If you're not sure whether your users will have the Agents installed or not, you have two options: distribute the agents to your users in case they don't have them, or write your code in such a way that it is transparent to the Agent-less users that your program is even able to use Agents ("they don't know what they're missing").
Not all machines will have the Microsoft Agents installed.
Additionally, the Agents have a great potential, or future, as "guides" in CBT (Computer-Based Training) and in demo programs. They can be used to introduce the user to the program - what does it do? How can you use it? They can be utilized as an adjunct to, or even a replacement of, a help file. I tend to think of the Agents as a sort of "Master of Ceremonies". In others, though, they can not only add appeal (depending on the user's preferences, of course) but also be of use in helping the user learn to use the program and make it through "the rough spots". well, the Genie):Īre these "cute" little characters of any practical value? In some programs, indubitably not. They are: Peedy (the Bird), Robby (the Robot), Merlin (the Magician), and Genie (the. These Agents are not trapped inside a dialog box, and they appear when and where you tell them to, and say exactly what you program them to say. If when you hear "Microsoft Agent" you think of the "Office Agents", such as "that paperclip guy" in the ugly dialog box who's always pestering you with questions like "it looks like you're doing this, do you want me to help?", and "it looks like you're doing that, do you want help, huh? huh?", you're thinking of a different breed of Microsoft Agent than those which will be discussed in this article. When I tell people how fun and effective it is to use Microsoft Agents in my programs, they either already know what I'm talking about and heartily agree, or they look at me as if I just fell off the back of a rutabaga truck and say something like: "You mean that paperclip guy who makes Twiggy look like a sumo wrestler?! I hate that guy!" Well, I'm not overly fond of those Agents, either. This article originally appeared in Delphi DeveloperĬopyright Pinnacle Publishing, Inc.
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This article demonstrates how to implement the Microsoft Agent into your own applications.