didn't help. They also provide some notes about using the samples and what
features of wxWindows are they supposed to test.
+There are currently more than 50 different samples as part of wxWindows and
+this list is not complete.
+
+\subsection{Minimal sample}\label{sampleminimal}
+
+The minimal sample is what most people will know under the term Hello World,
+i.e. a minimal program that doesn't demonstrate anything apart from what is
+needed to write a program that will display a "hello" dialog. This is usually
+a good starting point for learning how to use wxWindows.
+
\subsection{Calendar sample}\label{samplecalendar}
This font shows the \helpref{calendar control}{wxcalendarctrl} in action. It
See \helpref{wxConfig overview}{wxconfigoverview} for the descriptions of all
features of this class.
+\subsection{Controls sample}\label{samplecontrols}
+
+The controls sample is the main test program for most simple controls used in
+wxWindows. The sample tests their basic functionality, events, placement,
+modification in terms of colour and font as well as the possibility to change
+the controls programmatically, such as adding item to a list box etc. Apart
+from that, the sample uses a \helpref{wxNotebook}{wxnotebook} and tests most
+fetaures of this special control (using bitmap in the tabs, using
+\helpref{wxSizers}{wxsizer} and \helpref{constraints}{wxlayoutconstraints} within
+notebook pages, advanving pages programmatically and vetoing a page change
+by intercepting the \helpref{wxNotebookEvent}{wxnotebookevent}.
+
+The various controls tested are listed here:
+\begin{twocollist}\itemsep=0pt
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxButton}{wxbutton}}{Push button control, displaying text}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxBitmapButton}{wxbitmapbutton}}{Push button control, displaying a bitmap}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxCheckBox}{wxcheckbox}}{Checkbox control}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxChoice}{wxchoice}}{Choice control (a combobox without the editable area)}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxComboBox}{wxcombobox}}{A choice with an editable area}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxGauge}{wxgauge}}{A control to represent a varying quantity, such as time remaining}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxStaticBox}{wxstaticbox}}{A static, or group box for visually grouping related controls}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxListBox}{wxlistbox}}{A list of strings for single or multiple selection}
+\twocolitem{wxSpinCtrl}{A spin ctrl with a text field and a `up-down' control}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxSpinButton}{wxspinbutton}}{A spin or `up-down' control}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxStaticText}{wxstatictext}}{One or more lines of non-editable text}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxStaticBitmap}{wxstaticbitmap}}{A control to display a bitmap}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxRadioBox}{wxradiobox}}{A group of radio buttons}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxRadioButton}{wxradiobutton}}{A round button to be used with others in a mutually exclusive way}
+\twocolitem{\helpref{wxSlider}{wxslider}}{A slider that can be dragged by the user}
+\end{twocollist}
+
+\subsection{Database sample}\label{sampledb}
+
+The database sample is a small test program showing how to use the ODBC
+classes written by Remstar Intl. These classes are documented in a separate
+manual available from the wxWindows homepage. Obviously, this sample
+requires a database with ODBC support to be correctly installed on your
+system.
+
\subsection{Dialogs sample}\label{sampledialogs}
This sample shows how to use the common dialogs available from wxWindows. These
dialogs are desrcibed in details in the \helpref{Common dialogs overview}{commondialogsoverview}.
+\subsection{Dynamic sample}\label{sampledynamic}
+
+This sample is a very small sample that demonstrates the use of the
+\helpref{wxEvtHandler::Connect}{wxevthandlerconnect} method. This method
+should be used whenever it is not known at compile time, which control
+will receive which event or which controls are actually going to be in
+a dialog or frame. This is most typically the case for any scripting
+languge that would work as a wrapper for wxWindows or programs where
+forms or similar datagrams can be created by the uses.
+
+\subsection{Exec sample}\label{sampleexec}
+
+The exec sample demonstrates the \helpref{wxExecute}{wxexecute} and
+\helpref{wxShell}{wxshell} functions. Both of them are used to execute the
+external programs and the sample shows how to do this synchronously (waiting
+until the program terminates) or asynchronously (notification will come later).
+
\subsection{Scroll subwindow sample}\label{samplescrollsub}
This sample demonstrates the use of the \helpref{wxScrolledWindow}{wxscrolledwindow}
going on (of course, this only works in debug builds) and may be helpful to see
the sequence of steps of data transfer.
-Finally, the last part is used for two things: you can drag text from it to
-either one of the listboxes (only one will accept it) or another application
-and, also, bitmap pasted from clipboard will be shown there.
+Finally, the last part is used for dragging text from it to either one of the
+listboxes (only one will accept it) or another application. The last
+functionality available from the main frame is to paste a bitmap from the
+clipboard (or, in the case of Windows version, also a metafile) - it will be
+shown in a new frame.
So far, everything we mentioned was implemented with minimal amount of code
using standard wxWindows classes. The more advanced features are demonstrated
paste it or drag and drop (between one and the same or different shapes) from
one sample instance to another (or the same). However, chances are that no
other program supports this format and so shapes can also be rendered as
-bitmaps which allows them to be pasted/dropped in many other applications.
+bitmaps which allows them to be pasted/dropped in many other applications
+(and, under Windows, also as metafiles which are supported by most of Windows
+programs as well - try Write/Wordpad, for example).
Take a look at DnDShapeDataObject class to see how you may use
\helpref{wxDataObject}{wxdataobject} to achieve this.
-
\subsection{HTML samples}\label{samplehtml}
Eight HTML samples (you can find them in directory {\tt samples/html})
while {\it Helpview} is simple tool that only pops up help window and
displays help books given at command line.
+\subsection{Layout sample}\label{samplelayout}
+
+The layout sample demonstrates the two different layout systems offered
+by wxWindows. When starting the program, you will see a frame with some
+controls and some graphics. The controls will change their size whenever
+you resize the entire frame and the exact behaviour of the size changes
+is determined using the \helpref{wxLayoutConstraints}{wxlayoutconstraints}
+class. See also the \helpref{overview}{constraintsoverview} and the
+\helpref{wxIndividualLayoutConstraint}{wxindividuallayoutconstraint}
+class for further information.
+
+The menu in this sample offers two more tests, one showing how to use
+a \helpref{wxBoxSizer}{wxboxsizer} in a simple dialog and the other one
+showing how to use sizers in connection with a \helpref{wxNotebook}{wxnotebook}
+class. See also \helpref{wxNotebookSizer}{wxnotebooksizer} and
+\helpref{wxSizer}{wxsizer}.
+
+\subsection{Image sample}\label{sampleimage}
+
+The image sample demonstrates the use of the \helpref{wxImage}{wximage} class
+and shows how to download images in a variety of formats, currently PNG, GIF,
+TIFF, JPEG, BMP, PNM and PCX. The top of the sample shows to rectangles, one
+of which is drawn directly in the window, the other one is drawn into a
+\helpref{wxBitmap}{wxbitmap}, converted to a wxImage, saved as a PNG image
+and then reloaded from the PNG file again so that conversions between wxImage
+and wxBitmap as well as loading and save PNG files are tested.
+
+At the bottom of the main frame is a test for using a mono-chrome bitmap by
+drawing into a \helpref{wxMemoryDC}{wxmemorydc}. The bitmap is then drawn
+specifying the foreground and background colours with
+\helpref{wxDC::SetTextForeground}{wxdcsettextforeground} and
+\helpref{wxDC::SetTextBackground}{wxdcsettextbackground} (on the left). The
+bitmap is then converted to a wxImage and the foreground colour (black) is
+replaced with red using \helpref{wxImage::Replace}{wximagereplace}.
+
+\subsection{Sockets sample}\label{samplesockets}
+
+The sockets sample demonstrates how to use the communication facilities
+provided by \helpref{wxSocket}{wxsocketbase}. There are two different
+applications in this sample: a server, which is implemented as a
+\helpref{wxSocketServer}{wxsocketserver} object, and a client, which is
+implemented with \helpref{wxSocketClient}{wxsocketclient}.
+
+The server binds to the local address, using TCP port number 3000, sets
+up an event handler to be notified of incoming connection requests
+({\bf wxSOCKET\_CONNECTION} event), and stands there, waiting (listening
+in the socket parlance) for clients. For each incoming client, a new
+\helpref{wxSocketBase}{wxsocketbase} object is created, which represents
+the connection. Connections are independent from the server that created
+them, so they set up their own event handler, and stay awaiting for
+{\bf wxSOCKET\_INPUT} (incoming data) or {\bf wxSOCKET\_LOST} (connection
+closed at the remote end) events. This event handler is the same for all
+connections, and demonstrates how to determine which socket the event
+is addressed to by using the \helpref{Socket}{wxsocketeventsocket} function
+in the \helpref{wxSocketEvent}{wxsocketevent} class.
+
+Although it might take some time to get used to the event-oriented
+system upon which wxSocket is built, the benefits are many. See, for
+example, that the server application, while being single-threaded
+(and of course without using fork() or ugly select() loops) can handle
+an arbitrary number of connections.
+
+The client starts up unconnected, so you can use the Connect... option
+to specify the address of the server you are going to connect to (the
+TCP port number is hard-coded as 3000). Once connected, a number of
+tests are possible. Currently, three tests are implemented. They show
+how to use the basic IO calls in \helpref{wxSocketBase}{wxsocketbase},
+such as \helpref{Read}{wxsocketbaseread}, \helpref{Write}{wxsocketbasewrite},
+\helpref{ReadMsg}{wxsocketbasereadmsg} and \helpref{WriteMsg}{wxsocketbasewritemsg},
+and how to set up the correct IO flags depending on what you are going to
+do. See the comments in the code for more information (a lengthy explanation
+on socket flags is available in \helpref{SetFlags}{wxsocketbasesetflags}).
+Note that because both clients and connection objects in the server set
+up an event handler to catch {\bf wxSOCKET\_LOST} events, each one is
+immediately notified if the other end closes the connection.
+
+The sockets sample is work in progress. Coming soon:
+
+\begin{itemize}
+
+\item More tests for basic socket functionality.
+
+\item Tests for the recently added datagram socket classes.
+
+\item Tests for protocol classes (wxProtocol and its descendants).
+
+\item New samples which actually do something useful (suggestions accepted).
+
+\end{itemize}
+
+\subsection{Statbar sample}\label{samplestatbar}
+
+This sample shows how to create and use wxStaticBar. Although most of the
+samples have a statusbar, they usually only create a default one and only
+do it once.
+
+Here you can see how to recreate the statusbar (with possibly different number
+of fields) and how to use it to show icons/bitmaps and/or put arbitrary
+controls into it.
+
+\subsection{Text sample}\label{sampletext}
+
+This sample demonstrates four features: firstly the use and many variants of
+the \helpref{wxTextCtrl}{wxtextctrl} class (single line, multi line, read only,
+password, ignoring TAB, ignoring ENTER).
+
+Secondly it shows how to intercept a \helpref{wxKeyEvent}{wxkeyevent} in both
+the raw form using the {\tt EVT_KEY_UP} and {\tt EVT_KEY_DOWN} macros and the
+higherlevel from using the {\tt EVT_CHAR} macro. All characters will be logged
+in a log window at the bottom of the main window. By pressing some of the function
+keys, you can test some actions in the text ctrl as well as get statitics on the
+text ctrls, which is useful for testing if these statitics actually are correct.
+
+Thirdly, on platforms which support it, the sample will offer to copy text to the
+\helpref{wxClipboard}{wxclipboard} and to paste text from it. The GTK version will
+use the so called PRIMARY SELECTION, which is the pseudo clipboard under X and
+best known from pasting text to the XTerm program.
+
+Last not least: some of the text controls have tooltips and the sample also shows
+how tooltips can be centrally disabled and their latency controlled.
+
\subsection{Thread sample}\label{samplethread}
This sample demonstrates the use of threads in connection with GUI programs.