Category : Windows 3.X Files
Archive   : WPRO2.ZIP
Filename : READ.ME
WINPRO2 - Windows Application Prototyper - Example
Version 2.4
Copyright (C) 1987-1989 Louis J. Cutrona, Jr.
Xian Corporation
625 North Monroe Street
Ridgewood, NJ 07450-1206
(201) 447-3270
fax: (201) 447-2547
I N T R O D U C T I O N
After a little experience with the Windows Software Development
Kit, it becomes clear that it takes a lot of programmer time
(even starting from existing code of an application that works)
simply to create an "empty" application -- one that does nothing
substantive, but at least loads the string resources, initializes
the window and shows it, and handles the menus to the extent of
calling empty routines or calling the appropriate dialog box
procedures.
WINPRO2 is a system that automates the process of creating an
"empty" application based on the contents of the resource (.RC)
file that defines the strings, menus, dialogs, and accelerators
for the application.
Included with the files required to run WINPRO2 is a sample
resource file, EXAMPLE2.RC, that can be processed by WINPRO2 to
create a sample "empty" application (a prototype), EXAMPLE2.EXE.
The code for the EXAMPLE2.EXE application prototype contains over
2700 lines, counting the C files, the header files, the RC file,
the DEF file, the make file, and the linkedit control file.
However, the EXAMPLE2.RC file and its included file EXAMPL.DLG
contain only 364 lines. The other 2300 or so lines are created
automatically from the RC file by the WINPRO2 Windows prototype
application generator. All that is necessary to create the running
prototype is to process the RC file through the program generator,
which creates the necessary files and then runs MAKE on the make
file that is one of the ten files thus produced.
Creating the RC file still takes time, but that at least is
creative time.
The prototype application WINPRO2 produces is designed to serve as
the framework for a serious application.
The initialization routines are put in a separate,
discardable segment as are the dialog routines.
The header file for the RC file is generated automatically
from the symbols in the RC file.
Forward declarations for the initialization, menu, and
dialog functions are automatically created.
External global variables are automatically declared in a
separate header file.
Separate C files are created for the initialization
routines, the main procedures, the menu functions, and the
dialog functions.
The dialog function skeletons provide standard processing
for check boxes, radio buttons, static text, and edit text
controls. Status of dialog box controls is kept in global
variables that are used to initialize the dialog and are
updated by an OK command. Other controls (list boxes and
scroll bars) are included in the dialog's "switch" statement
but no special processing is provided. A CANCEL command
ends the dialog without updating the global variables.
The DEF file is produced automatically and remembers to
EXPORT all of the dialog functions as well as the main
window procedure.
F I L E S O N T H E E X A M P L E D I S K
I N P U T F I L E
EXAMPLE2.RC A Windows 2.0 resource definition (.RC) file in
the form required by WINPRO2 to create a Windows
prototype application named EXAMPLE2.EXE.
R E S U L T I N G F I L E S
All of the remaining files on the example disk (except the .EXE file)
are produced by running the WINPRO2 program on the file EXAMPLE2.RC.
The .EXE file is produced by running Microsoft's MAKE.EXE on the file
EXAMPLE2.MAK produced by WINPRO2. These files are:
EXAMRC.H Header file for the resource (.RC) file and all .C
source files. Includes definitions of the
identifiers used for string, menu, accelerator,
dialog, and dialog control definitions. Also
includes forward declarations of the
initialization, menu, and dialog functions created
by WINPRO2.
EXAMGBL.H Header file for all C source files. All global
variables are defined in the header file. Through
use of the C pre-processor, this file can be used
both to declare all globals and to initialize them
only once.
EXAMMAIN.C C source file in which the main window procedure
for the application is defined.
EXAMEXT.C C source file in which all global external
variables used by the application are declared and
initialized.
EXAMINIT.C C source file containing initialization routines.
Routines in this file are compiled into a separate
segment that is marked "discardable".
EXAMMENU.C C source file containing procedures invoked from
menu selections that do not activate a dialog box.
EXAMDLG.C C source file containing dialog box procedures.
The dialog function skeletons each contain a
"switch" statement that includes each of the
active dialog control id's as a separate (empty)
case along with the special id's IDOK and
IDCANCEL.
EXAMPLE2.DEF LINK4 module definition file which includes the
EXPORT statements for all of the dialog functions
as well as the main window procedure.
EXAMPLE2.MAK "MAKE" file for Microsoft MAKE.EXE utility
EXAMPLE2.LKE Linker automatic response file for LINK4.EXE step
in "MAKE"
EXAMPLE2.EXE Windows executable file produced by running
MAKE.EXE on EXAMPLE2.MAK
O R D E R I N G I N F O R M A T I O N
The WINPRO2 package is available for $300.00 from
Xian Corporation
625 North Monroe Street,
Ridgewood, NJ 07450-1206
Telephone orders: (201) 447-3270
Purchase orders and personal checks accepted.
Sorry, no credit cards.
No shipping and handling charge on prepaid orders.
Otherwise, shipping and handling $5.00 per package.
Permission is hereby granted to copy and use, but not to sell, part or
all of the files on this diskette provided this notice and the copyright
notice are included in any copy.
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