Gui and non English languages

BlitzMax Forums/MaxGUI Module/Gui and non English languages

Moraldi(Posted 2007) [#1]
I setup a menu gadget with Greek titles but when I run the program it looks Greek to me... :)
Is is possible to use non English languages in gadgets?

Thanks!


Brucey(Posted 2007) [#2]
Yes, although on Windows MaxGUI is set NOT to use UNICODE, so characters that are not ASCII will appear incorrectly.

Mac and Linux GTK MaxGUIs work as expected, and show text properly.


SebHoll(Posted 2007) [#3]
I setup a menu gadget with Greek titles but when I run the program it looks Greek to me... :)
Is is possible to use non English languages in gadgets?
You could try using the development Windows MaxGUI module, Axe.Win32MaxGUI, which was supposed to have included Unicode support. Mind you it hasn't been updated in ages and still is only half complete...

You should be able to get it through syncmods if you have registered your MaxGUI license on this site. Make sure to tick the "AXE" option in the IDE though! :-P


Moraldi(Posted 2007) [#4]
To be more specific:
I have e text field gadget where the user can enter record's field data and then display these contents to this text field.
In my first attempt I tried to input Greek characters but the display while I was typing was a mesh.
I loaded a GUI font (using the LoadGuiFont function) and everything its OK when typing:



but when I review my record (there is no hard disk saving stage) I have the mesh of my first attempt



Brucey(Posted 2007) [#5]
That's because the standard Windows version of MaxGUI (Win32MaxGUI) isn't supporting Unicode properly, and therefore when it takes the data from the control stores it, and at some point places the data back onto the control, it appears corrupted.

This works fine on Mac and GTK Linux MaxGUIs, and if you follow Seb's tips you can get yourself a version of MaxGUI on Windows which should work.


Moraldi(Posted 2007) [#6]
To be honest, I didn't understand what SebHoll advised me (I am almost totally new to BMax) and now I cannot spend my time for a module it is not completed.
I have to develop a small data base application for my client and just realized that BMax isn't for such applications.

I think its only for 2D game development and when Max3D will be released then it will be also for 3D (if it will integrated smooth to the existing construction of BMax).

Finally I changed development platform (Dev-C++, wxWidgets and SQLite) and fortunately for me everything proceeded very well until now.
I have all the power of wxWidgets library at no cost and without trying to find how to do the most simplest things all over the world:

1. Open a simple message box without having the title "BlitzMax Application"
2. How to have real modal dialogs
3. How to have UNICODE support
3. How to easy access all WinXP events
3. How to design my GUI
4. How to have REAL inheritance and polymorphism
5. How to have multiple constructors

and many other more advanced futures such an 'excel style' grid control that all community asks.

Sorry guys here in BRL but BMax is not an OOP language.

I am not saying that BMax is not a good product. I am just saying it is very limited trying to cover a wide range of programming requirementes without success.
MaxGUI its a very good idea but until now does not deserves its price. If I new all these limited capabilities I wouldn't buy it.

PS: Forgive my English syntax...


skidracer(Posted 2007) [#7]
Yes it is for game development, the product description is quite specific:


BlitzMax ($80 USD - digital version)
Create 2D Games for Windows, MacOS and Linux

MaxGUI - GUI Module for BlitzMax ($30 USD - digital version)
Add a graphical user interface to your BlitzMax creations (BlitzMax package required)



This could be clearer in that the scope of BlitzMax is game development and the gui module is for tools and desktop behavior of games. There is some debate over the value of MaxGUI, originally it was intended to be free built-in module. If this was so it may avoid the misconception that it turns BlitzMax into something it's not.


Brucey(Posted 2007) [#8]
Yes it is for game development

Oh well, I guess I may as well pack up all my stuff and go and do VB then... ho hum.


SebHoll(Posted 2007) [#9]
Oh well, I guess I may as well pack up all my stuff and go and do VB then... ho hum.


Lol, come on Skid! You know MaxGUI is great and can be the foundation for many great fully-featured apps! It's just these bugs need fixing!!! You were on your way with Axe.Win32MaxGUI and this guy's problems would have been sorted. :-( Sniff, Sniff... (Seb put's on an innocent face).


skidracer(Posted 2007) [#10]
Brucey don't be silly, the BaH modules do turn BlitzMax into something it's not, which I assumed was the point of undertaking the admirable task that is a bmx wxWidgets layer.

I possibly have too low opinion of non-game programming, bordering on contempt at my current day job, so apologies for any offence.


Moraldi(Posted 2007) [#11]
skidracer:
I have only good words to say for your response and support. My complaints have no any relationship with people but only with the design of BMax and limited capabilities of MaxGUI.
My criticism is constructive and positive. And I think SebHoll didn't understand this by calling me just a guy and not a customer of BRL
I have proven int the past that I can appreciate good piece of software:
http://www.blitzbasic.com/Community/posts.php?topic=69641#779405

Edit: I don't know how to use the axe.win32maxgui. Is there any change to find documentation and instructions on how to use it?


SebHoll(Posted 2007) [#12]
And I think SebHoll didn't understand this by calling me just a guy and not a customer of BRL

Hey! I was just trying to help get Axe.Win32MaxGUI fixed for you and the rest of the MaxGUI community.

I don't know how to use the axe.win32maxgui. Is there any change to find documentation and instructions on how to use it?
In MaxIDE, go to Program ==> Synchronise Modules, type in your forum username and password, tick the "AXE" checkbox, and click OK.

Once this is done, all you need to do is to add...

Import Axe.Win32MaxGUI
...to the top of source file, beneath any Strict modes you have set. When you recompile your program, it will use this BETA version of the Windows MaxGUI driver.


Dreamora(Posted 2007) [#13]
Skidracer: I'm sorry but there is exactly NOWHERE the sentence that "BlitzMax is for game development for english users, it will not be possible to use it for applications or to be used by non english users", so if this is the case and planed to remain this way, I would like to ask for a refund.

And just to mention that: BM is not even for game development. Although this topic is now known well enough, it is still not solved: BMs core is NOT unicode compliant (its not even ascii compliant. German, Nordish, french, spain etc special characters are ASCII not Unicode!), which is a must today, even on windows.
You won't be able to sell any games to global portals if they ever get to know that you used a language that simply will break on any user system where the folders used non US characters!

Any official statement because it is not even possible to correctly support 256 ASCII chars, only 128 US chars in 2007 where UNICODE is the standard for about 3-4 years now?


Moraldi(Posted 2007) [#14]
SebHoll:
Sorry for being a little bit aggressive but I had serious problem with my customer trying to explain that I made a wrong decision choosing wrong development platform for its application...
Thanks for the info about Axe.


degac(Posted 2007) [#15]

Any official statement because it is not even possible to correctly support 256 ASCII chars, only 128 US chars in 2007 where UNICODE is the standard for about 3-4 years now?


Yes an answer will be glad.
And what will be happen when Domain Name will be in non-ascii form? I've read that in the next 2 years ICANN will start support and registrations for non-ascii DN (www.αβγ.com for example)


popcade(Posted 2007) [#16]
Removed Blah-Blah

the points:

PLEASE DO AUDIO STREAMING AND PROPER UNICODE WIN32 CONTROL SUPPORT :P


Grisu(Posted 2007) [#17]
+1 as most decent apps have unicode / multilingual support these days.