What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Vincent Smeets]

Hallo,

I know how to write a program with Ada and how to use X-Window (with Motif)
for Unix. Now I have a program (smal and non-commercial) that I want to port
from Unix to a Windows (98 or 2000) environment and give it a Windows-GUI.
It will use a menu, an explorer tree and some labels and buttons. The only
problem is that I have no idea about programming for the Windows
environment.

What do I need to be able to write a program in Ada for Windows?
-   Compiler
    I have GNAT 3.15p installed.

-   Description of a Windows API
    What APIs are there, what is the difference and where do I get a
description? Are there different levels like Xlib, Xt, Athena and Motif in
Unix?

-   Where do I get a binding for a windows API?
    GNAT comes with Win32Ada. Is that usable or are there other bindings
that are easyer to use? I have heard that MFC is object-oriented for C++. Is
there an object-oriented binding for Ada?

-   Do I need an C or C++ development environment for the Ada binding?
    Does the binding require some special libraries that are not generaly
available with Windows?

-   Books
    Is there a book you can recommend to read? I have started to read a book
about using MFC with C++ (from Microsoft Press). It gives me an idea about
programming for Windows, but I can't test anything because it requires
Visual C++ which I don't have.

-   Do I miss something?


Thanks for any suggestions,
Vincent

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Preben Randhol]

Vincent Smeets wrote:
> Hallo,
> 
> I know how to write a program with Ada and how to use X-Window (with Motif)
> for Unix. Now I have a program (smal and non-commercial) that I want to port
> from Unix to a Windows (98 or 2000) environment and give it a Windows-GUI.
> It will use a menu, an explorer tree and some labels and buttons. The only
> problem is that I have no idea about programming for the Windows
> environment.

Why can't you just use GtkAda? Then you get GUI for both windows and
Linux and it is more or less only a recompilation you need to do in
Windows.

   http://libre.act-europe.fr/GtkAda/

-- 
http://www.gulufuture.com/news/kate_adie030310.htm

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[chris.danx]

Vincent Smeets wrote:
> Hallo,
> 
> I know how to write a program with Ada and how to use X-Window (with Motif)
> for Unix. Now I have a program (smal and non-commercial) that I want to port
> from Unix to a Windows (98 or 2000) environment and give it a Windows-GUI.
> It will use a menu, an explorer tree and some labels and buttons. The only
> problem is that I have no idea about programming for the Windows
> environment.

Gwindows is the best for Windows IMO.  GtkAda would be good but for that 
by all accounts it's hard to compile GtkAda 2.0 on Windows and I like 
the most recent releases of software (pre 2.0 is ok though).

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Stephane Richard]

Hi Vincent,

I would HAVE to suggest using the Windex Library dedveloped by the one I
like to call "The Guru" of Windows Binding, I hereby name Mr. Stephen Leake.

You can get it at http://users.erols.com/leakstan/Stephe/Ada/windex.html
It's free and you'll soon notice as you, browse the source files that things
are very well organized into highly functional groups of objects to make
navigation in the library very straight forward and efficient.

To me, It's the easiest most natural way to do Windows in Ada and was
created by someone who knows what he's talking about :-).

Stephane Richard
Software Developer


"Vincent Smeets" <No@Spam.org> wrote in message
news:3e75e88a$0$4088$4d4ebb8e@read.news.de.uu.net...
> Hallo,
>
> I know how to write a program with Ada and how to use X-Window (with
Motif)
> for Unix. Now I have a program (smal and non-commercial) that I want to
port
> from Unix to a Windows (98 or 2000) environment and give it a Windows-GUI.
> It will use a menu, an explorer tree and some labels and buttons. The only
> problem is that I have no idea about programming for the Windows
> environment.
>
> What do I need to be able to write a program in Ada for Windows?
> -   Compiler
>     I have GNAT 3.15p installed.
>
> -   Description of a Windows API
>     What APIs are there, what is the difference and where do I get a
> description? Are there different levels like Xlib, Xt, Athena and Motif in
> Unix?
>
> -   Where do I get a binding for a windows API?
>     GNAT comes with Win32Ada. Is that usable or are there other bindings
> that are easyer to use? I have heard that MFC is object-oriented for C++.
Is
> there an object-oriented binding for Ada?
>
> -   Do I need an C or C++ development environment for the Ada binding?
>     Does the binding require some special libraries that are not generaly
> available with Windows?
>
> -   Books
>     Is there a book you can recommend to read? I have started to read a
book
> about using MFC with C++ (from Microsoft Press). It gives me an idea about
> programming for Windows, but I can't test anything because it requires
> Visual C++ which I don't have.
>
> -   Do I miss something?
>
>
> Thanks for any suggestions,
> Vincent
>

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Ant]

"Stephane Richard" <stephane.richard@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:27mda.65884$gi1.28494@nwrdny02.gnilink.net...
> Hi Vincent,
>
> I would HAVE to suggest using the Windex Library dedveloped by the one I
> like to call "The Guru" of Windows Binding, I hereby name Mr. Stephen Leake.
>
> You can get it at http://users.erols.com/leakstan/Stephe/Ada/windex.html
> It's free and you'll soon notice as you, browse the source files that things
> are very well organized into highly functional groups of objects to make
> navigation in the library very straight forward and efficient.
>
> To me, It's the easiest most natural way to do Windows in Ada and was
> created by someone who knows what he's talking about :-).

From the web page:

"However, recently GtkAda has gotten much better, and is
now officially supported by Ada Core Technologies. So I'm
not working on Windex anymore; I'm switching to GtkAda."
(page was last modified: May 5, 2002)

Oh well, so much for that then.  :(

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Stephen Leake]

"Stephane Richard" <stephane.richard@verizon.net> writes:

> Hi Vincent,
> 
> I would HAVE to suggest using the Windex Library dedveloped by the one I
> like to call "The Guru" of Windows Binding, I hereby name Mr. Stephen Leake.

Thanks for the plug.

> You can get it at
> http://users.erols.com/leakstan/Stephe/Ada/windex.html It's free and
> you'll soon notice as you, browse the source files that things are
> very well organized into highly functional groups of objects to make
> navigation in the library very straight forward and efficient.
> 
> To me, It's the easiest most natural way to do Windows in Ada and was
> created by someone who knows what he's talking about :-).

Thanks again. Always nice to be appreciated :).


However, Windex does not currently support the tree control. And I've
given up developing it, in favor of learning more about / contributing
to GtkAda (and supporting my daughter in college, going to anti-war
protests, etc :).

Windex is GMGPL, so anyone is free to add a tree control to it.

-- 
-- Stephe

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Stephane Richard]

Does that make the library unusable?  Does it make it impossible to alter
the library and the library being maintained by another party?  I think not.
and this is just what Open source is all about.

The choice is his :-)....

"Ant" <ant@work.invalid> wrote in message
news:3e75fc3e$0$895$9b0f33e3@clyde...
> "Stephane Richard" <stephane.richard@verizon.net> wrote in message
> news:27mda.65884$gi1.28494@nwrdny02.gnilink.net...
> > Hi Vincent,
> >
> > I would HAVE to suggest using the Windex Library dedveloped by the one I
> > like to call "The Guru" of Windows Binding, I hereby name Mr. Stephen
Leake.
> >
> > You can get it at http://users.erols.com/leakstan/Stephe/Ada/windex.html
> > It's free and you'll soon notice as you, browse the source files that
things
> > are very well organized into highly functional groups of objects to make
> > navigation in the library very straight forward and efficient.
> >
> > To me, It's the easiest most natural way to do Windows in Ada and was
> > created by someone who knows what he's talking about :-).
>
> From the web page:
>
> "However, recently GtkAda has gotten much better, and is
> now officially supported by Ada Core Technologies. So I'm
> not working on Windex anymore; I'm switching to GtkAda."
> (page was last modified: May 5, 2002)
>
> Oh well, so much for that then.  :(
>
>

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[tmoran]

> -   Where do I get a binding for a windows API?
  There are several, with different aims and different coverage.  I'm one
of the authors of Claw - Class Library for Ada on Windows, and suggest you
take a look at the TriAda paper available at
www.rrsoftware.com/html/prodinf/triadapaper/triada.html
  Claw is a "thick" or "abstract" binding.  It's available, as source
code, in a GMGPL introductory version and in a supported $>0 version under
active development and with a printed manual as well as Windows Help and
html documentation.  It's regularly tested under Apex, Gnat, Janus, and
ObjectAda compilers.  The www.rrsoftware.com site has much more
information, including downloads and example programs.  www.adapower.com
also has a bunch of small programs based on the introductory version of
Claw, including a simple web server, SMTP (mail) and HTTP clients,
real-time graphics, ActiveX controls by using GWindows together with Claw,
a web crawler, and two examples - Minesweeper and Dining Philosophers - of
existing programs whose GUI was surgically replaced with Claw while
leaving the rest of the program intact.

>     Does the binding require some special libraries that are not generally
> available with Windows?
  All the bindings require Windows libraries which come with MS
development environments, but also come, I believe, with most Windows Ada
compilers.

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Ant]

"Stephane Richard" <stephane.richard@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:ixnda.65930$gi1.57464@nwrdny02.gnilink.net...
> Does that make the library unusable?  Does it make it impossible to
> alter the library and the library being maintained by another party?

Of course not. I use older and unsupported software myself;
simply because I prefer it, and am used to it. Sheesh, I was
only making an observation.

>  I think not.
> and this is just what Open source is all about.
>
> The choice is his :-)....

Absolutely.

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[David Botton]

> I know how to write a program with Ada and how to use X-Window (with
Motif)
> for Unix. Now I have a program (smal and non-commercial) that I want to
port
> from Unix to a Windows (98 or 2000) environment and give it a Windows-GUI.
> It will use a menu, an explorer tree and some labels and buttons. The only
> problem is that I have no idea about programming for the Windows
> environment.

see http://www.adapower.com/windows for available Windows bindings, etc.

I recommend GWindows for Win32 - http://www.adapower.com/gwindows, see
http://www.adapower.com/gwindows/user_guide.html for a full tutorial. If you
can program Ada, you already know how to write a Windows program :-)

> What do I need to be able to write a program in Ada for Windows?
> -   Compiler
>     I have GNAT 3.15p installed.

My favorite choice.

>
> -   Description of a Windows API
>     What APIs are there, what is the difference and where do I get a
> description? Are there different levels like Xlib, Xt, Athena and Motif in
> Unix?

No. Windows API programming is flat. Using GWindows you will not need
knowledge of Win32.

> -   Where do I get a binding for a windows API?
>     GNAT comes with Win32Ada. Is that usable or are there other bindings
> that are easyer to use? I have heard that MFC is object-oriented for C++.
Is
> there an object-oriented binding for Ada?

Win32Ada is usable, but you probably don't want to be programming at that
level. GWindows is OO, but also offers non OO methods of use when needed.

> -   Do I need an C or C++ development environment for the Ada binding?
>     Does the binding require some special libraries that are not generaly
> available with Windows?

No. If you decide to create your own ActiveX objects you will need midl.exe
from Microsoft, but to us ActiveX controls, you can do that directly with
GWindows.

> -   Books
>     Is there a book you can recommend to read? I have started to read a
book
> about using MFC with C++ (from Microsoft Press). It gives me an idea about
> programming for Windows, but I can't test anything because it requires
> Visual C++ which I don't have.


If you are looking to learn the low level APIs you need Petzold's Windows
book, ie. a C programming book. I would recommend looking at the GWindows
sources as well for best practices in binding to Win32, etc.

To learn GWindows you have a full tutorial in the package and it can be
viewed on-line at http://www.adapower.com/gwindows/user_guide.html


> -   Do I miss something?

If you plan on doing Win32 programming long term, you should get a handle on
COM (ActiveX) as well by reading InsideCOM and playing with GNATCOM
(http://www.adapower.com/gnatcom).

David Botton

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Stephane Richard]

Ant, I'm sorry, I didn not want to flame you :-)

But: "Oh well, so much for that then.  :("  to me implied that you saw
Windex as a non viable solution.  Perhaps I should relearn my english ?  :-)

Sorry again,

sincerely

Stephane Richard
Software Developer



"Ant" <ant@work.invalid> wrote in message
news:3e761954$0$897$9b0f33e3@clyde...
> "Stephane Richard" <stephane.richard@verizon.net> wrote in message
> news:ixnda.65930$gi1.57464@nwrdny02.gnilink.net...
> > Does that make the library unusable?  Does it make it impossible to
> > alter the library and the library being maintained by another party?
>
> Of course not. I use older and unsupported software myself;
> simply because I prefer it, and am used to it. Sheesh, I was
> only making an observation.
>
> >  I think not.
> > and this is just what Open source is all about.
> >
> > The choice is his :-)....
>
> Absolutely.
>
>

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Randy Brukardt]

tmoran@acm.org wrote in message ...
>> -   Where do I get a binding for a windows API?
>  There are several, with different aims and different coverage.  I'm
one
>of the authors of Claw - Class Library for Ada on Windows, and suggest
you
>take a look at the TriAda paper available at
>www.rrsoftware.com/html/prodinf/triadapaper/triada.html
>  Claw is a "thick" or "abstract" binding.  It's available, as source
>code, in a GMGPL introductory version and in a supported $>0 version
under
>active development and with a printed manual as well as Windows Help
and
>html documentation.

And, Claw does have a Tree control in the supported version (not in the
free version).

         Randy Brukardt.

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Bob Rosen]

You might be interested in these pages:

http://www.usafa.af.mil/dfcs/bios/mcc_html/adagide.html

http://www.usafa.af.mil/dfcs/bios/mcc_html/a_sharp.html

Bob Rosen

>
>
> "Vincent Smeets" <No@Spam.org> wrote in message
> news:3e75e88a$0$4088$4d4ebb8e@read.news.de.uu.net...
> > Hallo,
> >
> > I know how to write a program with Ada and how to use X-Window (with
> Motif)
> > for Unix. Now I have a program (smal and non-commercial) that I want to
> port
> > from Unix to a Windows (98 or 2000) environment and give it a
Windows-GUI.
> > It will use a menu, an explorer tree and some labels and buttons. The
only
> > problem is that I have no idea about programming for the Windows
> > environment.
> >
> > What do I need to be able to write a program in Ada for Windows?
> > -   Compiler
> >     I have GNAT 3.15p installed.
> >
> > -   Description of a Windows API
> >     What APIs are there, what is the difference and where do I get a
> > description? Are there different levels like Xlib, Xt, Athena and Motif
in
> > Unix?
> >
> > -   Where do I get a binding for a windows API?
> >     GNAT comes with Win32Ada. Is that usable or are there other bindings
> > that are easyer to use? I have heard that MFC is object-oriented for
C++.
> Is
> > there an object-oriented binding for Ada?
> >
> > -   Do I need an C or C++ development environment for the Ada binding?
> >     Does the binding require some special libraries that are not
generaly
> > available with Windows?
> >
> > -   Books
> >     Is there a book you can recommend to read? I have started to read a
> book
> > about using MFC with C++ (from Microsoft Press). It gives me an idea
about
> > programming for Windows, but I can't test anything because it requires
> > Visual C++ which I don't have.
> >
> > -   Do I miss something?
> >
> >
> > Thanks for any suggestions,
> > Vincent
> >
>
>

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[David Gressett]

On Mon, 17 Mar 2003 14:23:38 -0500, "David Botton" <David@Botton.com>
wrote:


>I recommend GWindows for Win32 - http://www.adapower.com/gwindows, see
>http://www.adapower.com/gwindows/user_guide.html for a full tutorial. If you
>can program Ada, you already know how to write a Windows program :-)
>
GWindows is very nice - the GUI interface stuff works very well, but
the database access stuff is incomplete and lacks documentation. It is
a very good start, but needs more work. (I'll be happy to contribute,
as I very much need something like this)

Support for printing is a bit weak as well. It works, but needs to
have some higher-level abstractions added to make it really useful.

Something analogous to the qprinter package for Visual Basic printing
would be very nice. See
www.qbdsoftware.co.uk/moth/qprinter/

qprinter is a great idea but suffers horribly from the limitations and
weaknesses of VB. A similar package for GWindows would be very useful
and would help to draw VB6 programmers to Ada rather than to
VB.NET.(Again, I would be happy to help with this.)

Another weakness of GWindows is that the mailing list where users can
go to help each other seems to be nonfunctional.

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[David Botton]

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Gressett" <gresset1@airmail.spam>


> GWindows is very nice - the GUI interface stuff works very well, but
> the database access stuff is incomplete and lacks documentation. It is
> a very good start, but needs more work. (I'll be happy to contribute,
> as I very much need something like this)

The key to the database stuff is knowing ADO. The GWindows database support
is just glue to that. I hope to provide more information on using it in the
near future and additional support in GWindows itself.

> Support for printing is a bit weak as well. It works, but needs to
> have some higher-level abstractions added to make it really useful.

True, it is currently just slighlty thicker than the OS APIs.

> Something analogous to the qprinter package for Visual Basic printing
> would be very nice. See
> www.qbdsoftware.co.uk/moth/qprinter/
>
> qprinter is a great idea but suffers horribly from the limitations and
> weaknesses of VB. A similar package for GWindows would be very useful
> and would help to draw VB6 programmers to Ada rather than to
> VB.NET.(Again, I would be happy to help with this.)

Thank you for the link, I'll take a good look. From what I have read so far
you should be able to use QPrinter2 with GWindows with out a problem since
it is an ActiveX dll. I'll try and do some tests.

> Another weakness of GWindows is that the mailing list where users can
> go to help each other seems to be nonfunctional.

As far as I know everything is in order, can you e-mail me directly with
your specific problems. David@Botton.com

Thanks!
David Botton

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Fionn mac Cuimhaill]

On Tue, 18 Mar 2003 20:24:03 -0500, "David Botton" <David@Botton.com>
wrote:

... snip ...
>
>> Another weakness of GWindows is that the mailing list where users can
>> go to help each other seems to be nonfunctional.
>
>As far as I know everything is in order, can you e-mail me directly with
>your specific problems. David@Botton.com
>
>Thanks!
>David Botton
>

Thanks for such a timely answer - (I love c.l.a)  - I have e-mail on
the way.

 -- change 'spam' to 'net' to get a real e-mail address

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Vincent Smeets]

"Vincent Smeets" <No@Spam.org> wrote in message
news:3e75e88a$0$4088$4d4ebb8e@read.news.de.uu.net...
> Hallo,
>
> What do I need to be able to write a program in Ada for Windows?

Thanks for all the answers,

I will have a look at GWindiws as it is the most promissing from the
description and it has a tuturial. You will hear from me again in case I
have any problems.

Thanks,
Vincent Smeets

Re: What do I need to write a Windows program with Ada?

[Ant]

"Stephane Richard" <stephane.richard@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:mxpda.66247$gi1.39448@nwrdny02.gnilink.net...
> Ant, I'm sorry, I didn not want to flame you :-)
>
> But: "Oh well, so much for that then.  :("  to me implied that you saw
> Windex as a non viable solution.  Perhaps I should relearn my english ?  :-)
>
> Sorry again,

That's ok. It was a bit of an off-the-cuff, and jokey remark, so not your fault.
It's so easy to misunderstand in a text-only medium like Usenet.
Your English is fine!