[21] in Software_Announce
XF Interface Builder
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Erik Nygren)
Wed Apr 27 15:29:45 1994
To: software-announce@MIT.EDU
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 15:28:56 EDT
From: Erik Nygren <nygren@MIT.EDU>
XF, an interactive interface builder for graphically creating tcl and
tk programs, has been placed in the tcl locker. It is still being
tested. It's not really supported so don't expect bugs to be fixed.
Everyone who has played with it thinks it is really cool.
add tcl; xf
You can even open and edit some existing tcl programs like xstapler
and then save the modified programs. While things are running, you
can still interact with them.
Another related program is xfappdef, which is also in the tcl
locker. You can open up and edit X resources files.
Be careful as it destroys all comments that were previously in the file.
From the README for XF:
What is XF ?
XF allows you to interactively build and modify a user
interface based upon the Tcl/Tk package. You will need the
Tcl/TK package to run XF (at least version 2.3). The output
generated by XF is a Tcl/Tk script that can be executed with
wish or any other Tcl/Tk interpreter.
The idea for XF was born when I got my fingers on BYO. You
will find that some basic concepts of BYO have been taken
for XF, but there are a lot of changed/additional
concepts/features:
XF features:
- provides partial support for TK 3.6 (new relief
and new packer... see FAQ.running),
- editing "on the fly". XF is running as a
part of the application (not in an external
wish),
- editing of existing Tcl/Tk programs,
- placing and sizing of widgets by direct
manipulation (what I call direct manipulation :-),
- full access to all widget attributes,
- cut and paste functionality,
- provides the access to "templates" (pieces
of interface elements and procedures that
can be inserted in your program),
- integrates your preferred editor (emacs :-),
- integrates version control for procedures,
- a help system (you should really use it if
you get frustrated :-),
- interactive tutorial,
- support for xygraph, hypertext and photo,
- allows the fast and flexible integration of
new widget types (contact me if you have an
interesting widget and want to integrate it
into XF),
- creation of widget structures via procedures,
- modularization of the output script,
- setting of resources for widget groups,
- autosaving,
- and much more to be discovered....
