How to create a new window with Harbour + WVG ?

Having gained the confidence of simple guifying of FAS4WVG without breaking codes and the sheer joy of not having to rewrite tonnes of codes due to the extensive use of ALERT(), I explored on how to create a new window from within the Main Console Window.

Based on my understanding, you can create and ultimately destroy a new Window by making a function call such as :-

MyNewWindow('Reindexing','MyIcon','N/W')

#include "hbgtinfo.ch"

FUNCTION MyNewWindow(cWindowCaption,cIconFile,cColor )
LOCAL oCrt
oCrt := WvgCrt():New( , , { -4,-4 }, { maxrow()-4,maxCol()-4}, , .t. )
oCrt:lModal := .T.
oCrt:icon := cIconFile
oCrt:create()
oCrt:resizable :=.T.
SETCOLOR(cColor)
CLS
// Needs #include "hbgtinfo.ch"
hb_gtinfo(HB_GTI_WINTITLE,cWindowCaption)

/* Your Clipper Codes goes here */

oCrt:destroy()

RETURN nil

Using Harbour+WVG +xMate - Part IV - CONCLUSION

From Part III of this series of articles, this is what I have achieved thus far.


How about adding features to the Console Window itself ?

This is how you change the caption and application icon :-

//This ensures that window is physically existent when any operation on console are requested.
CLS

// Add icon
hb_gtInfo( HB_GTI_ICONFILE, "ksred.ico" )

// Add Window Caption
hb_gtInfo( HB_GTI_WINTITLE, "FAS4WVG - Clipper... Clipper... Clipper" )


Is there a GUI Alert() that is fully compatible with CA-Clipper Alert() ?

Why not, with Pritpal's excellent programming skills, ALERT("Reindex ALL Files ?, {"No","Yes"}) gives you this Windows Dialog :-

Isn't this what you would have expected ?

Please note that the GUI Alert() available in the April 2009 Edition of xHarbour.com distro simply maps to MessageBox with OK as the only option. So if your code is nChoice:=ALERT("Reindex ALL Files ?, {"No","Yes"}), Pressing OK will never Reindex !

You will have no such issue with Pritpal's Harbour Ready to use Distro.

Actual Reindexing in action ...

The above was achieved using wvg_BoxRaised(), wvg_BoxRecessed() and wvgBoxGroupRaised().

CONCLUSION :

To quote Pritpal from one of of his email response

" GTWVG is meant to update your Clipper code to have Windows look and
feel without any code changes, just addition of few lines. If it were to mimick exact
GUI behavior then there are many other options, but you end up writing practically
everything, which is simply difficult if not impossible.

This is a matter of focus. "

What do we wish to achieve for our keyboard-loving customers ?

Well, we need to break the DOS barriers and avoid the need for the customers to be retrained in their daily usage of their mission-critical applications.

So, if you wish to avoid lots of re-programming your Clipper Codes and only want to provide your keyboard-loving customers with a simple GUI but clearly 32-bits Windows solution, IMHO, Pritpal's Harbour Ready to Use Distro that includes Harbour +WVG +xMate is the way to go...

If your needs are more onerous, may I suggest HMG or HMG Extended ?

Good Luck !

BTW, this is the final part of Using Harbour+WVG +xMate but I will continue to write on my experience with Harbour Ready to Use + GTWVG aka WVG

Using Harbour+WVG +xMate - Part III

As you may recall from Part II, using Pritpal Bedi's Harbour Read to use Distro, I had successfully built FAS4WVG, a pure Win32 executable which does not run in a Command (DOS) Window.

Now, lets guify the DISPBOX() surrounding Main Menu & Messages by replacing

dispbox( 1, 0, 3, 79, B_DOUBLE )
dispbox( 22, 0, 24, 79, B_DOUBLE )

with :-

Wvg_BoxGroupRaised( 2, 1, 2, 77)
Wvg_BoxGroupRaised( 23, 1, 23, 77)

// Instruct GT to Repaint the Screen with GUI elements
Wvt_InvalidateRect( 0, 0, maxrow(), maxcol() )

The result is as follows :-


I then changed the default color to GREY to accentuate the 3D look and feel and added a
Wvg_BoxGroupRaised( 4, 1, 20, 77) for a centralised work area



You can see the DBEDIT() within a Boxraised(4,1,20,77) as follows :-


Same DBEDIT() but within a WVG_BoxRecessed

Same DBEDIT() but within a WVG_BoxRecessed() & WVG_BoxGroupRaised()



Next on Part IV

Using Harbour+WVG +xMate - Part II

If you recall from my previous article, this is what we got after recompiling with the Harbour Ready to Use Distro by Pritpal Bedi :-


Pretty disappointing, huh ! What you are looking at is a true 32 bit Windows application in a DOS window but how to convince your clients that this is indeed a Win32 executable ? This is where Pritpal Bedi comes to the rescue with his WVG library.

So where do we start to guify our Win32 'DOS looking" executable ?

This is what I have done, JUST add right after MAIN()

HB_GTSYS()

where

Function HB_GTSYS()
REQUEST HB_GT_WVG_DEFAULT
REQUEST HB_GT_WVT
REQUEST HB_GT_WGU
Return NIL

That's it !


Notice that the caption now shows FAS4WVG and not the Dos Prompt + path to FAS4WVG.
Hip... Hip... Hooray, no more DOS window !

Next on Part III

New Release of Harbour Ready to Use

CCH : A message posted by Pritpal Bedi on my Guest Book


Hello Everybody

Please download latest ready-to-use Harbour distro from
www.vouch.info/downloads/HarbourDev_10824_2009-04-09.exe

It fixes few mis-managements in _10523_ distro released in March.

Please note that Open Watcom binaries produces unresolved externals
with demowvg.prg. Rest all is fine.

I wanted to include QT implementation also but has deferred that
decision because still I am unable to find a way to compile demoqt.prg
through xMate PLUS a surprise that is swcheduled to be disclosed probably
next week...

Note; this distro includes PellesC compiler V 5.0 besides MINGW’s.
This has been made possible as Pelles Onius kindly consented to
include it in this distro.

Regards
Pritpal Bedi

PS; Note this is not an official release. It is an effort to ease out
migration to Harbour for newbies.

Using Harbour+WVG +xMate - Part I

Using Harbour+HMG or HMG Extended is great but I still needed to provide a solution to quite a number of my existing users who prefer to use our apps in text mode but yet Win32 ready.These users just love to use the keyboard and loathe to use the mouse :-)

I did consider using WVW but since Budyanto does not have time to update his great GUI library, I decided to take a serious look at Harbour + WVG.

After playing with the xMate that came with Pritpal Bedi's Ready to use Harbour Distro, I finally managed to compile and build a Harbour+WVG version of FAS4DOS codenamed FAS4WVG. This is what I have done :-

1. Installed Pritpal's Ready to Use Harbour which resulted in a folder being created ie
c:\harbour_dev with the following sub-folders
dev_exes
dev_libs
dev_projects
dev_sources
harbour
mingw
xmate

2. I then copied the previously converted FAS4DOS codes (from 5.2e to xHarbour) into a new folder FAS4WVG under the dev_projects folder. I did this in order to save time as all UNRESOLVED EXTERNALS had already been dealt with as per my previous articles "Migrating from CA-Clipper 5.2e to xHarbour Part I, II & III "

Please note that there is also a default demowvg folder already there for your reference.

3. Moving to the xMate Directory, I launched xMate and created a new Project


4. What is important here is to choose
a) Project Type, default Executable
b) Environment (wvgMINGW, wvgBCC, wvgMSC, wvgWATCOM)
Nb. Only MINGW comes with this Pritpal's Distro
c) You may also choose to Import based on a Clipper Blinker/Exospace link script

5. Click OK and
a) Input Project name, in my case FAS4WVG
b) Input HOME Folder (where your project files reside)
c) Add Project Files


c) Save and both the XMate Editor and Project Manager are launched


6. Under the xMate Project Manager, you can choose to :-
a) Build Project
b) Build and Launch Project
c) Rebuild Project
d) Rebuild and Launch Project
e) Launch Project
f) Compile single source
g) Compile all sources

7. I then clicked (b) and starting getting errors mainly due to ambiguous references relating to getlists which I resolved by adding LOCAL getlist:={}

8. Then, I got the 'FATAL : Unknown Error - Check Output Console'

9. I then clicked the icon that had a ? over it and saw that I had a few errors such as
a) Unresolved external references
b) Duplicate decalarations

By checking to my original Blinker Link Script, I realised that I had inadvertently left out a prg whilst including a couple of redundant prgs.

10. Once resolved , bingo, FAS4WVG was finally built and launched


Next to add GUI features ...