allow me to go to the menu and change enviroment settings for the emulator window (as its called in the app) like font and font size, color and background and foreground. It also allows me to tab thru to (dots which look like this .) to enter commands/get more information.

I think it might be XML as the database even though i dont see any XML files, why i think it is XML is cause the program requires IE5 or IE6 even on the computer that isnt hooked up to the internet.

If this helps any...Here are all the .DLL files that are on the CD

MFC42.DLL
MSVCIRT.DLL
MSCVP60.DLL
MSVCRT.DLL

When I create a PNR and save it and it saves on my computer to a file I can specify. When I view that file there is IACR8U (the record locator) as the name of the file, but when right click and view properties, it says its a file nothing else. Then there is index which is a text document.

[saffionline]

Suggestion given by Bran Dino is good.

[Bran_deeno]

doing some research the simulator part looks like a mini frame. I noticed it also uses .net which i guess would explain the mini frame part??

So how do i allow commands to input/output and change the foreground and text colors in a mini frame? cause when i try to create a mini frame it gives me errors when trying to debug and wont work =(

[dglienna]

I wouldn't worry about fonts and colors yet, and start out with a console app. You need to get it into different command modes (for your . commands)

and then responding you your queries. then you can think about how it looks

[Bran_deeno]

So which language would be best to get this started in? VB VC++ VC# VJ#? I dont have to have the program hooked up to the internet, but would I also need to have these files added in

MFC42.DLL
MSVCIRT.DLL
MSCVP60.DLL
MSVCRT.DLL

or just dont worry about it yet?

Now i assume the commands and queries i need to program would be unicode strings correct? Seeing I want commands like x1/01Y2 or .. ¤:3OSIYY to work in the program and the program to use caps throughout the program

[Bran_deeno]

Ok, so im workin on creating the console app and I need to create a login so when the app starts it will have a blinking cursor but if I were to press enter it will display login instructing to logon the system.

I want it to be that only authorized users can use it. So I know that i would have to create a database with logins and passwords and if none of those are valid that it would deny them from signing in.

So if XML is the best way to go to display fares, schedules etc, then what about the login database can that be XML to?? Never haved created an XML page but looks easy. Can also VbScript be used too?

Here is what the program should look like if i had the user login created

<SON/Z(agentid) (enter)
<PASSWORD: TEST

clear screen and display

<SIGN ON COMPLETE
<(blinking cursor ready for commands etc)

<SON/Z(agentid) (enter)
<NOT AN AUTHORIZED USER
<(blinking cursor for commands etc)

[dglienna]

Again, skip that part. Get something to respond to your inputs with valid output. Just a program that runs until you hit the exit sequence

Then, you develop valid commands, then you display formatted responses, then you add error trapping, and then login.