UIM/X Object Oriented Development

Course Overview
This 3-day course begins with a review of the essential Xlib, Xt toolkit, and Motif concepts upon which UIM/X 3.0 (and other versions) is built. Then, the tool itself is broken down into its functional layers and presented in a series of lectures and laboratory sessions. Students progress from prototyping a simple interface, to properly supporting multiple shells, to defining reusable interface components. Seventy percent of the course is hands-on time: step-by-step tutorials led by the instructor, informal exercises, and full laboratory sessions where they apply principles learned to real-world examples.

Training Date(s) / Location
Call your Bluestone Consulting representative or 856-813-1100 for scheduling information.

Key Benefits

• Layout widgets, set resources, and test callbacks interactively.
• Use UIM/X for maximal GUI design and implementation efficiency.
• Enforce corporate style guides.
• Link together multiple interfaces.
• Define parameterized, reusable components.

Audience
This course is designed for programmers, engineers, and managers needing to understand the functional layers of UIM/X and how to use those layers to build anything from rapid prototypes to full OSF/Motif and corporate style guide compliant interfaces.

Prerequisites

• Motif Programming (recommended)
• Advanced C Programming
• UNIX Fundamentals
• vi or emacs

X and Motif Review

• Background History of X
• Software Layers
• The Client / Server Model
• Client and Server Communication
• Windows in an Interface
• Windows on the Server
• Window Clipping and Stacking Rules
• Window Geometry
• Pixels, Planes, and Colormaps
• Motif Widget Class Hierarchy
• Creating and Managing Widgets
• Accessing Resources Programmatically
• Callback Functions

UIM/X Project Operation

• UIM/X Development Steps
• GUI Source and Generated Files
• UIM/X Directory Structure
• Running UIM/X
• UIM/X Novice Mode
• UIM/X Main Project Window
• Creating A Topmost Widget
• Suggested Window Layout
• Interface Icons
• Saving A Project
• Project Components
• Project Files
• Project (.prj) File Format
• Interface (.i) File Format
• Loading A Project
• Showing and Hiding All Interfaces
• Selection Techniques
• Selected Interfaces Popup
• Options Menu
• Code Generation Options
• Generating Project Code
• Generated C Files
• Exiting Or Resetting UIM/X

Widget-Level Operations

• Selected Widgets Popup
• Creating Manager Widgets
• Raising a Browser
• Suggested Window Layout
• The Browser
• Browser File Menu
• Browser Create Menu
• Browser Edit Menu
• Browser View Options
• Browser Selected Widgets Popup
• Creating Primitive Widgets
• Duplicating Widgets
• Widget Move/Resize Rectangles
• Moving or Resizing Hidden Widgets
• Re-Creating Widgets
• Aligning Widgets
• Reparenting Widgets
• Changing Sibling Stacking Order

Property Editor

• Invoking a Property Editor
• The Property Editor
• Loading Widgets
• Options for Loading
• Removing Widgets from Property Editor
• Color Viewer
• Color Viewer Edit Menu and Color Map
• Color Editor
• Pixmap Viewer
• View Menu
• Property Sources
• Resource Categories
• Font Viewer
• Changing Widget Name And Scope
• Renaming An Interface
• Behavior Category
• Callback Editor
• Finding Parse Errors
• Design Time vs. Run Time
• Distinguishing C vs. C++ Code
• Sample Generated Callback Code
• Miscellaneous

Constraint Editor

• Motivation
• Invoking the Constraint Editor
• Constraint Editor
• Constraint Tools
• Applying Bolt Constraints
• Effect of Bolt Constraints
• Applying Dimension Constraints
• Effect of Dimension Constraint
• Applying Pushpin Constraints
• Effect of Pushpin Constraints
• Removing Constraints

Ux Library and Code Generation

• Ux Convenience Library
• C++ Convenience Library Bindings
• Dynamic Resource Manipulation
• Visibility Support Routines
• Widget/Swidget Conversions
• UIM/X Globals
• Disabling The Ux Library
• uxcgen
• Support Files

Declarations Editor

• Purpose of the Declarations Editor
• The Declarations Editor
• The Declarations Editor with C++
• Analysis Of .h Files
• Analysis Of .c Files
• Code Mapping of Declarations Editor
• Initial and Final Code
• Code Guidelines

Interpreter

• Invoking the Interpreter
• Executing C or C++ Code
• Viewing Interpreter Results
• Testing Initial and Final Code
• Translation Units
• Loading A File Into The Interpreter
• Clearing Interpreter Messages
• The cflags Resource
• Miscellaneous

Program Layout Editor

• Program Layout Editor
• Specifying The Application Class
• Specifying The Startup Interface
• Customizing the Main Program
• Analysis Of Main Program
• Customizing the Makefile
• Analysis Of Makefile
• Specifying The Event Loop Type

Menus and Main Windows

• A Main Window and Menubar
• Main Window Editor
• Accessing the Main Window Property Editor
• Motif Menu Types
• Menu Components
• Menu Anatomy
• Invoking the Menu Editor
• The Menu Editor
• Entering Pane Information
• Creating An Item
• Editing An Item
• Changing an Item Name
• Creating A Pane
• Edit Menu Operations
• Cascading Submenus
• Attaching the Cascading Submenu
• Creating A Help Menu (Version 2.9+)

Context Support

• Multiple Instances of an Interface
• Motivation for Context Support
• Code Generated Without Context Support
• The Context Structure
• Context Creation
• Context Access
• Instance Specific Variables
• Implications of Context Support
• Context Support in C++ Mode

Linking Interfaces Together

• Styles Of Popping Up Interfaces
• Parenting Of Interfaces
• Creating and Popping Up Interfaces
• Adding Interface Function Arguments
• Creating Interfaces at Initialization
• Interface Function Types
• Modality Of Popup Dialogs

Actions and Translations

• Invoking The Translation Table List
• Creating Translation Tables
• Translation Table Editor Window Layout
• Defining Translation Tables
• Attaching A Translation Table To A Widget
• Creating Action Tables
• Action Table Edit Menu
• Action Coding Conventions

Palettes (Optional Topic)

• The Ux Palette
• Showing and Hiding Palettes
• Changing The Palette View
• Creating a Palette
• Putting Items into a Palette
• Saving Your Palette
• Creating From Your Palette: Palette Modes
• Creating Multiple Copies from the Palette
• Changing Item Attributes
• Palette Selected Objects Popup
• Changing the Category Name
• Creating New Categories
• Pros and Cons Of Palettes

Components (Optional Topic)

• Layout Object Types
• Components and Instances: Terminology
• Creating a Component
• Creating an Instance
• Instance Properties
• How Components and Instances Work
• Parameterizing a Component
• Multiple Instances and Context Support
• Using Components with Palettes
• Subclassing a Component
• Other Ways To Create A Component
• Other Ways to Instantiate A Component
• Distributing Components
• Pros and Cons of Components and Instances

Methods (Optional Topic)

• Conceptual Overview of Methods
• Predefined Methods
• Accessing The Methods Editor
• Creating a Method
• Calling A Method
• Methods Editor Menus
• Component Properties: Motivation
• Adding a Property: Get/Set Methods
• Setting Properties on Instances
• Adding a Callback Property
• Defining a Callback on an Instance
• Adding a Child Site Method

Connection Editor (Optional Topic)

• Motivation for Connection Editor
• Conceptual Model of Connection Editor
• Invoking the Connection Editor.
• Connection Editor
• Defining Connections
• Other Ways to Invoke the Connection Editor
• Other Ways to Load the Source and Target

Augmenting UIM/X (Optional Topic)

• Conceptual Overview of Augmenting UIM/X
• Compiling Interfaces for Augmenting UIM/X
• Steps in Augmenting UIM/X
• Course Objectives
• Related Bluestone Consulting Courses

Appendix: Subprocess Control

• Overview
• Initializing and Running the Subprocess
• Subprocess Input and Output
• Terminating The Subprocess