MCREW stands for "Management/Crop Rotation Editor for WEPS".
MCREW is a Java application developed from scratch. No IDE (integrated development environment) was used (or available at the time) to assist in coding the program. Likewise, few objects were available for use as a starting point or "template" to construct specific screens in the application. MCREW is not a "feature rich" application, lacking cut and paste, online context sensitive help, etc. Since IDE's were expected in the future that would allow faster development of a "polished" application, this version of MCREW was not intended to be "feature rich", lacking cut and paste, online context sensitive help, etc. It is expected that these tools (IDE's) along with the new JavaBeans specification will allow the next version of MCREW to be developed much faster and with a more complete set of user features. With the advent of MOSES, this next version is expected to incorporate the Java-ported SDS (Smart Data Structure) and the MOSES "management screens".
This version of MCREW was developed with the following goals in mind: 1) demonstrate/verify that Java would work for developing a multi-platform application, 2) provide enough functionality so that WEPS developers and users could use it to develop crop/management rotations for WEPS, 3) develop a structure that could handle the "definition" of a WEPS "operation" as a list of ordered "processes", and 4) be easy to modify/add new "effects" and "processes" as well as changes in the list of parameters for them without having to recode (modify) MCREW.
Significant features of MCREW and it's interface are: 1) it uses a "tabbed notebook" metaphor to group and display parameter values, 2) it is "table driven", ie, the display screens in the "tabbed notebook" only display the parameters and values associated with the "effect" or "process" currently displayed (this means that changes/additions in "processes" or "effects" and their parameters can be made without modifying the MCREW's Java source code), and 3) the top-level screen is "simple", displaying only the most basic elements required by the user.
Basically, MCREW uses a spreadsheet format or, more correctly, a table or columnar format for the main screen. At the top level, it only shows the minimum information for the user, i.e., Date, Operation,and Crop/Residue columns.
Here a date is typed in. Double-clicking on the operation column will pop-up a list of operation classes.
Each operation class may have several operations to choose from. In this case, only one operation is listed.
When an operation is selected, its default parameter values are set. The user does not need to see or change them unless he wants to.
To see or edit the actual process parameter values of an operation, the user can select it by clicking the right mouse button to show the action choices (1) and selecting either "Display" or "Edit" as desired.
(1) In MCREW we implemented the following actions: insert, cut, copy, paste, display and edit (parameters).
The parameters are shown in a tabbed panel using a notebook metaphor. This format is used extensively in OS/2 for displaying/editing program options. MCREW's "operations" are defined as a list of "processes" that have parameters associated with them. The order of the "processes" are important and more than one instance of a specific "process" can exist in an "operation". Parameters that are common and have the same value(s) for a set of "processes" are separated out and grouped under the heading "effects".
(2) Two "effects" are listed on the top-left tab (Grow and Till) on this screen with the "Till effect" parameters listed in the upper part of the screen ) on this screen with the "Till effect" parameters listed in the upper part of the screen.
(3) Horizontal scroll buttons are provided to allow the user to cycle through the list of "effect" tabs. This is necessary if there are too many tabs for them all to display along the top of the window.
(4) This is the list of parameter values for the "Till effect".
(5) This is the vertical tabs listing the "processes" for this operation classified under the "Till effect". Each of these "processes require some or all of the "Till effect" parameter values listed in the upper half of the screen (see #4).
(6) Shown here is the parameter value for the displayed "process" (Decrust).
(7) Again, there are vertical scroll buttons to allow the user to cycle through the list of "process" tabs.
(8) To access the "Edit Effects and Processes" screen, the user first uses the right mouse button to popup the "Action" screen (see #1). Then, from the "Action" screen (see #1), the user selects "Edit" to display the "Edit Effects and Processes" screen.
Questions? Email: wagner@weru.ksu.edu
