forums.silverfrost.com Forum Index forums.silverfrost.com
Welcome to the Silverfrost forums
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

QT-Designer ... A Good Solution for GUI PRE-Design ?
Goto page Previous  1, 2
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    forums.silverfrost.com Forum Index -> General
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
John-Silver



Joined: 30 Jul 2013
Posts: 1520
Location: Aerospace Valley

PostPosted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This Visual Clearwin stuff is all very intriguing.
What's even more intriguing is trying to find the dcumentation for it !

Searching 'Visual Clearwin' in on-line docmentation reveals immeditìately 2 resultts at the top.
The second one gives the 'introduction' which doesn't actually lead anywhere else
The 2nd one this:
http://silverfrost.com/ftn95-help/vcwin/library/reference.aspx
is suposed to be the library reference but .... .zilch, not a sausage listed.

After clicking on a few things and finding some specific examples, I then eventually think I've found a starting point with this link:
http://silverfrost.com/ftn95-help/netsamples/releasesamples.aspx
where I'm expecting (based on its name and the text of the link where I found it ) to see a list of ALL the examples with hyperlinks to go to them, but Mr Zilcho makes another appearance.

So, and I'm not wanting to be over-critical here, but the on-line manual at least appears at first investigation to be utter crap in terms of finding a reasonable documentation of what Visial Clearwin is and how to start using it.
I mean, where are the instructions on how to run it ?
Do you have to do any special setup first ?
Do you have to have Visual Studio installed (which is the gist I get from the topic discussion above) but if so which version and how !?

I'm sure there'll be a fullwìer and more easy to navigate documentation somewhere but I'm stumped as to where it might be.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
LitusSaxonicum



Joined: 23 Aug 2005
Posts: 2388
Location: Yateley, Hants, UK

PostPosted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 11:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The spacing issues with various things in Clearwin+ are set there to drive perfectionists mad, and have their roots in that character cell layout. A Visual Clearwin+ would presumably be bound by the same limitations, especially if all it did was to generate source code. Before haranguing Paul too much, remember that he has to deal with the changes that Microsoft introduce between versions of Windows together with what configurations of machine he can reasonably have access to to test things.

You will discover too that the more effort you put into arranging a dialog, the more likely it is to go awry with changes to the system font or to the logical dpi setting. I've only ever seen one machine that used 'large fonts', but it caused weeks of wasted time, and the additional space introduced under text until Paul introduced (too late for me, as it happens) no_additional_space did much the same.

As for coordinate systems that go downwards, they are calculated to upset the conventionally educated. As someone who deals with the ground, I ought to be able to do it, but for me, y is upwards and that's it!

Here are my rules:

Rule 1. If it seems difficult to do in Clearwin+, then it is probably impossible, and you will waste time trying.

Rule 2. There is no Rule 2.

PS. I've discovered that you can use %bx anywhere (but only once) is a dialog box, and not just under a toolbar. It gives a nice effect.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
LitusSaxonicum



Joined: 23 Aug 2005
Posts: 2388
Location: Yateley, Hants, UK

PostPosted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 3:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I missed John's reply as I was writing mine. Visual Clearwin is .NET and therefore Visual Studio stuff, and the documentation seems written to make me disinclined to even try it, i.e. vague hints. Perhaps it is so easy to understand that you don't need written instructions. :-)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
PaulLaidler
Site Admin


Joined: 21 Feb 2005
Posts: 7916
Location: Salford, UK

PostPosted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You will find Visual ClearWin in the help file under FTN95->.NET platform->Visual ClearWin.

With a standard full installation, sample programs can be found under C:\Users\xxxx\Documents\FTN95 Examples\NET\Visual ClearWin.

Yes you will need a Visual Studio (post .NET version).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
LitusSaxonicum



Joined: 23 Aug 2005
Posts: 2388
Location: Yateley, Hants, UK

PostPosted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 7:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the reference.

Pray, just how is it "visual"?

I am (still) a fan of the late Ian Dury, and frequently observe that, to paraphrase things: "There ain't 'alf been some clever coders"

(Non-visual) Clearwin+ is for the rest of us!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
PaulLaidler
Site Admin


Joined: 21 Feb 2005
Posts: 7916
Location: Salford, UK

PostPosted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 8:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Visual" refers to the dialog editor in Visual Studio that allows you to construct dialogs by selecting from a toolbox of components, using the mouse to position and size the components as required.

A dialog editor creates a "resource" akin to a bitmap or icon in that it is external to the code. The tricky part with Win32 ClearWin+ is that the dialogs are coded internally and mixed with the code. This makes it fundamentally more difficult to write such a design editor for ClearWin+.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
LitusSaxonicum



Joined: 23 Aug 2005
Posts: 2388
Location: Yateley, Hants, UK

PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Agreed, there is a bare mention that the controls can be dragged from a toolbox, but mostly the citations point us to humongous descriptions of each of the functions. Perhaps it is easier to do than to describe ...

(and is it adjustable to the pixel level, or are the coordinates based on a character cell grid?)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    forums.silverfrost.com Forum Index -> General All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Goto page Previous  1, 2
Page 2 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group