[boost] Re: Re: Java style GUI in C++

From: Edward Diener (eddielee_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-08-21 07:23:05

John Torjo wrote:
> .
>>
>>
>> Borland's C++ Builder was very nice, but of course it wasn't
>> standard C++.
>
> True.
>
>> VC++ Managed C++ .NET is very nice but it is even further away from
>> standard C++. In neither do you have to write hundreds of lines of
>> code to do any GUI programming of significance. In order to have a
>> really top-rate C++ GUI library I believe one needs reflection in
>> C++ in order to do the sort of
>
> Not true. It would be great if you had reflection, but it's not a
> necessity.
>
> I'll show you (in about 3-4 months) that you don't need reflection to
> set GUI properties at design time. It'll be just like VB, but only
> better ;)

I am very interested in this and would like very much to see how you will do
this at design time. In particular I am interested in how event handlers can
be set at design time. All without C++ reflection of course and using
strictly the C++ standard, since you are confident that this can be done. My
view of event handlers is that any "component" ( see below ) within such a
system should be capable of handling any event generated by any other
component; which is true of both C++ Builder and Managed C++/.NET.

>
>> easy RAD programming which C++ Builder and Managed C++ .NET provide.
>> Needless to say, both use extensions to C++ to do reflection. This
>> is not a knock on any of the GUI libraries mentioned, but after
>> using C++ Builder and Managed C++ .NET, even despite their
>> non-C++-isms, most C++ GUI libraries are very primitive by contrast.
>
> I donot understand what you mean by the last sentence.

In the sense that one has to do work at run-time when it could be done at
design time. Please notice I said 'most', not all. If you, or anyone else,
could come up with a RAD C++ GUI development environment which works with
98%+ conforming C++ compilers ( Como, gcc, VC++ 7.1, Intel etc. ) and
enables one to easily set properties and events at design time, ala C++
Builder and Managed C++/.NET, I would be very interested in it and would
contribute to it any way that I can if I liked the design. By GUI I also
means the sort of components ( properties and events along with traditional
C++ method-based programming ) which are supported by C++ Builder and
Managed C++. I think non-visual components are also very important and
should be available for design time configuration just as much as visual
components in such a GUI environment.