RoboMaker is the application for creating and debugging robots. In RoboMaker, you can create and debug robots of any kind, including data collection robots that extract objects from a web site, and clipping robots that clip a part of an HTML page to be shown in another context, e.g. a portal.

RoboMaker is an integrated development environment (IDE) for robots. This means that RoboMaker is all you need for programming robots in an easy-to-understand programming language with its own syntax (structure) and semantics (meaning). To support you in the construction of robots, RoboMaker provides you with powerful programming features including interactive visual programming, full debugging capabilities, an overview of the program state, and easy access to context-sensitive on-line help.

Organization

The Guide is structured as follows: First, you are introduced to the essential concepts of RoboMaker. Then you are taken on a tour of the user interface and provided with an overview of the core building blocks of any robot. With the basics firmly in place, we get to the tutorials that show you how to use RoboMaker to create robots that do something useful. The tutorials get gradually more advanced until, finally, you are ready to create robots that perform tasks that you decide. The tutorials are the meat and bone of this User's Guide and it is critical to its success that you master them before proceeding.

The rest of the Guide is divided into various topics (“How To...”). You should skim through them to get an idea of what they cover. Then you can return later when you need more information or help on one of the topics.

Before You Read On

Before you proceed, it is recommended that you read the Getting Started section, which will introduce you to RoboMaker and the context it is used in, help you get Kapow Web Data Server installed, and take you through a couple of basic tutorials.

Also, before proceeding, make sure that you fulfill the following reader requirements:

Other Resources

Additional information on RoboMaker is available in the reference documentation, and is easily accessible from the Help menu in RoboMaker.