GUI Editor for BlitzPlus
BlitzPlus Forums/BlitzPlus Programming/GUI Editor for BlitzPlus
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| Just a quick question... Does anyone know of an editor that would allow me to place gadgets on windows, then make the code ... ala VB. Would speed up my project. Thanks. |
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| There's one that comes with it. Look in the examples folder. |
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| Look in the samples\terabit\gui folder that -came with BlitzPlus- <grin> |
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| There's one that comes with it. Its pretty worthless IMHO. Generally I love Lee's stuff, but not this time.Somebody wrote a VB to B+ converter that works well, but I don't think it handles tabs or group boxes. Still its the best I have seen so far, but naturally you do have to have VB to use it. Works for my needs though. |
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| You could try the one I started It's on my homepage. To be honest though because of the problems I encountered with the first two copies of Blitz+ I lost interest :-( Today I have a new version so I will try again :-) There was also very little interest shown in the way of feedback so perhaps not that many people want something like this? |
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| Its pretty worthless IMHO. Worth is a very subjective thing! The GUI designer is the way it is for several reasons. 1) It was developed on early beta's of BlitzPlus, so some of the functionality you take for granted now wasn't there. (The ability to track the X/Y on a form and tell which window is active spring to mind). 2) It was rushed through to get onto the release CD. 3) It was intended as an example starting point for developing your own GUI designer (i.e. it's not the official GUI designer, hence why it's in an examples folder with the source included and not on the front page). Several people have made 'comments' about the example GUI designer. Perhaps rather than UNconstructive criticism, people could suggest improvements, or even improve upon it themselves. Nigel's GUI designer is a good example of doing something constructive. Too many people are ready to critic something they are getting as an example (for free), without contributing anything positive in that area themselves. |
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| Lee I use your GUI designer all the time. It gives me a starting point, and then I code all the frilly bits. You are one of the few people that continually contribute "free" software to the community.....just dont stop. |
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| Several people have made 'comments' about the example GUI designer. Not surprising. One tool does not generally meet the needs of everybody. Perhaps rather than UNconstructive criticism, people could suggest improvements, When it was first released I remember a LOT of suggestions being made. However in that thread you kinda lead folks to believe that you would not be continuing development. Naturally folks will look elsewhere if it does not meet their needs. Too many people are ready to critic something they are getting as an example (for free), without contributing anything positive in that area themselves. Its sad that you feel that way. I am sorry that you see the work that others have done in this area as such a personal threat. I do not think anybody holds a monopoly when it comes to tools. Different tools are designed to meet the needs that existing tools neglect. There have been some great free GUI editors released so far. Personally I prefer the VB2B+ convertor. It meets my needs. |
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| I'm working on a GUI designer, only its a little more than that... Hopefully more info soon, if I ever get the time to work on it. |
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| Hmmmm, Brice I'm not sure what you're thinking at the moment, but it's not unusual for someone who has worked hard on something to be slightly offened by their work being called 'Worthless'. Remember you didn't say 'Doesn't meet my needs, you said 'Worthless' which is not a nice thing to say about something someone gives you for free is it? I never said that it would meet all needs, and I'm pleased that others have made GUI related work (I developed mine alongside the VB to Blitz one). I try to help out where I can, but am not a dedicated development team. Perhaps you should think a little more before you post and read the replies before you re-post... |
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| Remember you didn't say 'Doesn't meet my needs, As you saw when you quoted me in your post above, I said IMHO. It was my opinion only, not a blanket statement. If I do not like something, and it does not meet my needs, for me it is "worthless". It serves absolutely no purpose for me.I am sure others love it and it meets their needs fine. I do not like it and it does not meet my needs, and its really rare that I will recommend something that I do not like or use to other people. I do not recall you "giving" this to me. I had no choice in the matter. AFAIK, it was included in the sample files distributed with B+. Its not like "DataPak" (which I love) that I chose to download, or Decorator (again an awesome program) which I chose to download. Lee, not everybody will like everything you turn out. IMHO, the GUI editor does not adhere to the same quality that you have demonstrated in your other work. |
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| You said Its pretty worthless IMHO. ...and now it seems to me that you're trying to backtrack on that statement my saying "IMHO" means "to me", when in fact, it doesn't. Whether it's your "humble" opinion or not, an unqualified "pretty worthless" is a blanket statement.And you're splitting hairs with the "giving" thing. No, he didn't walk up to you and offer it to you, but he did release it publicly and freely. Jeez. Personally, I see some things wrong with the GUI designer, but I've been able to modify the code and change things around a bit to suit my needs. Bottom line is, though, it works far better than me trying to hand code all the gadgets myself. For that reason, I think it's great. (Though this statement is not the main point of my post.) ...IMHO. |
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| and now it seems to me that you're trying to backtrack on that statement Not at all. The comment stands. Personally, I see some things wrong with the GUI designer, but I've been able to modify the code and change things around a bit to suit my needs. I am glad it meets your needs. It doesn't meet mine, thats why I use something else. Its sad that people get so bent out of shape because somebody does not like their tool and chooses to use something else. Being proud of your work is one thing, but letting it go to the extreme where you are upset because somebody does not like a tool you created because it simply does not meet their needs, is kinda sad. Not all tools meet the needs of everybody, and not everybody is going to like every tool you turn out. |
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| ...people get so bent out of shape because somebody does not like their tool... If you're referring to Lee, I didn't see that at all. I think you're just misunderstanding him. |
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| My point is simply that to refer to *anyones'* work as 'worthless' is not a nice thing to do! A humle oppinion should still be expressed humbly and politely. As I said originally, 'Worthless is a subjective thing' Even DataPak which is pretty generic, didn't go down well with everyone, but nobody to my knowledge referred to it as worthless, even though to many in the oommunity it pretty well was (i.e. they didn't/couldn't use it). Also how much use would Decorator be to someone without Blitz3D? Does that make it worthless too? Yup, to them. Perhaps more people should take this thread to heart as an example. Over the years I have noted that there are many good people in this community, some of which are slated and disliked purely on the basis that they don't seem able to put things in a tactful way, or are a little too proud at times to admit they should have put a little more thought into something they said. I've never had a problem with Brice, neither do I believe that I am 'Kinda Sad' or intend to get 'bent out of shape' over it either (Getting a little too personal with those statements I think, for someone I don't know!). Bottom line is, I suppose, "You can disagree without being disagreeable". It costs about as much to be polite about another person's hard work (regardless of it's personal worth to you) as it does to use DataPak or Decorator or anything else released for free. That's the only point I was trying to make. If you still misunderstand my intention, I don't think there is much else I could say on the subject to help you to see what I mean. |
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| Brice, Please re-read this thread and actually read Lees posts. You seem convinced that Lee is pissed because people don't like his tool, and that other people are creating GUI designers. He's clearly not. As stated in his first post, that was part of the intent of releasing the code! The ONLY thing Lee has taken issue with is you calling his hard work worthless with no real justification other than "I don't like it". And as such, I totally agree with him. Unless you can provide constructive criticism, you should keep your opinions (humble or therwise) to yourself. |
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| I think the point that Brice was trying to make (and quite correctly too IMHO), is that BlitzPlus should have come complete with a fully working GUI Editor. Imagine if VB had been released without a form editor. Its an utter pain in the arse to have to position gadgets by code. I don't like coding by trial and error, but with BlitzPlus, thats essentially what you have to do. I wouldn't have used the word "worthless" though. Tis a bit harsh. Having said that, if Brice feels that something is worthless TO HIM, fair comment. He never said it was worthless to everyone. |
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| I agree with GFK. It's a tool that simply is not complete, and one that should've come with B+. Lee might've given it away freely, but when it comes with the official B+ distribution, I feel like I bought it. |
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| And as such, I totally agree with him. Unless you can provide constructive criticism, you should keep your opinions (humble or therwise) to yourself. If people do not want (or cannot handle) criticism of their work, they should NOT release it publicly. Any suggestions I have are moot, as Lee pretty much said in an old post (when others had complaints and suggestions) that this would likely see no updates. It is not my program and it is not my code and it is not my place to modify it. I simply do not have the time to go around completing projects for other people. think the point that Brice was trying to make (and quite correctly too IMHO), is that BlitzPlus should have come complete with a fully working GUI Editor. I could not agree more. Liberty BASIC has always had an GUI editor, as does IBasic, Envelope BASIC, and I could continue down the list of indie Windows based BASIC variants. Having said that, if Brice feels that something is worthless TO HIM, fair comment. He never said it was worthless to everyone. I am glad someone can read and understand the English language ;c) |
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| I agree. Look at the BlitzUI recently released. It comes with a great UI designer |
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| I agree. Look at the BlitzUI recently released. It comes with a great UI designer I am only aware of what the author has stated about it. It appears great for B2D or B3D and more suited for games than a standard app that would be using the native graphics. In Blitz Plus, I believe Mark is creating the "controls" via API (as should be done in a language for apps). It would be counterproductive to use a GUI which actually "draws" the controls. Because of this, it does not meet my needs, but it is an awesome product and it has group boxes :c) |
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| Yea, BlitzUI was designed for Blitz2d / Blitz3d mainly.. but I discovered a cool advantage to using it in Blitz+ that can't be done with Blitz2d / Blitz3d. If you create a window in BlitzPlus with 0 as the flag (no titlebar, border etc) and create a canvas the size of the window you can create a completely customised skinned window using the BlitzUI window and controls. Example This is the method I'm using to create the application I'm working on atm. |
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| The point was missed entirely I'm afraid (although by this point I expected it to be (too much to backtrack on)). The *source* was released in the *examples* folder. It was never intended as the official GUI designer, otherwise it would likely have been an .EXE only and been a separate link from the intro page. Nobody buys examples they simply come bundled, use them or not. For many people it did what I intended, gave them a 'foot up' to making their own one that suits their needs. Brice appears to have become fixated on the idea that I'm sore because he criticised my work. I disliked the disrespectful way he went about it and the personal comments he made subsequently, but I'm not prepared to spend any more time on it. Enough said on both sides I think.. |
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