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15b6757b 1/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
c33e257b 2// Name: helloworld.h
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3// Purpose: topic overview
4// Author: wxWidgets team
5// RCS-ID: $Id$
6// Licence: wxWindows license
7/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
8
880efa2a 9/**
36c9828f 10
880efa2a 11 @page overview_helloworld Hello World Example
36c9828f 12
c33e257b 13 Many people have requested a mini-sample to be published here
15b6757b 14 so that some quick judgment concerning syntax
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15 and basic principles can be made, so here we go.
16
17 First, you have to include wxWidgets' header files, of course. This can
18 be done on a file by file basis (such as <tt>@#include "wx/window.h"</tt>)
19 or using one global include (<tt>@#include "wx/wx.h"</tt>). This is
15b6757b 20 also useful on platforms which support precompiled headers such
c33e257b 21 as all major compilers on the Windows platform and GCC on Unix platforms.
36c9828f 22
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23 @code
24 //
25 // file name: hworld.cpp
26 //
27 // purpose: wxWidgets "Hello world"
28 //
36c9828f 29
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30 // For compilers that support precompilation, includes "wx/wx.h".
31 #include "wx/wxprec.h"
36c9828f 32
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33 #ifdef __BORLANDC__
34 #pragma hdrstop
35 #endif
36c9828f 36
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37 #ifndef WX_PRECOMP
38 #include "wx/wx.h"
39 #endif
40 @endcode
36c9828f 41
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42 Practically every app should define a new class derived from wxApp.
43 By overriding wxApp's OnInit() the program can be initialized,
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44 e.g. by creating a new main window.
45
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46 @code
47 class MyApp: public wxApp
48 {
49 virtual bool OnInit();
50 };
51 @endcode
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52
53 The main window is created by deriving a class from wxFrame and
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54 giving it a menu and a status bar in its constructor. Also, any class
55 that wishes to respond to any "event" (such as mouse clicks or
36c9828f 56 messages from the menu or a button) must declare an event table
3c4f71cc 57 using the macro below.
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58
59 Finally, the way to react to such events must be done in "handlers".
60 In our sample, we react to two menu items, one for "Quit" and one for
61 displaying an "About" window. These handlers should not be virtual.
36c9828f 62
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63 @code
64 class MyFrame: public wxFrame
65 {
66 public:
67 MyFrame(const wxString& title, const wxPoint& pos, const wxSize& size);
36c9828f 68
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69 void OnQuit(wxCommandEvent& event);
70 void OnAbout(wxCommandEvent& event);
36c9828f 71
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72 private:
73 DECLARE_EVENT_TABLE()
74 };
75 @endcode
36c9828f 76
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77 In order to be able to react to a menu command, it must be given a unique
78 identifier such as a const or an enum.
36c9828f 79
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80 @code
81 enum
82 {
83 ID_Quit = 1,
84 ID_About,
85 };
86 @endcode
36c9828f 87
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88 We then proceed to actually implement an event table in which the events
89 are routed to their respective handler functions in the class MyFrame.
c33e257b 90
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91 There are predefined macros for routing all common events, ranging from
92 the selection of a list box entry to a resize event when a user resizes
93 a window on the screen. If -1 is given as the ID, the given handler will be
94 invoked for any event of the specified type, so that you could add just
95 one entry in the event table for all menu commands or all button commands etc.
c33e257b 96
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97 The origin of the event can still be distinguished in the event handler as
98 the (only) parameter in an event handler is a reference to a wxEvent object,
99 which holds various information about the event (such as the ID of and a
100 pointer to the class, which emitted the event).
36c9828f 101
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102 @code
103 BEGIN_EVENT_TABLE(MyFrame, wxFrame)
104 EVT_MENU(ID_Quit, MyFrame::OnQuit)
105 EVT_MENU(ID_About, MyFrame::OnAbout)
106 END_EVENT_TABLE()
107 @endcode
36c9828f 108
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109 As in all programs there must be a "main" function. Under wxWidgets main is implemented
110 using this macro, which creates an application instance and starts the program.
36c9828f 111
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112 @code
113 IMPLEMENT_APP(MyApp)
114 @endcode
36c9828f 115
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116 As mentioned above, wxApp::OnInit() is called upon startup and should be
117 used to initialize the program, maybe showing a "splash screen" and creating
118 the main window (or several). The frame should get a title bar text ("Hello World")
119 and a position and start-up size. One frame can also be declared to be the
120 top window. Returning @true indicates a successful initialization.
36c9828f 121
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122 @code
123 bool MyApp::OnInit()
124 {
125 MyFrame *frame = new MyFrame( "Hello World", wxPoint(50,50), wxSize(450,340) );
38b5b493 126 frame->Show( true );
15b6757b 127 SetTopWindow( frame );
c33e257b 128 return true;
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129 }
130 @endcode
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131
132 In the constructor of the main window (or later on) we create a menu with two menu
133 items as well as a status bar to be shown at the bottom of the main window. Both have
15b6757b 134 to be "announced" to the frame with respective calls.
36c9828f 135
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136 @code
137 MyFrame::MyFrame(const wxString& title, const wxPoint& pos, const wxSize& size)
c33e257b 138 : wxFrame((wxFrame *)NULL, -1, title, pos, size)
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139 {
140 wxMenu *menuFile = new wxMenu;
36c9828f 141
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142 menuFile->Append( ID_About, "" );
143 menuFile->AppendSeparator();
144 menuFile->Append( ID_Quit, "E" );
36c9828f 145
15b6757b 146 wxMenuBar *menuBar = new wxMenuBar;
38b5b493 147 menuBar->Append( menuFile, "" );
36c9828f 148
15b6757b 149 SetMenuBar( menuBar );
36c9828f 150
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151 CreateStatusBar();
152 SetStatusText( "Welcome to wxWidgets!" );
153 }
154 @endcode
36c9828f 155
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156 Here are the actual event handlers. MyFrame::OnQuit() closes the main window
157 by calling Close(). The parameter @true indicates that other windows have no veto
36c9828f 158 power such as after asking "Do you really want to close?". If there is no other
15b6757b 159 main window left, the application will quit.
36c9828f 160
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161 @code
162 void MyFrame::OnQuit(wxCommandEvent& WXUNUSED(event))
163 {
c33e257b 164 Close( true );
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165 }
166 @endcode
36c9828f 167
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168 MyFrame::OnAbout() will display a small window with some text in it. In this
169 case a typical "About" window with information about the program.
36c9828f 170
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171 @code
172 void MyFrame::OnAbout(wxCommandEvent& WXUNUSED(event))
173 {
174 wxMessageBox( "This is a wxWidgets' Hello world sample",
175 "About Hello World", wxOK | wxICON_INFORMATION );
176 }
177 @endcode
36c9828f 178
c33e257b 179*/
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