Suggestions for coding your GNOME applications

[Miguel de Icaza <miguel nuclecu unam mx>]

Hello guys,

   Here is my first list of suggestions that you might want to
consider for your GNOME application.  I have checked in this into the
CVS in gnome-libs/devel-docs/suggestions.txt.

   For those of you with CVS access, feel free to update this file
with information I probably missed.

Miguel.


Suggestions for enhacning the user experience in your application:

Try to use:

   - GnomePropertyBox widgets for configuring things in your
     application.  These will allow the user to use their prefered way
     of configuring the application.

   - When creating dialog boxes, use a GnomeDialog widget, instead of
     a GtkWindow.

   - Use the gtk_dialog_set_parent routine if possible, to "bind" your
     dialog boxes to your main toplevel window (this allows window
     managers to hide all of your dialog box windows when minimizing
     your main window for example).

   - Use the GnomeApp widget for your toplevel windows.

   - Use the gnome-app-helper.h interface for creating menus and
     toolbars.  If you use this, the task of creating Baboon-aware
     applications will be reduced.

   - Use GnomePixmap to load your images.

   - GNOME uses Imlib, try to provide your images in PNG format.  Do
     not care about the color usage, Imlib will dither to a nice
     palette on low-end displays.

   - For text-input that might benefit from a history, use the
     GnomeEntry widget (this will provide automatic history for you).

   - For file-input entry widgets, use the GnomeFileEntry widget, this
     will provde a browse selector (and in the future it will use the
     enhanced file open dialog box).

   - When you require an entry for typing in an icon name, use the
     GnomeIconEntry widget. 

   

Miguel.