1999-01-19 11:00:22 +00:00
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<TITLE>wxWindows 2 FAQ: General</TITLE>
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<font size=+1 face="Arial, Lucida Sans, Helvetica" color="#FFFFFF">
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wxWindows 2 FAQ: General
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</tr>
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</table>
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<P>
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See also <a href="faq.htm">top-level FAQ page</a>.
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<hr>
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<H3><a name="whatis">What is wxWindows?</a></H3>
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wxWindows is a class library that allows you to compile graphical C++ programs on a range of
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different platforms. wxWindows defines a common API across platforms, but uses the native graphical user interface (GUI) on each platform,
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so your program will take on the native 'look and feel' that users are familiar with.<P>
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Although GUI applications are mostly built programmatically, there is a dialog editor to help
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build attractive dialogs and panels.<P>
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You don't have to use C++ to use wxWindows: wxWindows 1 has been interfaced to several interpreted languages,
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such as CLIPS, Python, Scheme, XLisp and Perl, and there is a Python interface for wxWindows 2.
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<P>
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<h3>Can I use wxWindows 2 for both proprietary (commercial) projects, and GPL'ed projects?</h3>
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Yes. Please see the <a href="newlicen.htm">licence</a> for details, but basically
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you can distribute proprietary binaries without distributing any source code, and neither will wxWindows
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conflict with GPL code you may be using or developing with it.
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<P>
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The conditions for using wxWindows 2 are the same whether you are a personal, academic
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or commercial developer.
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<P>
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<h3>Is there support?</h3>
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No official support, but the mailing list is very helpful and some people say that
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wxWindows support is better than for much commercial software. The developers are
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keen to fix bugs as soon as possible, though obviously there are no guarantees.
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<P>
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<H3><a name="users">Who uses wxWindows?</a></H3>
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Many organisations - commercial, government, and academic - across the
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world. It's impossible to estimate the true number of users, since
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wxWindows is obtained by many different means, and we cannot monitor
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distribution. The mailing list contains around 300-400 entries which is
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quite large for a list of this type.<P>
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1999-01-19 22:14:23 +00:00
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<H3>I am about to start a wxWindows 1.xx project. Should I use 2 instead?</H3>
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wxWindows 2 is still in beta but it's actually pretty useable (Windows, GTK, Motif).<P>
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Porting to wxWindows 2 from 1.xx will not be too painful; see the next question
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for ways in which you can make it easier.<P>
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<H3>Why would I want to use wxWindows 2 in preference to wxWindows 1.xx?</H3>
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Some reasons:
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<ul>
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<li>In 2 there is far more flexibility, for example in the way windows can be
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nested, and the way events are intercepted.
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<li>There is more functionality for producing sophisticated applications,
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for example using the wxTreeCtrl and wxListCtrl classes.
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<li>There is better C++-conformance (such as usage of wxString and const) which
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will make your applications more reliable and easier to maintain.
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<li>wxWindows 2 will be better supported than 1.xx.
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<li>The GTK version is attractive for people interested in writing Linux and GNOME
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applications.
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<li>The Mac version will be one of the best frameworks available on that platform.
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</ul>
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<H3>How can I prepare for wxWindows 2?</H3>
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To make porting to wxWindows 2 easier in the future, take a look at some
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<a href="http://web.ukonline.co.uk/julian.smart/wxwin/prepare.htm">tips</a> for writing existing code in a 2-compatible way.<P>
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<H3>How much has the API changed since 1.xx?</H3>
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It's difficult to summarize, but some aspects haven't changed very much. For example, if you have some
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complex drawing code, you will mostly need to make sure it's parameterised with a device
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context (instead of obtaining one from a window or storing it). You won't have
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to completely rewrite the drawing code.<P>
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The way that events are handled has changed, so for example, where you overrode
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OnSize before, you now have a non-virtual OnSize with a single event class argument.
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To make this function known to wxWindows, you add an entry in an 'event table' using macros. Addition of these macros
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will eventually be made easier by a tool which will allow selection from a list
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and copy-and-paste into your editor. This is extended to button presses, listbox selection
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etc. so callbacks have gone (they may be added back for limited backward compatibility).<P>
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The class hierarchy has changed to allow greater flexibility but it probably won't affect your
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existing application. One exception to this is MDI applications which now use separate MDI classes instead of style
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flags. As a result, it won't be possible to switch between MDI and SDI operation at run-time
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without further coding, but a benefit is less interdependence between areas of code,
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and therefore smaller executable size.<P>
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Panel items (now called controls) no longer have labels associated with most of them,
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and default panel layout has been removed. The idea is that you make greater use
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of dialog resources, for better-looking dialogs.<P>
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<H3>What classes have disappeared?</H3>
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wxForm, wxTextWindow (subsumed into wxTextCtrl).
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<H3>Does wxWindows 2 mean that wxWindows 1.xx is dead?</H3>
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While wxWindows 2 is being developed, there will be further patches to wxWindows 1.xx.
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Obviously we are investing most of our energy into the new code, but we're also trying
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to fix bugs in the current version.<P>
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<H3>What platforms will be supported by wxWindows 2?</H3>
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<ul>
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<li>Windows 3.1, Windows 95/98, Windows NT;
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<li>Linux and other Unix platforms with GTK+;
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<li>Unix with Motif or the free Motif clone Lesstif;
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<li>Mac (coming later in 1999);
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<li>A BeOS port is being investigated.
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<li>A Windows CE port is being investigated.
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<li>There are no plans to support OS/2 or XView. However,
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you may be able to compile the GTK and Motif versions under OS/2 with X and GTK
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installed, or the Windows version with IBM's Open32 extensions.
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</ul>
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<P>
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<H3>How does wxWindows 2 support platform-specific features?</H3>
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This is a hotly-debated topic amongst the developers. My own philosophy
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is to make wxWindows as platform-independent as possible, but allow in a
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few classes (functions, window styles) that are platform-specific.
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For example, Windows metafiles and Windows 95 taskbar icons have
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their own classes on Windows, but nowhere else. Because these classes
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are provided and are wxWindows-compatible, it doesn't take much
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coding effort for an application programmer to add support for
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some functionality that the user on a particular platform might otherwise
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miss. Also, some classes that started off as platform-specific, such
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as the MDI classes, have been emulated on other platforms. I can imagine
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that even wxTaskBarIcon may be implemented for Unix desktops one day.
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<P>
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In other words, wxWindows is not a 'lowest common denominator' approach,
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but it will still be possible to write portable programs using the
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core API. Forbidding some platform-specific classes would be a stupid
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approach that would alienate many potential users, and encourage
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the perception that toolkits such as wxWindows are not up to the demands
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of today's sophisticated applications.<P>
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Currently resources such as bitmaps and icons are handled in a platform-specific
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way, but it is hoped to reduce this dependence in due course.<P>
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Another reason why wxWindows 2 is not a 'lowest common denominator' toolkit is that
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some functionality missing on some platform has been provided using generic,
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platform-independent code, such as the wxTreeCtrl and wxListCtrl classes.<P>
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<H3>Does wxWindows use STL? or the standard string class?</H3>
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No. This is a much-discussed topic that has (many times) ended with the conclusion that it is in
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wxWindows' best interests to avoid use of templates. Not all compilers can handle
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templates adequately so it would dramatically reduce the number of compilers
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and platforms that could be supported. It would also be undersirable to make
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wxWindows dependent on another large library that may have to be downloaded and installed.
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In addition, use of templates can lead to executable bloat, which is something
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wxWindows 2 is strenously trying to avoid.<P>
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The standard C++ string class is not used, again because it is not available to all compilers,
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and it is not necessarily a very efficient implementation. Also, we retain more flexibility
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by being able to modify our own string class. Some compatibility with the string class
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has been built into wxString.<P>
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There is nothing to stop an application using templates or the string class for its own
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purposes.<P>
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<H3>How is wxWindows 2 being developed?</H3>
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We are using the <a href="cvs.htm">CVS</a> system to develop and maintain wxWindows. This allows
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us to make alterations and upload them instantly to the server in Edinburgh, from
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which others can update their source.<P>
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<H3>How is wxWindows 2 distributed?</H3>
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By ftp, and via the <a href="cdrom2.htm">wxWindows CD-ROM</a>.<P>
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<H3>What are the plans for the future?</H3>
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Currently we're working too hard on getting wxWindows 2 finished (are GUI toolkits ever
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finished?) to think very far ahead. However, we know we want to make wxWindows as robust
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and well-publicised as possible. We also want to aim for better platform-independence of
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resources such as icons and bitmaps, standardising on the PNG for all platforms.<P>
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Other possibilities include: DCOM/CORBA compatibility; a wxWindows book; an
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<a href="http://web.ukonline.co.uk/julian.smart/wxwin/wxide.htm">IDE</a>;
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other platforms; other interface abilities such as speech output.<P>
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We will investigate the possibility of compiler or operating system vendors bundling wxWindows with
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their product.<P>
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The high-level goal of wxWindows is to be thought of as the number one C++ framework,
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for virtually any platform. Move over, MFC!<P>
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<H3>What about Java?</H3>
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The Java honeymoon period is over :-) and people are realising that it cannot
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meet all their cross-platform development needs. We don't anticipate a major threat
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from Java, and the level of interest in wxWindows is as high as ever.<P>
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<H3>How can I help the project?</H3>
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Please check out the <a href="http://web.ukonline.co.uk/julian.smart/wxwin/develop.htm" target=main>Backroom</a> pages,
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in particular the <a href="http://web.ukonline.co.uk/julian.smart/wxwin/projects.htm">suggested projects</a>, and
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mail <a href="mailto:julian.smart@ukonline.co.uk">Julian Smart</a> or the developers' mailing list with your own suggestions.<P>
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1999-01-19 11:00:22 +00:00
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