Re: [gtk-list] RE: GTK Markup Language

[Phil Dawes <philipd parallax co uk>]

I've split the animation and markup lanugage thread. Hope nobody minds.


Tony Gale wrote:
> 
> On 09-Apr-98 Phil Dawes wrote:
> > Perhaps a markup language written in XML could be a good idea?
> 
> I don't believe anyone is, although a couple of us have tentatively
> discussed the idea on irc. I'm not an XML person, but it would need
> to be:
>         1. compact
>         2. human readable - and writeable!
>         3. flexible enough to describe a complete interface (with
>             widget attributes, styles, etc.)
> 

Of course. I'm not sure myself if XML is the right way to go. It depends
on how much benefit you get from ready-to-go parsers compared to the
added constraints of being restricted by the markup rules.

I've just had a look at how VisualBasic does this (a VB .frm file is
just a text file with the Gui description at the top and the callbacks
written in basic at the bottom)

Here's an example (form with a textbox and button in it):


Begin VB.Form Form1 
   Caption         =   "Form1"
   ClientHeight    =   7245
   ClientLeft      =   60
   ClientTop       =   345
   ClientWidth     =   8115
   LinkTopic       =   "Form1"
   ScaleHeight     =   7245
   ScaleWidth      =   8115
   StartUpPosition =   3  'Windows Default
   Begin VB.TextBox detailvin 
      Height          =   375
      Left            =   1440
      TabIndex        =   24
      Text            =   "SAXXHELLOMUM12345"
      Top             =   1440
      Width           =   1935
   End
   Begin VB.CommandButton GetClaimDetails 
      Caption         =   "GetClaimDetails"
      Height          =   495
      Left            =   840
      TabIndex        =   23
      Top             =   4080
      Width           =   1935
   End
End



Of course the GUI in VB is a lot less sophisticated than gtk, there's no
auto layout - everything is specified in static coordinates, but the
general idea is sound and easy to read and change.

The areas that I forsee needing special attention are:
- How to represent the different parameters passed to containers when
nesting children in them
- How to describe signals (seeing as the callback code won't be in the
description, and could be in any language.)

In VB, callbacks are basically specially named functions - this is a bit
crap and not really language-portable.


Cheers,

Phil.
-- 
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 Phil Dawes                               |   My opinions are my own
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 Email:  philipd@parallax.co.uk           |      my employer.