Hi, where can I find information on the goals of DIG?  At the moment it is just a wrapper for WIN32 graphics calls right? Are there plans to make it a cross-platform library?  Is it possible?  I figure that porting DIG to gnome or kde (doubt this as it is C++?) or pure X so that it can be used with Win32 & Linux might be a good way to learn D.
Any comments, suggestions, links, etc :)

Cheers
Brad

Brad Beveridge wrote:
> Hi, where can I find information on the goals of DIG?  At the moment it is just a wrapper for WIN32 graphics calls right? Are there plans to make it a cross-platform library?  Is it possible?  I figure that porting DIG to gnome or kde (doubt this as it is C++?) or pure X so that it can be used with Win32 & Linux might be a good way to learn D.
> Any comments, suggestions, links, etc :)

It's intended to become portable; I fully expect that API changes will be needed to bring them together.  I don't think I use any newer DMD features in the library, although the lack of a GC will eventually cause problems.

If you want to try it, you should start by commenting everything out but for the bare bones: Control, Frame, and Label.  Then comment stuff out from there (much utility code for Control, Font).  You can create environment-specific code by using version:

    version (Gnome)
    {
        /* Your code. */
    }
    else version (Win32)
    {
        /* My original code. */
    }

Then add "-version=Gnome" to your compile flags.

I don't forsee any big problems, it's just a lot of work.

On Fri, 17 Jan 2003 15:10:39 -0800
Burton Radons <loth@users.sourceforge.net> wrote:

> Brad Beveridge wrote:
> > Hi, where can I find information on the goals of DIG?  At the moment it is just a wrapper for WIN32 graphics calls right? Are there plans to make it a cross-platform library?  Is it possible?  I figure that
> > 
> > porting DIG to gnome or kde (doubt this as it is C++?) or pure X so that it can be used with Win32 & Linux might be a good way to learn D. Any comments, suggestions, links, etc :)
> 
> It's intended to become portable; I fully expect that API changes will

I looked at the source to maybe add some basic GTK functionality and I'm pretty sure there will be API changes needed. I think the sooner this is done, the better for all concerned. I might be able to help out with such a project (But I will *not* be working with GTK 1.x) if I could figure out how to manage to compile D on linux.

-- 
Theodore Reed (rizen/bancus)       -==-       http://www.surreality.us/ ~OpenPGP Signed/Encrypted Mail Preferred; Finger me for my public key!~

"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not." -- Thomas Jefferson

wxWindows has a valuable experience of creating a real cross-platform GUI libary. Its goal is to be as rich as possible, and when possible to interface the native widgets directly. It supports:
 - Win32 natively;
 - Unix thorough GTK+;
 - Unix through Motif/Lesstif;
 - MacOS natively;
 - more is promised.

Bisically, it provides a superset of OS widgets, and the rest gets emulated where not natively available.
http://www.wxwindows.org/

Similar idea, plus it shows how to make a non-bloated GUI library:
http://www.fltk.org/

Another interesting project is OpenAmulet:
http://www.openip.org/oa_overview.html
which fails to be native to any system, but implements some *very* interesting features, which would give *any* GUI libarary a lot of additional value. Definately worth a look.

And finally, there are lots of cross-platform C libraries. Maybe some can be chosen as a back-end to DIG, because GTK+ is not necessarily the best for all systems.
http://www.atai.org/guitool/
I'll take a thorough look at them later and make a list of usable ones.

Has a decision been made, whether DIG should develop towards mega-safe and warm bloatware (Delphi) or a fat-free library (FLTK)? I really can't say what i'd favor.

-i.

Burton Radons wrote:
> Brad Beveridge wrote:
> 
>> Hi, where can I find information on the goals of DIG?  At the moment it is just a wrapper for WIN32 graphics calls right? Are there plans to make it a cross-platform library?  Is it possible?  I figure that porting DIG to gnome or kde (doubt this as it is C++?) or pure X so that it can be used with Win32 & Linux might be a good way to learn D.
>> Any comments, suggestions, links, etc :)
> 
> 
> It's intended to become portable; I fully expect that API changes will be needed to bring them together.  I don't think I use any newer DMD features in the library, although the lack of a GC will eventually cause problems.
> 
> If you want to try it, you should start by commenting everything out but for the bare bones: Control, Frame, and Label.  Then comment stuff out from there (much utility code for Control, Font).  You can create environment-specific code by using version:
> 
>     version (Gnome)
>     {
>         /* Your code. */
>     }
>     else version (Win32)
>     {
>         /* My original code. */
>     }
> 
> Then add "-version=Gnome" to your compile flags.
> 
> I don't forsee any big problems, it's just a lot of work.
> 

On Fri, 14 Feb 2003 02:33:41 +0100
Ilya Minkov <midiclub@8ung.at> wrote:

> wxWindows has a valuable experience of creating a real cross-platform
> GUI libary. Its goal is to be as rich as possible, and when possible
> to interface the native widgets directly. It supports:
>   - Win32 natively;
>   - Unix thorough GTK+;
>   - Unix through Motif/Lesstif;
>   - MacOS natively;
>   - more is promised.

If you go to http://wxnet.sf.net/ you'll find a project to make .NET/Mono bindings for wxWindows. In order to more easily accomplish this, they have a C wrapper library, which is then wrapped by wxnet.

Perhaps we cauld use this C wrapper library to facilitate a D wrapper?

-- 
Theodore Reed (rizen/bancus)       -==-       http://www.surreality.us/ ~OpenPGP Signed/Encrypted Mail Preferred; Finger me for my public key!~

"I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way." -- Robert Frost

Id be really intereseted this and will lend a hand if needed, I've used wxWindows alot and like it.

Charles
"Theodore Reed" <rizen@surreality.us> wrote in message
news:20030214075030.6caa337d.rizen@surreality.us...
> On Fri, 14 Feb 2003 02:33:41 +0100
> Ilya Minkov <midiclub@8ung.at> wrote:
>
> > wxWindows has a valuable experience of creating a real cross-platform
> > GUI libary. Its goal is to be as rich as possible, and when possible
> > to interface the native widgets directly. It supports:
> >   - Win32 natively;
> >   - Unix thorough GTK+;
> >   - Unix through Motif/Lesstif;
> >   - MacOS natively;
> >   - more is promised.
>
> If you go to http://wxnet.sf.net/ you'll find a project to make .NET/Mono bindings for wxWindows. In order to more easily accomplish this, they have a C wrapper library, which is then wrapped by wxnet.
>
> Perhaps we cauld use this C wrapper library to facilitate a D wrapper?
>
> -- 
> Theodore Reed (rizen/bancus)       -==-       http://www.surreality.us/ ~OpenPGP Signed/Encrypted Mail Preferred; Finger me for my public key!~
>
> "I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way." -- Robert Frost