FlowStone

FlowStone is a Ruby based graphical programming language, which allows you to develop an application from the ground up using a large pallet of features, functions and resources.

Right off the bat, FlowStone is a visually appealing piece of software that puts this quality to its advantage. Its GUI is made out of a ‘Tag Bar’, ‘Toolbox’, ‘Navigator’ and a ‘Schematic Window’, terms out of which the first two refer to the library and the other two make up the workspace.

You also get the classic drop-down menu toolbar but since FlowStone offers you the possibility to execute the same tasks in a multitude of ways, it’s only a matter of time before you experiment with a personal workflow and forget all about it.

As far as the library or ‘Toolbox’ goes, it’s a wonderfully designed feature. Not only does it provide a visual representation of the components you are browsing, but it also comes with a filter pane and a search box. Moreover, for a second level of filtering, you are able to assign your building blocks with custom tags.

Creating with FlowStone is a simple process as it relies on the use of components that perform different tasks and are attached to each others using connectors. Basic components, named primitives, can be assembled into modules which in turn can be merged to form more complex structures.

Another feature that is well thought out in FlowStone is the fact that using the ‘Navigator’, you are able to expand the schematics for each module and view them in highly comprehensive layouts.

You are able to pan around, zoom in and out, and with a simple double-click you are able to edit a module. FlowStone supplies you with an equation editor, scripted graphics, APi calls, arrays, strings and much more.

With the above to consider and much more to discover, it’s more than safe to say that if you’re looking for a complete Ruby based development solution to create any kind of app or plugin, then you can certainly try FlowStone.