home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
ShareWare OnLine 2
/
ShareWare OnLine Volume 2 (CMS Software)(1993).iso
/
prog
/
langwn23.zip
/
READ.ME
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-03-25
|
5KB
|
117 lines
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LangWin Version 2.3 (C) Copyright Allen L. Lang, 1993 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
LangWin is a QuickBASIC program development toolkit. It contains a library of
functions and subroutines that can be used to easily create standard Graphical
User Interface (GUI) features in your compiled text-mode QuickBASIC or BASIC
PDS programs (sorry, LangWin cannot be used with the QBASIC interpreter in DOS
5.0).
GUI features supported include: opening/closing windows with drop-shadows,
scrollable text, push buttons, click boxes, dialog boxes, editable input
fields, etc. LangWin's GUI routines support both mouse and keyboard input.
Windows created by LangWin can be moved and resized (mouse only). LangWin also
contains stand-alone routines that can be used to add mouse support to your
QuickBASIC programs that do not use LangWin. Mouse features include:
initialization, get/set position, get button status, hide/show cursor, set
horizontal/vertical limits, etc. Finally, LangWin has several functions that
allow you to get the default drive and directory, change the default
drive/directory, and extract all file/sub-directory names from the current
directory.
The download you received contains the following files:
-------------------------------------------------------
LANGWIN.DOC - LangWin User's Guide
LANGWIN.BI - LangWin's include file
LANGWIN.LIB - QuickBASIC LIB for linking |___
LANGWIN.QLB - QuickBASIC quick library | | you will probably only need
LANGWINP.LIB - PDS LIB for linking |________| one of these pairs.
LANGWINP.QLB - PDS quick library |
SAMPLE01.BAS - sample source code using LangWin's routines
SAMPLE02.BAS - sample source code using LangWin's routines
SAMPLE03.BAS - sample source code using LangWin's routines
SAMPLE04.BAS - sample source code using LangWin's routines
SAMPLE05.BAS - sample source code using LangWin's routines
WINHELP.BAS - online help text that can be loaded into the QB environment
WINCOLOR.EXE - program to assist in selecting color combinations for windows
FINDFILE.EXE - generic find file program (check out the options) developed
with LangWin's GUI toolkit
NOTE: both QuickBASIC and PDS libraries (LIB & QLB) are included.
Unless you have both compilers, you can save space by deleting the pair
of files you don't need.
Getting Started
---------------
If you haven't already done so, copy the above files to your hard disk.
I've found there are two categories of computer users: those that read the
documentation first then dig into the application, and those that go right
for the application without examining the doc.
If you are the type that likes to read the doc first:
* Start with LANGWIN.DOC. It describes all of LangWin's functions and
features. Use your own browser to read it, or enter:
type langwin.doc | more
* Run QB and load the WINHELP module. Hit F2 to see a list of all
LangWin's routines. Select a routine to see its purpose, parameters,
return codes, notes for usage, etc. You can keep the WINHELP module
in the QB environment while doing development to have instant access
to reference information on all LangWin routines.
* Load the SAMPLE programs and run them to see what they do, and how
they use LangWin's features.
* Run WINCOLOR to help you pick color combinations for your windows.
If you like to jump right in, or want to get a quick start, then change
to the directory with LangWin's routines and enter one of the following:
qb /ah /L langwin (for QuickBASIC)
or
qbx /ah /L langwinp (for PDS)
This will load your QuickBASIC (or PDS) environment,
along with the LangWin quick library.
select File, then Open Program ...
select SAMPLE01.BAS
then run the program
You'll see some examples of what can be done with LangWin.
You can examine the code and then try the other sample programs.
I STRONGLY recommend that you take the time to read all of LANGWIN.DOC, scan
all members in WINHELP.BAS, and review all sample programs. This will take an
investment of your time. However, you'll gain a better understanding of
LangWin's functions, and be able to take advantage of all its features to
produce programs with a professional quality GUI.
I've included a free "file find" utility (EXE only) developed with LangWin.
This generic utility can be used to find all names on a given drive that match
a given file specification (including the use of ? and * wildcards). There's
also an "option" window where you can specify additional criteria for
selecting the file (like attribute bits, size, date, and time). This utility
is similar to those found in commercial packages. It illustrates a practical
example of the professional looking programs that can be developed with
LangWin's GUI toolkit. Hope you like it!
Allen Lang
121 Windsor Commons
Cranbury, NJ 08512
Prodigy ID: KJNX76A
3/20/93