Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!linus!philabs!nbc1!nbc1!colin From: colin@nbc1.ge.com (Colin Rafferty) Newsgroups: comp.windows.x Subject: Re: Xt program resource files - How much is enough? Message-ID: Date: 28 Mar 91 16:02:25 GMT References: <1991Mar27.020710.22641@smsc.sony.com> Sender: colin@nbc1.ge.com (Colin Rafferty) Organization: National Broadcasting Company, New York City Lines: 38 In-Reply-To: dce@smsc.sony.com's message of 27 Mar 91 02:07:10 GMT In article <1991Mar27.020710.22641@smsc.sony.com> dce@smsc.sony.com (David Elliott) writes: [ describes how he never uses XtSetValues() except for dynamic values ] > I believe that this gives my "customers" extra advantages. For > example, if someone needs to find out the widget hierarchy, my > app-defaults file tells them this, and even shows them which resources > are being used to lay things out. Within reason, they can even change > the layout of the program. It also has the advantage that my > applications can be changed to support other (human) languages very > easily. > So, am I going overboard, or are application programmers that don't go > that extra mile just being lazy? This is exactly the correct thing to do. I have to admit that I don't do this, but I write applications that are usually of limited use, so it's far easier for me to change the UIL file (yes, motif) for the one person using it then to have her deal with defaults. If you're distributing the program to many people, then this is exactly what you should be doing (and given your organization, I assume that you are distributing your software widely). What it really comes down to is that if the user doesn't want to deal with overriding anything, the program still works just as well. I wish more people who distribute software would act the way that you do. In fact, I'm going to go through the program that I just finished and change it all to use as much of an app-defaults file as possible. -- Colin Owen Rafferty | I believe in compulsory cannibalism. colin@nbc1.ge.com | If people were forced to eat (I don't speak for NBC. | what they killed, there would Watch Tom Brokaw for that.) | be no more wars. -- Abbie Hoffman