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- ************************************************************************
- ** **
- ** MUI - MagicUserInterface **
- ** **
- ** Demo Release **
- ** **
- ************************************************************************
- ** **
- ** written and copyrighted 1993 by **
- ** **
- ** Stefan Stuntz **
- ** **
- ************************************************************************
-
-
-
-
- >> OVERVIEW
- -----------
-
- MUI (MagicUserInterface) is a system that makes the task of generating
- graphical user interfaces as simple as you always wanted it to be.
- Dont't stop reading now, MUI has nothing in common with other known
- programs as, for example, ToolMaker or GadToolsBox. These utilities are
- just simple gadget movers which allow the user to somehow arranges some
- objects in some windows. The results are neither good looking nor
- standardized.
-
- MUI does something completely different. GUIs consist of groups of
- objects, which are placed in their parent windows according to certain
- rules. The specification of the user interface is done directly in the
- source code of the corresponding program and may, for example, look
- like this:
-
- WindowObject, VertChilds,
-
- Child, HorizChilds,
- Child, DirectorylistObject,
- Child, DevicelistObject,
- End,
-
- Child, DrawerGadget,
- Child, FileGadget,
-
- Child, HorizChilds,
- Child, OkayButton,
- Child, CancelButton,
- End,
-
- End;
-
- In clear: The window consists of four objects, one below the other, the
- first object itself is a horizontal arrangement of two listview objects,
- followed by two string gadgets and finally, again horizontal, the
- compulsory Okay- and Cancel-Buttons.
-
- That's all. With this specification MUI generates a beautiful,
- font-sensitive user interace, fully compliant with the AUISG. The
- management of this interface (changing of size, moving in listviews,
- etc.) is handled by MUI too, the programmer doesn't have to worry about
- these things any longer.
-
-
-
- >> WHY MUI ?
- ------------
-
- - Less work for the programmer:
-
- Even a simple window with few gadgets becomes very difficult to handle
- if you want an appealing and flexible interface. Even more, if the
- window should be sizeable and adjust itself to different fonts chaos is
- programmed. Later inserting or moving of gadgets becomes an agony. MUI
- avoids these problems. An once specified interface will work "by
- itself", without further work of the programmer.
-
-
- - Font-Sensibility:
-
- Most programs (even Commodore's preferences) still work with a fixed
- Topaz/8 font. In the age of high-resolution graphic cards or just on
- interlaced screens, this is simply a joke. A MUI objects adjusts itself
- automatically to any font, of course including proportional ones.
-
-
- - Sizeability:
-
- Some programs already adjust themselves to different fonts, but a sizing
- gadget is still a rarity. In these tools, a fixed window size is
- calculated at startup time which can't be changed afterwards. MUI goes
- the contrary way here: The present window size is the starting point
- for an object's layout. Individual objects may have minimal- and
- maximal-dimensions; these values are then used to calculate the minimal
- and maximal size of the corresponding window. Of course the programmer
- doesn't have to bother about that, the MUI-System automatically
- calculates all important parameters.
-
-
- - Flexibility
-
- With the aid of the MUI-Preferences program the GUIs outfit can be
- modified by the user to fit his taste. You have, for example, the
- options to select fonts, alter the thickness of the used frames, change
- the look of the standard-images (arrows, prop-gadgets, etc.) and much
- more. Please notice, these adjustments are made by the user of a
- program, not by its programmer. All MUI-applications will automatically
- adjust to the (new) configuration.
-
-
- - ARexx:
-
- Each MUI-application has an ARexx port allowing all actions to be
- called, which are also available as GUI elements. In addition the
- application gets a simple interface (similar to AppShell) for quick and
- easy implementation of own ARexx commands.
-
-
-
- >> SYSTEM-REQUIREMENTS
- ----------------------
-
- MUI works with all OS versions since Kickstart 2.0.
-
- The MUI-System consists of some BOOPSI-classes, the word BOOPSI stands
- for "Basic Object Oriented programming System for Intuition" and is a
- standard from Commodore for the management of object-oriented elements.
- To understand MUI some knowlege of BOOPSI and object-oriented
- programming is necessary. Corresponding documentation can e.g. be
- found in the "RKM libraries".
-
- All MUI-classes reside in the directory Sys:Classes/MUI/ as shared
- system libraries. This makes it possible for classes to be only loaded
- when they are actually needed. On the other hand, the code for a class
- can simultaneously be used by many applications.
-
-
-
- >> DEMO-RELEASE
- ---------------
-
- MUI will be completed soon. I arranged this little demo, just to give
- you an impression of what is about to come. It contains the
- MUI-Preferences program and a demo program, which should demonstrate
- some of MUI's abilities. All classes needed by these two applications
- are of course included as well.
-
- To start, just click on the "StartMe" icon. This will automatically
- launch the demo and the preferences program. A look in the documented
- source code "MUI-Demo.c" is of course recommendable, too.
-
-
-
- >> Author
- ---------
-
- Questions, ideas, gifts and flames welcome. Send them to
-
- Stefan Stuntz
- Eduard-Spranger-Straße 7
- D-W-8000 München 45
- Deutschland
-
- phone: +49-(0)89-3131248
-
- Internet
- stuntz@informatik.tu-muenchen.de
-
- Fidonet
- 2:246/46.10@fidonet
-
-
-
-
- Much fun and always look on the bright side of life !
-