README
1INTRODUCTION
2------------
3
4AutoDia is an open-source, auto-documentation and auto-diagramming
5system allowing you to automatically generate Images, XML, HTML or Dia files.
6
7It has been written to make GNOME Dia and any Diagram Application that
8can use similar XML more powerful. I hope to make Dia more popular than
9the commerical equivilents because of the ability to vastly extend it in
10this way. It is based on Object Oriented Perl and uses Template Toolkit,
11GraphViz, and INLINE::Java.
12
13AutoDia's design goals have been good Object Orientation such as
14plenty of abstraction, use of inheritance, extensability, robustness
15and elegance. Speed and security are not concerns as this application is
16designed to generate xml for documents in a batch processing manner, not
17an interactive manner, and is a single user application for use from the
18console.
19
20AutoDia has been previously known as autodial. The output file is still
21called autodia.out.dia by default. The executable files are now called
22autodia.pl and autodia_java.pl, the only difference being an additional
23section near the start of the latter to enable INLINE::Java.
24
25STATUS
26------
27
28AutoDia currently works on most perl applications, it seems to work on
29CGI.pm, itself, various projects of my own and friends. If it doesn't work
30on something, please email aaron.trevena@gmail.com the error message and any extra
31information or fixes you have.
32
33AutoDia now supports any language that has a handler registered in
34AutoDia.pm. Currently this is a reasonable perl handler and a useful C++
35handler. Any language can be supported easily by creating a class that
36inherits from Handler, as Autodia::Handler::Perl does - the perl handler is
37a good example and best documented - the C++ and PHP handlers can also be helpful
38when writing a new handler.
39
40I feel that AutoDia does a reasonable job most of the time. There is very little
41chance of it damaging any files although generated output may crash applications
42if files are corrupted or contain errors.
43
44COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
45---------------------
46
47AutoDia is Copyright (c) 2001 Aaron Trevena <aaron.trevena@gmail.com>
48Licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL, see file COPYING).
49
50CONTACT
51-------
52
53email me at aaron.trevena@gmail.com, and put "[AutoDia]" in the subject line.
54
55DOCUMENTATION
56-------------
57
58README : this file.
59COPYING : The GPL License allowing your use and distribution of this code
60INSTALL : installation guide.
61UPGRADE : instructions for upgrading older installations.
62CHANGES : list of changes, new features and bugfixes.
63FIXES : list of bugfixes (in stable releases only).
64FAQ : questions and answers for admins.
65DEVELOP : info for people who want to extend or customize AutoDia
66BUGS : bugs and caveats not yet fixed
67
68CONTRIBUTING
69------------
70Want to contribute?
71
72- Find bugs and submit detailed bug reports
73- Create/update translations
74- Create external handler modules
75
76To contribute to AutoDia mail me at the below address.
77
78--
79
80Aaron Trevena aaron.trevena@gmail.com
81Author and maintainer.
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