This page describes View.h++ from a more technical perspective. From here you can also access:
View.h++ is a powerful and efficient C++ class library that encapsulates 100% of the functionality of the Open Software Foundation's industry standard Motif Graphical User Interface. This easy to use C++ object-oriented library takes full advantage of all the benefits of C++. View.h++ also encapsulates 100% of the X-Intrinsics, allowing the dyed-in-the-wool Motif programmer who refuses to give up Motif's famous functionality, to extend View.h++ to new types quickly and easily. To this already potent package, Rogue Wave also adds a Model-View-Controller architecture, making View.h++ the most comprehensive and powerful C++ graphical user interface available!
At its lowest level, View.h++ offers a C++ binding to Motif with the same naming conventions and data structures as Motif so your Motif programmers will not have to learn a radically different architecture. At its higher levels, View.h++ offers much more.
Based on the Model-View-Controller paradigm, View.h++ is specifically designed to promote reusability and extensibility among class objects, while providing ease of use and reduced development time. A comprehensive View and Controller hierarchy gives the application programmer extensive support for developing even the most complex of GUI applications. And because View.h++ encapsulates all of Motif's functionality, there is no need to waste valuable time on developing low-level control classes.
If you have developed Motif applications you probably know that it's a complex, tedious, and error-prone task. for example, take a look at the code below for a comparison of how tough something can be in C, yet trivial in C++. The syntax is natural and intuitive, without tedious function names to remember. C++ also allows a higher level of abstraction: you deal with menu bars and menu items, rather than function calls and data structures. The result is programs that snap together more quickly with fewer errors and easier maintenance.
There are benefits for end users as well: C++ is distinguished from other object-oriented languages by its superior efficiency. Applications not only look good, but run fast.
View.h++'s View hierarchy is designed to simplify the process of developing and managing GUI applications. With an extensive hierarchy of Main Views, Auxiliary Views, Modal and Nonmodal Dialogs, Editors, Prompts, and Warning boxes, the programmer can develop powerful user interfaces in C++ without intimate knowledge of Motif. All X-Windows and Motif event management are encapsulated and accessible through classes descending from class RWView. Thus, managing applications is as simple as instantiating classes and telling them to start up.
This allows developers to create complex windows, dialogs, and menus quickly and with minimal coding.
As an example, when creating a top level menu bar on a view, View.h++ maintains the relationships among the pulldown menus, their ordering, and individual items. If a user selects a menu item, an appropriate view member function is automatically invoked. This is but one small example of how View.h++ can promote the ideal of error-free programming!
Although RWView classes encapsulate many of the details surrounding window, menu, and dialog management, there are often situations where the developer is faced with developing customized applications which require access to the underlying Motif widget set and the X-Intrinsics. For this reason, Rogue Wave has encapsulated the complete Motif widget set and 100% of the X-Intrinsics through a comprehensive RWController hierarchy. These control objects provide all of the functionality of their Motif counterparts, and more!
Experienced Motif developers wishing to port their applications to View.h++ will find that, unlike other C++ class libraries, all of the functionality and capability of Motif will be at their fingertips. There's no need to sacrifice functionality when moving applications to View.h++!
Still another feature of the RWController hierarchy is that it has been specifically designed to work with the RWView classes. This allows developers to create new, customized views by simply deriving from existing RWView, then adding the necessary RWControllers for the functionality that is required.
View.h++ is built on top of the industry standard, and highly regarded, Rogue Wave Tools.h++ class library. Tools.h++ is a set of efficient and versatile C++ foundation classes which can simplify almost any programming task. A complete set of collection classes, modeled after the Smalltalk-80 environment, is included. RWSet, RWBag, RWOrdered, and RWCollectableString, are just a few of over 100 classes provided to make developing under View.h++ even easier. Tools.h++ has become a standard with many C++ compiler manufacturers.
Finally, a complete solution for your GUI development needs. Developers have previously only been offered GUI Builders generating vanilla C++ code or a high-level C++ GUI library. Now, View.h++ has been integrated with popular builders on the market, including UIM/X, TeleUSE, iXBUILD, XFaceMaker and others, so you have the best of both worlds!
What this means to you, the GUI developer, is an automated (visual) method for generating very high-level C++ code. By simply dragging and clicking, you have now become a professional C++ programmer! View.h++ is extremely clean, robust and most importantly - maintainable.
For your interface design, you still use 100% of the builder functionality, but now have immediate generation of C++ code for a predefined framework. Upon code generation, the builder now generates code that calls directly to the View.h++ library.
Rogue Wave Software is proud of our reputation for customer support.
Our excellent customer service and support is there to make sure every customer is satisfied. 60 days of free support and updates are included with each purchase.
Optional continuing customer support is also available.
Platforms currently available are as follows:
Sun HP SVR4 IBM SCO SGI SunOS 4.x HPUX 9.x Intel 486 AIX 3.2.x ODT 3.x SGI 3.x Solaris 2.x NCR 3000
View.h++ requires Motif Version 1.2 and a compatible C++ compiler.