How to Guify your 32-bit Harbour Text App

Based on my limited experience, you may convert your 32-bits Harbour text to gui via

a) gtWVT
cch4clipper.blogspot.com/2011/02/simple-usage-of-gtwvt.html

b) gtWVW - Sudip is the expert on this ;-)

c) gtWVG - you can incrementally add GUI to your old Clipper codes
cch4clipper.blogspot.com/2009/04/using-harbourwvg-part-i.html (there are 4 parts to this series)

d) HMG stable .3.0.35 (compatible with Harbour 2.0 only) - Need rewrite
cch4clipper.blogspot.com/2009/03/adding-gui-to-xharbourharbour-via-hmg.html
cch4clipper.blogspot.com/2009/05/reporting-with-hmg-part-i.html (2 parts series)
cch4clipper.blogspot.com/2009/03/mapping-clipper-command-to-hmg-commands.html

e) HMG Extended aka Minigui (Needs rewrite)
cch4clipper.blogspot.com/2009/03/mdi-programming-with-minigui.html
cch4clipper.blogspot.com/2009/03/programming-mdi-with-minigui-pat-ii.html

I have successfully used hbmk2 for

a) gtwvg

cch4clipper.blogspot.com/2011/02/building-harbourgtwvg-project-using.html

b) hmg
cch4clipper.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-compile-hmg-application-hbmk2.html

c) Minigui
cch4clipper.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-build-minigui-hmg-extended.html

Cheers

CCH

Simple Usage of gtWVT

What is gtWVT ?

gtWVT is the  GT driver for MS-Windows (Win 95 and higher) and was contributed to Xharbour on 22nd December 2003 by Peter Rees

It creates its own GUI window instead of using MS-console window. It allows to changes to font, window size, etc.

gtWVT is a pure console implementation of traditional Clipper terminaltaking Windows API as its base console IO protocols. Its OI are  rendered in a Windows window and hence all of MSDN is available  for use with GTWVT.


Simple Usage in Harbour/xHarbour

Incredibly as it may seems, just adding -gtwvt to yourproject.hbp and then hbmk2 yourproject.hbp will allow your newly recompiled CA-Clipper Codes (as Harbour Codes) to run  as a true 32-bits application to run in its own GUI window rather than the awkward Command Prompt Window :-)

gtWVT also supports  additional functionality with hb_gtInfo() interface. You may want to check out harbour\include\hbgtinfo.ch :-)

what's the difference between GTWVT and GTWVG?

CCH: In an effort to 'guify' FAS4XHB.EXE, I wanted to retain the procedural approach (i.e no events-driven stuff)
I was advised by Ron Pinkas not to use gtwvw but to take a look at WVT & WVG

I found this interesting article by Clipper... Clipper...Contributor, Pritpal bedi of Harbour Project.

Response by Pritpal Bedi to a post dated 20th Nov 2007 
entitled Gtwvt + Wvtgui = Gtwvg : xHarbour => Harbour

If used as pure console "NOTHING".

If used with GUI extensions, very appealing Windows screens without
sacrificing the Clipper syntax.

To have a bird's eyeview what we can achieve with GTWVG, visit:
http://www.vouchcac.com/ScreenShots/ScreenShots.htm
Though these screens are fairly old, the latest ones have toolbars etc too,
but even then you can have a fairly good overview. To just emphasize, this
lib does not change the way you write code, instead, provide mechanism to
enhance your code to give a GUI look.

This is one of my appln converted to GTWVG (Harbour)   GTWVT+WVTGUI
(xHarbour).

Additionally GTWVG has a nice set of Wvt*Classes() which employ the common
event loop. You can create high performance dialogs with multiple Tbrowe,
Reads, Bitmaps, Buttons, i.e. all GUI elements you can think of.

More, you can open multiple pure Windows dialogs MODELESS or MODEL from
within your Clipper syntax.

I suggest you to experiment with xharbour/contrib/wvtgui/tests/wvtgui.prg to
learn more about these features. In future I will write a comprehensive
documentation.

If group agrees and someone more gifted developer join hands, these graphic
elements can be embedded with base GT to avoid additional code to be written
by the developer.

Based on GTWVG I am working on another libarry GTWVM ( Multiple Console
Terminal Driver ) just like in XBase++. There you can open multiple consoles
in an application containing its own GT and GUI elements and having its own
processing loop independant of others. It requires deep changes into GT core
code, which at the minimum needs a unique identifier for each GT command. I
have achieved a little bit but seems it is a long way to go, and perhaps, at
my own I cannot do everything. If group decided I can show a prototype of
what I am trying to achieve.

Hope you must be clear about the differences of GTWVT and GTWVG.

Regards
Pritpal Bedi, INDIA-USA