Using Cincom Smalltalk for Smalltalk Image Compression

Arden Thomas launched the Hidden Gems screencast series to highlight shortcuts, tips and techniques that may make it easier for others to use or jumpstart their use of Cincom Smalltalk. In these screencasts, Arden discusses how he uses multiple Cincom Smalltalk components, as well as features he uses for his own productivity that he considers “hidden gems.”

This month’s Hidden Gems is about Image Compression. This screencast should also be of interest to folks interested in the Quant Gems series, since it demonstrates an application that is a stock chart.

Image compression uses Zlib to compress the image, often to a third of the original size, and decompresses it when the image is started.  Compression is fairly quick, and decompression is even quicker. This can be useful anytime you’d like your image to be more compact in size, and it’s simple to do.

In Hidden Gems, we say “many techniques are simple and easy once we show you how.” The application used in the demonstration is the result of a series of videos that show how to:

• Download stock data
• Parse stock data and create data series objects
• Use model-view-controller (MVC) to present the data as a candlestick chart
• Build a Date Axis so that you can scroll in and out with the mouse wheel
• Build a list of the Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks
• Integrate multiple applications together simply to create this application