+
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-<TITLE>wxWindows 2 FAQ: General</TITLE>
+<TITLE>wxWidgets FAQ: General</TITLE>
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+<BODY BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF TEXT=#000000 VLINK="#00376A" LINK="#00529C" ALINK="#313063">
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+<td bgcolor="#004080" align=left height=24 background="images/bluetitlegradient.gif">
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-wxWindows 2 FAQ: General
+<b>wxWidgets FAQ: General</b>
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See also <a href="faq.htm">top-level FAQ page</a>.
<hr>
+<h3>List of questions in this category</h3>
+<ul>
+<li><a href="#whatis">What is wxWidgets?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#licence">Can I use wxWidgets for both proprietary projects, and GPL'ed projects?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#support">Is there support?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#users">Who uses wxWidgets?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#platforms">What platforms are supported by wxWidgets?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#specific">How does wxWidgets support platform-specific features?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#stl">Does wxWidgets use STL? or the standard string class?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#richedit">Is there a rich edit/markup widget for wxWidgets?</a></ li>
+<li><a href="#exceptions">How to use C++ exceptions with wxWidgets?</a></ li>
+<li><a href="#dev">How is wxWidgets being developed?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#distrib">How is wxWidgets distributed?</a></li>
+<!--
+<li><a href="#future">What are the plans for the future?</a></li>
+-->
+<li><a href="#base">What is wxBase?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#univ">What is wxUniversal?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#jave">What about Java?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#dotnet">What about .NET/Mono?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#help">How can I help the project?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#newport">How do I start a new port?</a></li>
+</ul>
+<hr>
-<H3><a name="whatis">What is wxWindows?</a></H3>
+<H3><a name="whatis">What is wxWidgets?</a></H3>
-wxWindows is a class library that allows you to compile graphical C++ programs on a range of
-different platforms. wxWindows defines a common API across platforms, but uses the native graphical user interface (GUI) on each platform,
-so your program will take on the native
'look and feel' that users are familiar with.<P>
+wxWidgets is a class library that allows you to compile graphical C++ programs on a range of
+different platforms. wxWidgets defines a common API across platforms, but uses the native graphical user interface (GUI) on each platform,
+so your program will take on the native
'look and feel' that users are familiar with.<P>
-Although GUI applications are mostly built programmatically, there is a dialog editor to help
-build attractive dialogs and panels.<P>
+Although GUI applications are mostly built programmatically, there are several dialog editors to help
+build attractive dialogs and panels. Robert Roebling's <a href="http://www.roebling.com">wxDesigner</a>
+and Anthemion Software's <a href="http://www.anthemion.co.uk/dialogblocks/" target=_new>DialogBlocks</a>
+are two commercial examples, but there are others: see the <a href="lnk_tool.htm">Useful Tools</a> page.<P>
-You don't have to use C++ to use wxWindows: wxWindows 1 has been interfaced to several interpreted languages,
-such as CLIPS, Python, Scheme, XLisp and Perl, and there is a Python interface for wxWindows 2.
+You don't have to use C++ to use wxWidgets: there is a <a href="http://wxpython.org">Python interface</a> for wxWidgets,
+and also a <a href="http://wxperl.sourceforge.net" target=_top>Perl interface</a>.
<P>
-<h3>Can I use wxWindows 2 for both proprietary (commercial) projects, and GPL'ed projects?</h3>
+<h3><a name="licence">Can I use wxWidgets for both proprietary (commercial) projects, and GPL'ed projects?</a></h3>
Yes. Please see the <a href="newlicen.htm">licence</a> for details, but basically
-you can distribute proprietary binaries without distributing any source code, and neither will wxWindows
+you can distribute proprietary binaries without distributing any source code, and neither will wxWidgets
conflict with GPL code you may be using or developing with it.
<P>
-The conditions for using wxWindows 2 are the same whether you are a personal, academic
+The conditions for using wxWidgets are the same whether you are a personal, academic
or commercial developer.
<P>
-<h3>Is there support?</h3>
+<h3><a name="support">Is there support?</a></h3>
No official support, but the mailing list is very helpful and some people say that
-wxWindows support is better than for much commercial software. The developers are
+wxWidgets support is better than for much commercial software. The developers are
keen to fix bugs as soon as possible, though obviously there are no guarantees.
<P>
-<H3><a name="users">Who uses wxWindows?</a></H3>
+<H3><a name="users">Who uses wxWidgets?</a></H3>
Many organisations - commercial, government, and academic - across the
-world. It's impossible to estimate the true number of users, since
-wxWindows is obtained by many different means, and we cannot monitor
+world. It's impossible to estimate the true number of users, since
+wxWidgets is obtained by many different means, and we cannot monitor
distribution. The mailing list contains around 300-400 entries which is
quite large for a list of this type.<P>
-<H3>I am about to start a wxWindows 1.xx project. Should I use 2 instead?</H3>
-
-wxWindows 2 is still in beta but it's actually pretty useable (Windows, GTK, Motif).<P>
-
-Porting to wxWindows 2 from 1.xx will not be too painful; see the next question
-for ways in which you can make it easier.<P>
-
-<H3>Why would I want to use wxWindows 2 in preference to wxWindows 1.xx?</H3>
-
-Some reasons:
-
-<ul>
-<li>In 2 there is far more flexibility, for example in the way windows can be
-nested, and the way events are intercepted.
-<li>There is more functionality for producing sophisticated applications,
-for example using the wxTreeCtrl and wxListCtrl classes.
-<li>There is better C++-conformance (such as usage of wxString and const) which
-will make your applications more reliable and easier to maintain.
-<li>wxWindows 2 will be better supported than 1.xx.
-<li>The GTK version is attractive for people interested in writing Linux and GNOME
-applications.
-<li>The Mac version will be one of the best frameworks available on that platform.
-</ul>
-
-<H3>How can I prepare for wxWindows 2?</H3>
-
-To make porting to wxWindows 2 easier in the future, take a look at some
-<a href="http://www.wxwindows.org/prepare.htm">tips</a> for writing existing code in a 2-compatible way.<P>
-
-<H3>How much has the API changed since 1.xx?</H3>
-
-It's difficult to summarize, but some aspects haven't changed very much. For example, if you have some
-complex drawing code, you will mostly need to make sure it's parameterised with a device
-context (instead of obtaining one from a window or storing it). You won't have
-to completely rewrite the drawing code.<P>
-
-The way that events are handled has changed, so for example, where you overrode
-OnSize before, you now have a non-virtual OnSize with a single event class argument.
-To make this function known to wxWindows, you add an entry in an 'event table' using macros. Addition of these macros
-will eventually be made easier by a tool which will allow selection from a list
-and copy-and-paste into your editor. This is extended to button presses, listbox selection
-etc. so callbacks have gone (they may be added back for limited backward compatibility).<P>
-
-The class hierarchy has changed to allow greater flexibility but it probably won't affect your
-existing application. One exception to this is MDI applications which now use separate MDI classes instead of style
-flags. As a result, it won't be possible to switch between MDI and SDI operation at run-time
-without further coding, but a benefit is less interdependence between areas of code,
-and therefore smaller executable size.<P>
-
-Panel items (now called controls) no longer have labels associated with most of them,
-and default panel layout has been removed. The idea is that you make greater use
-of dialog resources, for better-looking dialogs.<P>
-
-<H3>What classes have disappeared?</H3>
-
-wxForm, wxTextWindow (subsumed into wxTextCtrl).
-
-<H3>Does wxWindows 2 mean that wxWindows 1.xx is dead?</H3>
-
-While wxWindows 2 is being developed, there will be further patches to wxWindows 1.xx.
-Obviously we are investing most of our energy into the new code, but we're also trying
-to fix bugs in the current version.<P>
+See <a href="users.htm">Users</a> for a list of some users and their applications, and
+also <A href="feedback.htm">Feedback</a> for comments.<P>
+Our highest-profile user yet is industry veteran and Lotus Corp. founder Mitch Kapor
+and his <a href="http://www.osafoundation.org" target=_new>Open Source Applications Foundation</a>.
+<P>
-<H3>What platforms will be supported by wxWindows 2?</H3>
+<H3><a name="platforms">What platforms are supported by wxWidgets?</a></H3>
<ul>
-<li>Windows 3.1, Windows 95/98, Windows NT;
-<li>Linux and other Unix platforms with GTK+;
-<li>Unix with Motif or the free Motif clone Lesstif;
-<li>Mac (coming later in 1999);
-<li>A BeOS port is being investigated.
-<li>A Windows CE port is being investigated.
-<li>There are no plans to support OS/2 or XView. However,
-you may be able to compile the GTK and Motif versions under OS/2 with X and GTK
-installed, or the Windows version with IBM's Open32 extensions.
+<li>Windows 3.1, Windows 95/98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows ME.
+<li>Linux and other Unix platforms with GTK+.
+<li>Unix with Motif or the free Motif clone Lesstif.
+<li>Mac OS.
+<li>Embedded platforms are being investigated. See the <a href="wxuniv.htm">wxUniversal</a> project.
+<li>An OS/2 port is in progress, and you can also compile wxWidgets for GTK+ or Motif
+on OS/2.
</ul>
<P>
-<H3>How does wxWindows 2 support platform-specific features?</H3>
+<H3><a name="specific">How does wxWidgets support platform-specific
+features?</a></H3>
This is a hotly-debated topic amongst the developers. My own philosophy
-is to make wxWindows as platform-independent as possible, but allow in a
+is to make wxWidgets as platform-independent as possible, but allow in a
few classes (functions, window styles) that are platform-specific.
For example, Windows metafiles and Windows 95 taskbar icons have
their own classes on Windows, but nowhere else. Because these classes
-are provided and are wxWindows-compatible, it doesn't take much
+are provided and are wxWidgets-compatible, it doesn't take much
coding effort for an application programmer to add support for
some functionality that the user on a particular platform might otherwise
miss. Also, some classes that started off as platform-specific, such
that even wxTaskBarIcon may be implemented for Unix desktops one day.
<P>
-In other words, wxWindows is not a 'lowest common denominator' approach,
+In other words, wxWidgets is not a 'lowest common denominator' approach,
but it will still be possible to write portable programs using the
core API. Forbidding some platform-specific classes would be a stupid
approach that would alienate many potential users, and encourage
-the perception that toolkits such as wxWindows are not up to the demands
-of today
's sophisticated applications.<P>
+the perception that toolkits such as wxWidgets are not up to the demands
+of today
's sophisticated applications.<P>
Currently resources such as bitmaps and icons are handled in a platform-specific
way, but it is hoped to reduce this dependence in due course.<P>
-Another reason why wxWindows 2 is not a 'lowest common denominator' toolkit is that
+Another reason why wxWidgets is not a 'lowest common denominator' toolkit is that
some functionality missing on some platform has been provided using generic,
platform-independent code, such as the wxTreeCtrl and wxListCtrl classes.<P>
-<H3>Does wxWindows use STL? or the standard string class?</H3>
+<H3><a name="stl">Does wxWidgets use STL? or the standard string class?</a></H3>
No. This is a much-discussed topic that has (many times) ended with the conclusion that it is in
-wxWindows' best interests to avoid use of templates. Not all compilers can handle
+wxWidgets' best interests to avoid use of templates. Not all compilers can handle
templates adequately so it would dramatically reduce the number of compilers
-and platforms that could be supported. It would also be undersirable to make
-wxWindows dependent on another large library that may have to be downloaded and installed.
+and platforms that could be supported. It would also be undesirable to make
+wxWidgets dependent on another large library that may have to be downloaded and installed.
In addition, use of templates can lead to executable bloat, which is something
-wxWi
ndows 2 is strenously trying to avoid.<P>
+wxWi
dgets is strenuously trying to avoid.<P>
The standard C++ string class is not used, again because it is not available to all compilers,
and it is not necessarily a very efficient implementation. Also, we retain more flexibility
has been built into wxString.<P>
There is nothing to stop an application using templates or the string class for its own
-purposes.<P>
+purposes. With wxWidgets debugging options on, you may find you get errors when including
+STL headers. You can work around it either by switching off memory checking,
+or by adding this to a header before you include any STL files:<P>
+
+<PRE>
+#ifdef new
+#undef new
+#endif
+</PRE>
+
+<P>
+
-<H3>Is there a rich edit/markup widget for wxWindows 2?</H3>
+<H3><a name="richedit">Is there a rich edit/markup widget for wxWidgets?</a></H3>
These are the possibilities so far:<P>
<ul>
-<li>The richedit sample has a text editor that does markup.
<li>See <a href="http://www.scintilla.org" target=_top>www.scintilla.org</a> for
-a very nice syntax-highlighting editor widget. Robin Dunn is writing a wxWindows wrapper
-for this widget.
+a very nice syntax-highlighting editor widget. Robin Dunn has written a wxWidgets wrapper
+for this widget, available in the wxWidgets distribution under contrib/src/stc.
<li>If you only need to display marked-up information, rather than edit it,
-then wxHTML will suit your needs. wxHTML is built into wxWindows - please see the reference
+then wxHTML will suit your needs. wxHTML is built into wxWidgets - please see the reference
manual for details, and samples/html.
<li>There are rich edit widgets in both WIN32 and GTK+, but there is currently
-no wxWindows wrapper for these.
+no wxWidgets wrapper for these (but text attribute functions are being added in the wxWidgets 2.3.x series).
</ul>
<P>
-<H3>How is wxWindows 2 being developed?</H3>
+<h3><a name="exceptions">How to use C++ exceptions with wxWidgets?</a></h3>
+
+wxWidgets library itself is unfortunately <i>not</i> exception-safe (as its
+initial version predates, by far, the addition of the exceptions to the C++
+language). However you can still use the exceptions in your own code and use
+the other libraries using the exceptions for the error reporting together with
+wxWidgets.
+
+<p>
+There are a few issues to keep in mind, though:
+<ul>
+ <li>You shouldn't let the exceptions propagate through wxWidgets code,
+ in particular you should always catch the exceptions thrown by the
+ functions called from an event handler in the handler itself and not
+ let them propagate upwards to wxWidgets.
+
+ <li>You may need to ensure that the compiler support for the exceptions is
+ enabled as, considering that wxWidgets itself doesn't use the
+ exceptions and turning their support on results in the library size
+ augmentation of 10% to 20%, it is turned off by default for a few
+ compilers. Moreover, for gcc (or at least its mingw version) you must
+ also turn on the RTTI support to be able to use the exceptions, so you
+ should use <tt>--disable-no_rtti --disable-no_exceptions</tt> options
+ when configuring the library (attention to the double negation).
+</ul>
+
+<p>
+
+<H3><a name="dev">How is wxWidgets being developed?</a></H3>
-We are using the <a href="cvs.htm">CVS</a> system to develop and maintain wxWindows. This allows
-us to make alterations and upload them instantly to the server in Edinburgh, from
+We are using the <a href="cvs.htm">CVS</a> system to develop and maintain wxWidgets. This allows
+us to make alterations and upload them instantly to the server, from
which others can update their source.<P>
-To build source from CVS, see the file BuildCVS.txt in the top-level wxWindows distribution
+To build source from CVS, see the file BuildCVS.txt in the top-level wxWidgets distribution
directory.<P>
-<H3>How is wxWindows 2 distributed?</H3>
+<H3><a name="distrib">How is wxWidgets distributed?</a></H3>
-By ftp, and via the <a href="cdrom2.htm">wxWindows CD-ROM</a>.<P>
+By ftp, and via the <a href="cdrom2.htm">wxWidgets CD-ROM</a>.
+<P>
+If you are feeling adventurous, you may also check out the sources directly
+from <a href="cvs.htm">cvs</a>.
+<p>
+
+<!--
+<H3><a name="future">What are the plans for the future?</a></H3>
+
+TODO
-<H3>What are the plans for the future?</H3>
+<p>
-Currently we're working too hard on getting wxWindows 2 finished (are GUI toolkits ever
-finished?) to think very far ahead. However, we know we want to make wxWindows as robust
-and well-publicised as possible. We also want to aim for better platform-independence of
-resources such as icons and bitmaps, standardising on the PNG for all platforms.<P>
+-->
-Other possibilities include: DCOM/CORBA compatibility; a wxWindows book;
-<a href="http://wxstudio.linuxbox.com/">wxStudio</a>, an IDE;
-other platforms; other interface abilities such as speech output.<P>
+<h3><a name="base">What is wxBase?</a></h3>
-We will investigate the possibility of compiler or operating system vendors bundling wxWindows with
-their product.<P>
+wxBase is a subset of wxWidgets comprised by the non-GUI classes. It includes
+wxWidgets container and primitive data type classes (including wxString,
+wxDateTime and so on) and also useful wrappers for the operating system objects
+such as files, processes, threads, sockets and so on. With very minor
+exceptions wxBase may be used in exactly the same way as wxWidgets but it
+doesn't require a GUI to run and so is ideal for creating console mode
+utilities or server programs. It is also possible to create a program which can
+be compiled either as a console application (using wxBase) or a GUI one (using
+a full featured wxWidgets port).
-The high-level goal of wxWindows is to be thought of as the number one C++ framework,
-for virtually any platform. Move over, MFC!<P>
+<H3><a name="univ">What is wxUniversal?</a></H3>
-<H3>What about Java?</H3>
+The main difference between wxUniversal-based ports (such as wxX11, wxMGL) and other ports (such as wxMSW, wxGTK+, wxMac)
+is that wxUniversal implements all controls (or widgets) in
+wxWidgets itself thus allowing to have much more flexibility (for example, support for
+themes even under MS Windows). It also means that it is now much easier to
+port wxWidgets to a new platform as only the low-level classes must be ported
+which make for a small part of the library.
+<p>
+You may find more about wxUniversal <a href=wxuniv.htm>here</a>.
+
+<H3><a name="jave">What about Java?</a></H3>
The Java honeymoon period is over :-) and people are realising that it cannot
-meet all their cross-platform development needs. We don't anticipate a major threat
-from Java, and the level of interest in wxWindows is as high as ever.<P>
+meet all their cross-platform development needs. We don't anticipate a major threat
+from Java, and the level of interest in wxWidgets is as high as ever.<P>
+
+<H3><a name="dotnet">What about .NET/Mono?</a></H3>
+
+Microsoft is spending a lot on promoting the .NET initiative, which
+is a set of languages, APIs and web service components for Windows.
+Ximian has started an open source version of .NET, mostly for Linux.
+C# is Microsoft's alternative to Java, supporting 'managed code',
+garbage collection and various other Java-like language features.<P>
+
+Although this may be attractive to some developers, there
+is a variety of reasons why the .NET/Mono combination is unlikely
+to make wxWidgets redundant. Please note that the following comments
+are Julian Smart's opinions.<P>
+
+<ol>
+<li>Not everyone wants or needs net services.
+<li>C++ will be used for a long time to come; compared with C++, C# is a recent development and its future is not certain.
+<li>Mono Forms may only target Winelib (at least to begin with), so the end result is not as native as
+wxWidgets (I'm aware there is GTK# for use with the C# language).
+<li>C# is usually byte-compiled and therefore slower. Plus, .NET adds a layer of overhead to the client computer
+that wxWidgets does not require.
+<li>Mono hasn't proven its long-term viability yet (it's a complex system of components); wxWidgets is ready now.
+<li>You may not wish to buy into Microsoft marketing spin and APIs.
+<li>Microsoft may at some point sue developers of non-Microsoft .NET implementations. After all,
+platform-independence is not in Microsoft's interest.
+<li>.NET might never be implemented on some platforms, especially Mac and embedded variants of Linux.
+<li>wxPython and other language variants provide further reasons for wxWidgets to continue.
+<li>The same issue exists for Qt: if Qt sales remain strong, it's a good indication that
+the market for a C++-based approach is still there. (Either that, or everyone's turning to wxWidgets!)
+</ol>
+
+There is nothing to stop folk from developing a C# version of the wxWidgets API;
+we already have bindings to Python, Perl, JavaScript, Lua, Basic, and Eiffel.
+Update: a <a href="http://wxnet.sourceforge.net/" target=_new>wx.NET</a> project is now in progress.
+
+<P>
+
+<H3><a name="help">How can I help the project?</a></H3>
+
+Please check out the <a href="http://www.wxwidgets.org/develop2.htm">Community</a> pages,
+in particular the <a href="projects.htm">suggested projects</a>, and
+mail the developers' mailing list with your own suggestions.<P>
-<H3>How can I help the project?</H3>
+<H3><a name="newport">How do I start a new port?</a></H3>
-Please check out the <a href="http://www.wxwindows.org/develop.htm" target=main>Backroom</a> pages,
-in particular the <a href="http://www.wxwindows.org/projects.htm">suggested projects</a>, and
-mail <a href="mailto:julian.smart@ukonline.co.uk">Julian Smart</a> or the developers' mailing list with your own suggestions.<P>
+Please subscribe to the wx-dev <a href="maillst2.htm">developers' mailing list</a> and
+ask if anyone else is interested in helping with the port, or
+has specific suggestions. Also please read the <a href="standard.htm">coding standards</a>.
+
+<P>
+Each port consists of a platform-specific part (e.g. src/msw, include/wx/msw),
+a generic set of widgets and dialogs for when the port doesn't support
+them natively (src/generic, include/wx/generic) and the common code
+that all ports use (src/common, include/wx). By browsing the source
+you should get a good idea of the general pattern.<P>
+
+Take a port that most closely matches your port, and strip out
+the implementation so you have a skeleton port that compiles. Ask on wx-dev
+first for the wxStubs port - however, any such predefined skeleton
+port may be out of date, so make a judgement on whether to use it.
+Perhaps it will still save you time to clean up wxStubs, and
+others may benefit from this too.<P>
+
+You will need to define a symbol for the new port, e.g. __WXXBOX__.
+Look at files such as wx/defs.h, wx/wxchar.h for areas where you'll
+need to add to existing conditionals to set up wide character
+support and other issues. If the GUI runs on a Unix variant,
+define the __UNIX__ variable in your makefile.<P>
+
+Then you can start implementing the port, starting with
+wxWindow, wxTopLevelWindow, wxFrame, wxDialog so you
+can get the minimal sample running as soon as possible.<P>
+
+If GDI objects (wxPen, wxBrush, etc.) are not concepts in your
+native GUI, you may wish to use very generic versions of
+some of these - see the wxX11 port.<P>
+
+Consider using the wxUniversal widget set as a quick way
+to implement wxWidgets on your platform. You only need
+to define some basic classes such as device contexts,
+wxWindow, wxTopLevelWindow, GDI objects etc. and
+the actual widgets will be drawn for you. See wxX11,
+wxMGL, and wxMSW/Univ for sample wxUniversal ports.<P>
+
+To begin with, you can use whatever makefiles or project
+files work for you. Look at existing makefiles to see what
+generic/common/Unix files need to be included. Later, you'll want to integrate support
+for your port into configure (Unix-like systems and gcc under Windows),
+and bakefile (for other makefiles on Windows).<P>
+
+Submit your port as patches via SourceForge; you might
+wish to separate it into one patch that touches common headers
+and source files, and another containing the port-specific code, to make
+it much easier for us to review and apply the patches.<P>
+
+Good luck!
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