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1 files changed, 34 insertions, 22 deletions
diff --git a/documentation/fluid.html b/documentation/fluid.html index ebd60af3f..b4a4cc2cd 100644 --- a/documentation/fluid.html +++ b/documentation/fluid.html @@ -1,24 +1,36 @@ <HTML><BODY> <H1 ALIGN=RIGHT><A NAME=FLUID>8 - Programming with FLUID</A></H1> - This chapter shows how to use the Fast Light User-Interface Designer + +This chapter shows how to use the Fast Light User-Interface Designer ("FLUID") to create your GUIs. + <H2>What is FLUID?</H2> - The Fast Light User Interface Designer, or FLUID, is a graphical + +<P>The Fast Light User Interface Designer, or FLUID, is a graphical editor that is used to produce FLTK source code. + <P>FLUID edits and saves its state in <TT>.fl</TT> files. These files are text, and you can (with care) edit them in a text editor, perhaps to get some special effects. </P> + <P>FLUID can "compile" the <TT>.fl</TT> file into a <TT>.cxx</TT> and a <TT>.h</TT> file. The <TT>.cxx</TT> file defines all the objects from the <TT>.fl</TT> file and the <TT>.h</TT> file declares all the global ones. </P> + +<P>FLUID also supports localization (<A HREF="#I18N">Internationalization</A>) +of label strings using message files and the GNU gettext or POSIX catgets +interfaces. + <P>A simple program can be made by putting all your code (including a <TT> main()</TT> function) into the <TT>.fl</TT> file and thus making the <TT>.cxx</TT> file a single source file to compile. Most programs are more complex than this, so you write other <TT>.cxx</TT> files that call the FLUID functions. - These <TT>.cxx</TT> files must <TT>#include</TT> the <TT>.h</TT> file or they can <TT> +These <TT>.cxx</TT> files must <TT>#include</TT> the <TT>.h</TT> file or they can <TT> #include</TT> the <TT>.cxx</TT> file so it still appears to be a single source file. + <P ALIGN=CENTER><IMG src=fluid-org.gif> + <P>Normally the FLUID file defines one or more functions or classes which output C++ code. Each function defines a one or more FLTK windows, and all the widgets that go inside those windows. </P> @@ -61,7 +73,7 @@ save-as to write it to a file). Changing the colors may be useful to see what your interface will look at if the user calls it with the same switches. <P>In the current version, if you don't go into the background (with -'&' then you will be able to abort FLUID by typing ^C on the terminal. It +'&') then you will be able to abort FLUID by typing ^C on the terminal. It will exit immediately, losing any changes. </P> <H2>Running FLUID Under Microsoft Windows</H2> To run FLUID under WIN32, double-click on the <I>FLUID.exe</I> file. @@ -81,7 +93,7 @@ code. In a makefile you can use a line like this: <UL> <PRE> my_panels.h my_panels.cxx: my_panels.fl - FLUID -c my_panels.fl + fluid -c my_panels.fl </PRE> </UL> Some versions of make will accept rules like this to allow all <TT>.fl</TT> @@ -90,16 +102,16 @@ files found to be compiled: <PRE> .SUFFIXES: .fl .cxx .h .fl.h .fl.cxx: - FLUID -c $< + fluid -c $< </PRE> </UL> <H2>A Short Tutorial</H2> FLUID is an amazingly powerful little program. However, this power -comes at a price, as it is not always obvious how to accomplish seemingly +comes at a price as it is not always obvious how to accomplish seemingly simple tasks with it. This tutorial will show you how to generate a complete user interface class with FLUID that is used for the CubeView -program below. +program provided with FLTK. <P ALIGN=CENTER><IMG SRC="cubeview.gif"></P> @@ -524,10 +536,6 @@ to reorder functions, classes, and windows within functions. <H4>Edit/Later (F3)</H4> Moves all of the selected widgets one later in order among the children of their parent (if possible). -<P> -<TABLE WIDTH=100% CELLPADDING=0 CELLSPACING=0> -<TR> -<TD VALIGN=TOP> <H4>Edit/Group (F7)</H4> Creates a new <tt>Fl_Group</tt> and make all the currently selected widgets children of it. @@ -539,14 +547,13 @@ selection. This makes it easier to see box borders and how the layout looks. The overlays will be forced back on if you change the selection. <H4>Edit/Preferences (Alt+p)</H4> + Displays the preferences panel. The alignment preferences control the grid that all widgets snap to when you move and resize them, and for the "snap" which is how far a widget has to be dragged from its original position to actually change. -</TD> -<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH=226><IMG SRC="fluid_prefs.gif"></TD> -</TR> -</TABLE> + +<P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="fluid_prefs.gif"></P> <P>The output filenames control the extensions or names of the files the are generated by FLUID. If you check the "Include .h from .cxx" button the code @@ -600,9 +607,7 @@ the widgets more accurately, especially when setting the box type. for the fields. In this case the value for <I>one</I> of the widgets is shown. But if you change this value, <I>all</I> of the selected widgets are changed to the new value. -<TABLE cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width=100%> -<TR> -<TD VALIGN=TOP>Hitting "OK" makes the changes permanent. Selecting a different +<P>Hitting "OK" makes the changes permanent. Selecting a different widget also makes the changes permanent. FLUID checks for simple syntax errors such as mismatched parenthesis in any code before saving any text. @@ -611,6 +616,10 @@ the panel or hit OK. However in the current version of FLUID, changes to "visible" attributes (such as the color, label, box) are not undone by revert or cancel. Changes to code like the callbacks are undone, however. +<!-- NEW PAGE --> +<TABLE cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width=100%> +<TR> +<TD VALIGN=TOP> <H3><A name=widget_attributes>Widget Attributes</A></H3> <H4>Name (text field)</H4> Name of a variable to declare, and to store a pointer to this @@ -620,13 +629,16 @@ blank then no variable is created. etc. This will cause FLUID to declare an array of pointers. The array is big enough that the highest number found can be stored. All widgets that in the array must be the same type. </P> -</TD><TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH=378><IMG src="fluid_widget.gif"></TD></TR> -</TABLE> <H4>Type (upper-right pulldown menu)</H4> Some classes have subtypes that modify their appearance or behavior. You pick the subtype off of this menu. <H4>Box (pulldown menu)</H4> - The boxtype to draw as a background for the widget. +The boxtype to draw as a background for the widget. +</TD> +<TD> </TD> +<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH=378><IMG src="fluid_widget.gif"></TD> +</TR> +</TABLE> <P>Many widgets will work, and draw faster, with a "frame" instead of a "box". A frame does not draw the colored interior, leaving whatever was already there visible. Be careful, as FLUID may draw this ok but |