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While the ArchestrA Graphic editor adds several powerful new features and graphic elements that allow the developer to bring their graphics into the next generation, it also maintains the all of the original graphic elements that traditional InTouch Windowmaker possesses. This not only maintains an ease of use for the user, it also allows the system to seamlessly import graphics created in Windowmaker into the ArchestrA graphic environment. This article will explain how to take graphics drawn in traditional Windowmaker and turn them into ArchestrA graphics using the SmartSymbol import feature of the ArchestrA graphic editor.

While the ArchestrA Graphic editor cannot import entire windows from traditional Windowmaker outright, it does have the capability to import SmartSymbols. SmartSymbol technology was introduced in InTouch 9.0 as a way to create a graphical template that could be placed in various places across an application. If a change was made to this template, Windowmaker would in turn make the changes to the children, or instances, of the template across the application. However, since the Smartsymbol is really just a cell with a smart “wrapper” around it, the user can literally make any cell a Smartsmybol, from a single graphic element to an entire screen.
To make a Smartsymbol in Windowmaker, first highlight all the elements you want to be a part of the symbol, and then make the elements a single cell by right clicking, selecting “Cell/Symbol”, and “Make Cell”.

Next, create the smart symbol by right clicking on the new cell, selecting “SmartSymbol” and then “Generate SmartSymbol” – this will add the Smartsymbol to the application's Smartsymbol library.

The next step is to create a blank ArchestrA symbol. In the IDE, go to the graphic toolbox, right click and select new->symbol. Name the symbol and then double click to open the editor. Now, to import the Smartsymbol, select Special->Import InTouch Smartsymbol, or by clicking the icon in the toolbar.

Browse the directory tree to the directory where the InTouch application resides, and hit next. Then select the symbol you just created.

The symbol will then be imported in as an ArchestrA graphic. Note that all of the animations and tag assignments have been maintained, so no reconfiguration is necessary. At this point, the symbol is an ArchestrA graphic, completely vector based (with the exception of any bitmaps imported) and resolution neutral. You can then modify and enhance the graphic to your liking. Click the save button to save your graphic.

At this point, if you have not imported your InTouch application into the IDE and made it a managed application, do so, as you can only embed ArchestrA graphics into managed applications. Also, make sure you make a backup of your application. Once the application has been imported, open up Windowmaker by clicking on the Intouchviewapp template you created for your app, which will open up Windowmaker. Next, delete your old graphics. Finally, select edit->embed ArchestrA graphic or hit the embed ArchestrA graphic icon in the toolbar.

This can be done for a logical component, a portion of a screen, or the entire screen altogether. Thus, you can rapidly convert your InTouch graphics to the new generation of ArchestrA graphics, without having to do any reconfiguration of your animation or tag configuration.