GWindows progress

["David Botton" <David@Botton.com>]

GWindows has been getting some attention these days.....

What is GWindows you ask?

GWindows is a framework for quickly creating Windows applications the _Ada_
way, released with the freedoms of the Modified GPL. It is more then just a
comprehensive "thick" binding to Win32 implementing additional extensions to
ease development on Windows beyond just making the API accessible. It offers
features not found in any other framework or binding such as support for
__GUI__ ActiveX controls, full UNICODE support (a simple build switch and
GWindows is completely UNICODE) for getting the best performance out of
WinNT and Win2K, and _both_ handler (access to subprogram) and inheritance
based event models.

Currently it is in what I call pre-beta (it needs more work on printing
support and there are a few additional methods I would like to add to some
of the controls) and should be beta with in weeks. It is fully functional
and has been used already by a number of people (including myself) for some
decent size projects.

Full database integration is already in the works for the 1.1 version to
allow for rapid development of database front ends in Ada (the gap between
the power of Ada and the ease of VB is shrinking....)

Tutorials and documentation have also been started. (Although, the specs are
already well documented and the samples should get you off to a good start)

Between GWindows and GNATCOM you have bindings (or the equivalent there of)
to almost every single facet of Windows.

You can "Experience" the ease of development with GWindows by visiting and
downloading at http://www.adapower.com/gwindows and joining the GNATCOM
mailing list where GWindows is discussed.

David Botton

A quick list of features available now:

GWindows Framework
==================

Bound Objects
-------------

Windows
Buttons
Default Buttons
Cancel Buttons
Radio Buttons
Check Box Buttons
Three State Buttons
Group Boxes
Combo Boxes
Drop Down Combo Boxes
Drop Down List Boxes
List Boxes
Multiple Selection List Boxes
Edit Boxes
Multi Line Edit Boxes
Rich Text Edit Boxes (both single and multi line)
Scroll Bar Controls (and Window scroll bars)
Labels
Icon controls
Bitmap controls
Menus (Both window and right click styles)
Accelerator Tables
Open and Save File Common Dialogs
Color Common Dialog
Cursors
Carets
Dialogs
Image Lists
AVI Animation Control
Status Bars
Date/Time Controls w/ Pop-Up Calendar
IP Address Control
Progress Control
Up Down Control
Trackbar Control
List View Control
Tree View Control
Tab Control
Tool Tips
Owner Drawn Controls


Other Features
--------------

COM Access to Rich Edit - Text Object Model (TOM)
Scroll Panels
MDI Support
Keyboard support
GDI Drawing (Windows, Bitmaps and the Printer)
Garbage collecting on dynamically created GWindows objects
Listener/Handler (access to subprogram) and OO Event Models
Prefab Events
ActiveX controls
Custom controls
Create windows from dialog resources
Use windows as dialogs
Message Boxes / Beeps
File Drag and Drop
Z-Order control
Window Docking
Examples (Web Browser, PDF Viewer, Embedded Tcl/TK widgets...)
Registry access
Tab controls with child window support
ANSI and UNICODE support
More...