AppMaker
Your Assistant Programmer
Version 2
Contents
- Overview
- Getting Started
- Quick Tour - If you read nothing else, please read this.
- Adding Functional Code
- Editor Reference
- Defining Data
- Generating, Compiling, and Linking
- The Programming Model
- Customizing AppMaker
- The Template Language
- Changes from AppMaker 1.5
- Overview
- Getting Started
- Quick Tour
- Tour 1
- Creating a File
- Defining Data
- Creating the User Interface
- Adding Your Code
- Generating Code
- Compiling and Linking
- Running the Built Application
- Tour 2
- Editing Menus
- Copying Items
- Editing Windows
- Editing Dialogs
- Creating Commands
- Simulating Windows and Dialogs
- Generating Code and Building an Application
- Adding Functional Code
- Creating a Multi-column List
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- Implementing Commands
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- Enabling Buttons
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- Pseudo-data
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- Persistent Data
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- What's Left to Do?
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- Editor Reference
- AppMaker's Windows
- Outline window
- View editor
- Menu editor
- Tools palette
- Info floater
- Coordinates floater
- AppMaker's Menus
- File Menu
- Edit Menu
- View Menu
- Options Menu
- Editing
- Creating
- Deleting
- Copying
- Changing Position
- Changing Size
- Reordering
- Aligning
- Adding Scrollbars
- Using Styles
- Making Graphic Images
- Window Items
- Button
- Checkbox
- EditText
- GroupBox
- ImageItem
- LayerGroup
- Line
- List
- Palette
- Popup
- ProgressBar
- RadioButton
- RadioGroup
- Scrollbar
- StaticText
- TabPanel
- Defining Data
- Creating Data Defs
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- Creating Members
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- Connecting UI Items to Data Items
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- Naming Conventions
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- Generating, Compiling, and Linking
- The Programming Model
- Separating User Interface from Application Logic
- Connecting User Interface to Data
- Program Structure
- Customizing AppMaker
- The Template Language
- Changes from AppMaker 1.5
Overview
AppMaker is a tool for making applications. It helps you design and code the user interface - the menus, windows, and dialogs - for a Macintosh application. Instead of typing thousands of lines of code, you simply point and click to design the results you want and AppMaker generates excellent source code to implement those results. AppMaker handles the reoutine details so that you can concentrate on the interesting parts of your application.
There are three major components to AppMaker:
- A user interface and data definition editor
- A code generator
- A source code library
The user interface editor is a draw-like program that lets you create and edit descriptions for menus, windows, dialogs, and the many kinds of items in them. AppMaker supports all of the standard items such as buttons and check boxes. AppMaker also supports Apple's Appearance controls including group boxes, sliders, and tab panels.
AppMaker helps you separate your user interface from your "data engine." The data definition editor lets you define your data items and to "connect" them to UI items.
The code generator generates resources to describe your user interface and source code which is ready to compile, link, and run without any editing. AppMaker generates code and resources for C/C++ using Apple's Appearance Manager, for C++ using Metrowerks' Powerplant, or for Pascal.
The AppMaker library helps implement much of the standard user interface, such as dragging windows, checking menu items, and handling radio buttons. AppMaker uses these routines to shorten and simplify the generated code.
Making an Application
The following steps summarize the process of making an application with AppMaker:
- Create a new application
- Using AppMaker's tools, menus, and dialogs, point and click to create the user interface (menus, windows, dialogs, and items such as buttons, lists, and tab panels).
- Define your data items and connect your UI items to your data items.
- Have AppMaker generate code for your preferred language system.
- Using your language system, compile and link.
These steps, without any additional coding by you, will create a working user interface. Next you can add code, using AppMaker's data definition editor or outside of AppMaker, to perform the desired function of the application.