Platform independent GUI bindings...

Platform independent GUI bindings...

[Marc Bejerano]

Does anyone have a recommendation for platform-independent GUI bindings
in Ada95? I need OS/2 PM, Windows, and X11 bindings but I don't want to
have to recode the application for each platform. Any help and/or ideas
would be MOST helpful as I really do NOT want to write one myself.

Thanks in advance,

Marc

Re: Platform independent GUI bindings...

[Larry Kilgallen]

In article <32EC150C.5082@ibm.net>, Marc Bejerano <marcb02@ibm.net> writes:

> Does anyone have a recommendation for platform-independent GUI bindings
> in Ada95? I need OS/2 PM, Windows, and X11 bindings but I don't want to
> have to recode the application for each platform. Any help and/or ideas
> would be MOST helpful as I really do NOT want to write one myself.

How about IBM VisualAge ? The demo that OC Systems had for their Ada
add-on at TRI-Ada showed what one would expect to be a Windows NT
tabbed dialog box with an appearance resembling an OS/2 property
sheet, but you must accept those little nits when you decide that
you are not willing to code separately for each GUI style.

Larry Kilgallen

Re: Platform independent GUI bindings...

[Dale Pontius]

In article <1997Jan27.064225.1@eisner>,
        kilgallen@eisner.decus.org (Larry Kilgallen) writes:
> In article <32EC150C.5082@ibm.net>, Marc Bejerano <marcb02@ibm.net> writes:
>
>> Does anyone have a recommendation for platform-independent GUI bindings
>> in Ada95? I need OS/2 PM, Windows, and X11 bindings but I don't want to
>> have to recode the application for each platform. Any help and/or ideas
>> would be MOST helpful as I really do NOT want to write one myself.
>
> How about IBM VisualAge ? The demo that OC Systems had for their Ada
> add-on at TRI-Ada showed what one would expect to be a Windows NT
> tabbed dialog box with an appearance resembling an OS/2 property
> sheet, but you must accept those little nits when you decide that
> you are not willing to code separately for each GUI style.
>
IBM OpenClass is C++, and I haven't seen much about mapping C++
classes into Ada.

I can think of four other suggestions:

Java awt : The Java GUI toolkit. I haven't used it, but I'm under the
  impression that it's not terribly complete. Still, it's the closest
  thing to a Universal GUI you'll find. Plus over time, it's likely
  to get the necessary improvements.

OpenDoc ODF : OpenDoc Framework. Currently available only on Mac,
  but it is supposed to be spreading to the other OpenDoc platforms.

Tcl/Tk : Use Tcl/Tk wrappers around you Ada, and build the GUI that
  way. I believe they're available on all the platforms you speak of.
  You may even be able to call the GUI parts directly from Ada.

V : http://www.cs.unm.edu/~wampler  There is not currently an OS/2
  version, but it appears to be in the works.

Qt : Don't have reference, check Linux newsgroups. No OS/2 version,
  but it doesn't sound impossible.

Win32 : After all, Win95, WinNT on x86, and WinNT on Alpha should be
  all the cross-platform anyone needs. (Insert tongue-in-cheek/irony
  emoticon here.)

Dale Pontius
(NOT speaking for IBM)

Re: Platform independent GUI bindings...

[David Emery]

XVT Corp has Ada83 bindings for their commercial product that supports
multiple window systems.  I don't know if they have any plans to move to 
Ada95.   

				dave
-- 
Note: if email to me bounces, use 'emery@grebyn.com'

Ada/Java interface (was: Platform independent GUI bindings...)

[Dale Pontius]

In article <5cl05e$tak@mdnews.btv.ibm.com>,
        pontius@btv.ibm.com (Dale Pontius) writes:
>
> Java awt : The Java GUI toolkit. I haven't used it, but I'm under the
>   impression that it's not terribly complete. Still, it's the closest
>   thing to a Universal GUI you'll find. Plus over time, it's likely
>   to get the necessary improvements.
>
I know there is work going on to generate Java bytecodes from Ada,
but I'm after a little something different.

Is it feasible and reasonable to want to use Java awt as a portable
  GUI toolkit?
Can awt be executed outside of the Java?
If not, can some sort of Java stub code be used without getting in
  the way too much?

Thanks,
Dale Pontius
(NOT speaking for IBM)

Re: Platform independent GUI bindings...

[Steven North]

Dale Pontius (pontius@btv.ibm.com) wrote:
: In article <1997Jan27.064225.1@eisner>,
:         kilgallen@eisner.decus.org (Larry Kilgallen) writes:
: > In article <32EC150C.5082@ibm.net>, Marc Bejerano <marcb02@ibm.net> writes:
: >
: >> Does anyone have a recommendation for platform-independent GUI bindings
: >> in Ada95? I need OS/2 PM, Windows, and X11 bindings but I don't want to
: >> have to recode the application for each platform. Any help and/or ideas
: >> would be MOST helpful as I really do NOT want to write one myself.
: >
: > How about IBM VisualAge ? The demo that OC Systems had for their Ada
: > add-on at TRI-Ada showed what one would expect to be a Windows NT
: > tabbed dialog box with an appearance resembling an OS/2 property
: > sheet, but you must accept those little nits when you decide that
: > you are not willing to code separately for each GUI style.
: >
: IBM OpenClass is C++, and I haven't seen much about mapping C++
: classes into Ada.

The Ada95 Upgrade for VisualAge C++ (what a mouthful) permits an Ada95
user to build new visual parts based on the IBM Open Class parts and
use them in Ada95 programs.  The product includes an Ada95 code generator
(which generates the code for the new composite parts constructed by the
user), and Ada95 bindings to the IBM Open Class library.  The initial
version is available on Windows NT for use with GNAT.  

Steve North
OC Systems

-- 
Steven North                      OC Systems                (703)359-6012

Re: Platform independent GIU bindings

[Dennis W. Butler]

You may want to check out Amulet, a User Interface Toolkit developed at
Carnegie-Mellon. Find it at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~amulet

It's implemented in C++ :(  but it can work on Windows, Mac and
X-windows...Perhaps someone would like to create a binding for it?

Dennis Butler
Dept of Computer Science
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Re: Platform independent GUI bindings...

[Al Christians]

Steven North wrote:

>> The Ada95 Upgrade for VisualAge C++ (what a mouthful) permits an Ada95user to build new visual parts based on the IBM Open Class parts and
use them in Ada95 programs.  The product includes an Ada95 code generator
(which generates the code for the new composite parts constructed by the
user), and Ada95 bindings to the IBM Open Class library.  The initial
version is available on Windows NT for use with GNAT. <<

Steve,

Please tell us more about this.  Looks like a potentially usable concept. 


Al

Re: Platform independent GUI bindings...

[Ted Dennison]

Marc Bejerano wrote:
> 
> Does anyone have a recommendation for platform-independent GUI bindings
> in Ada95? I need OS/2 PM, Windows, and X11 bindings but I don't want to
> have to recode the application for each platform. Any help and/or ideas
> would be MOST helpful as I really do NOT want to write one myself.

There are Ada bindings to TK/TCL. Check HotBAP for more information.

Actually, the Ada bindings are the easy part. Those can be made. The
tough part is finding platform-independant GUI libraries to bind to for
all your desired platforms.


-- 
T.E.D.          
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