TADS Workbench is an integrated environment for writing
TADS games. TADS Workbench lets you run the compiler, resource
bundler, executable builder, and debugger, all with simple menu
commands, eliminating the need to enter complex command lines to run
the compiler and other tools. TADS Workbench also lets you view your
source files, and although it doesn't have a built-in text editor, it
lets you open a source file using the editor of your choice with a
single keystroke or menu command.
Starting a New Game
TADS Workbench includes a "Wizard" that creates a starter game
for you automatically. All you have to do is answer a few
questions to tell TADS where to put your game files. See
Creating a New Game for step-by-step
instructions.
Loading an Existing Game
If you've already created your game's source files, you can load the game into TADS Workbench from either the source file or the compiled game file:
TADS Workbench offers a graphical interface to the TADS compiler,
resource bundler, and executable builder. To compile your game,
first configure your compilation options by opening the "Build" menu
and selecting "Settings," then compile by opening the "Build" menu
and selecting the appropriate "Compile" command. See
Compiling with TADS Workbench for details.
Debugging
The core of TADS Workbench is the TADS Debugger. After you've
compiled your game, you can run it within TADS Workbench by
using the "Go" command (on the toolbar or in the "Debug" menu).
The Debugger Overview describes the
debugger in greater detail.
Configuration Files (.tdc)
TADS Workbench stores information on your game in a special file called a "configuration file." A configuration file contains information of interest only to TADS Workbench; you don't need to edit this file directly.
Each game has its own separate configuration file, because the information in the file is specific to the game. The configuration file for a game always has the same name as the compiled game file, with the ".t3x" suffix replaced by the ".tdc" suffix, and is always in the same directory as the compiled game file.
The configuration file contains information on the window layout, debugger breakpoints, option settings, and build parameters.
TADS Workbench will always create a new configuration file for you when you open a game that doesn't already have a configuration file. You don't need to do anything special to create or manage configuration files; TADS Workbench handles them automatically without requiring any action on your part.
Note that, when loading a game, you can load the .tdc file or the .t3x
file; the two are interchangeable for the purposes of loading a game
into TADS Workbench.