Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jpl-devvax!david From: david@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (David E. Smyth) Newsgroups: comp.windows.open-look Subject: Re: XView vs OLIT? Message-ID: <10706@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV> Date: 11 Dec 90 21:29:12 GMT References: Reply-To: david@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (David E. Smyth) Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA Lines: 48 aim@Corp.Sun.COM (Amy) writes: > >Some other tidbits on Pros and Cons: > > .OLIT provides the extensive use of application or user defined > resources (via the Intrinsics) so that you can specify values > for widget attributes OUTSIDE the program in resource files > (which comes in handy when configuring/changing a UI - no > need to recompile, just change the value of the resource in > the resource file). Currently XView provides a very limited > ability to do this. Amy, have you used Wcl with OLIT yet? For those of you who don't know what Wcl is, here's a summary: Wcl, the Widget Creation Library, is a thin veneer over capabilites provided by the Xrm X Resource Manager which is in Xlib but extensively used by Xt based widget sets. Xrm allows the attributes of Widgets to be specified in resource files. It also allows the bindings between key and mouse events and application or library functions to be specified. Wcl adds the ability to specify callback bindings, widget types, and widget heirarchies in the resource files. The end result is this: your application ends up implementing callbacks, and the resource file contains *virtually* all the code which says anything about the interface. Its a nice separation of UI and behavior. The resource files are free of logic in almost every respect, and are free from alloc/free hassles. Therefore, non-programmers have little problems making major contributions to the user interface. Resource files are interpreted, so you've got a very quick edit-test cycle - no compile/link required. Also, Wcl makes your application start up faster in almost every case because the widget creation order is optimal (recursive). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Smyth david@jpl-devvax.jpl.nasa.gov Senior Software Engineer, seismo!cit-vax!jpl-devvax!david X and Object Guru. (818)393-0983 Jet Propulsion Lab, M/S 230-103, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 --------------------------- Quote of the Day: --------------------------- "A Guru is not one who simply knows all the answers. Rather, a Guru is like one who walks among the mountains, and by wandering around abit, can see the horizon through long narrow canyons." -------------------------------------------------------------------------