Several changes and updates

[wxWidgets.git] / docs / latex / wx / body.tex

diff --git a/docs/latex/wx/body.tex b/docs/latex/wx/body.tex
index 8b8c35c2de7373636c74a86a0e9b7042daa483e3..bd979202d70028af6d4c8c18edd982ccb9622a00 100644 (file)
--- a/docs/latex/wx/body.tex
+++ b/docs/latex/wx/body.tex
@@ -7,14 +7,15 @@
 
 wxWindows is a C++ framework providing GUI (Graphical User
 Interface) and other facilities on more than one platform.  Version 2.0 currently
 
 wxWindows is a C++ framework providing GUI (Graphical User
 Interface) and other facilities on more than one platform.  Version 2.0 currently

-supports MS Windows (16-bit, Windows 95 and Windows NT) and GTK+, with Motif
-and Mac ports in an advanced state.
+supports MS Windows (16-bit, Windows 95 and Windows NT), Unix with GTK+, and Unix with Motif.
+A Mac port is in an advanced state, an OS/2 port and a port to the MGL graphics library
+have been started.

 
 wxWindows was originally developed at the Artificial Intelligence
 Applications Institute, University of Edinburgh, for internal use.
 wxWindows has been released into the public domain in the hope
 that others will also find it useful. Version 2.0 is written and
 
 wxWindows was originally developed at the Artificial Intelligence
 Applications Institute, University of Edinburgh, for internal use.
 wxWindows has been released into the public domain in the hope
 that others will also find it useful. Version 2.0 is written and

-maintained by Julian Smart, Robert Roebling and others.
+maintained by Julian Smart, Robert Roebling, Vadim Zeitlin and others.

 
 This manual discusses wxWindows in the context of multi-platform
 development.\helpignore{For more detail on the wxWindows version 2.0 API
 
 This manual discusses wxWindows in the context of multi-platform
 development.\helpignore{For more detail on the wxWindows version 2.0 API


@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@ here are some of the benefits:
 \item Available on a variety of popular platforms.
 \item Works with almost all popular C++ compilers.
 \item Several example programs.
 \item Available on a variety of popular platforms.
 \item Works with almost all popular C++ compilers.
 \item Several example programs.

-\item Over 700 pages of printable and on-line documentation.
+\item Over 900 pages of printable and on-line documentation.

 \item Includes Tex2RTF, to allow you to produce your own documentation
 in Windows Help, HTML and Word RTF formats.
 \item Simple-to-use, object-oriented API.
 \item Includes Tex2RTF, to allow you to produce your own documentation
 in Windows Help, HTML and Word RTF formats.
 \item Simple-to-use, object-oriented API.


@@ -148,7 +149,7 @@ same API;
 temporarily with the window as an argument;
 \item events from sliders and scrollbars can be handled more flexibly;
 \item the handling of window close events has been changed in line with the new
 temporarily with the window as an argument;
 \item events from sliders and scrollbars can be handled more flexibly;
 \item the handling of window close events has been changed in line with the new

-event system, but backward {\bf OnClose} compatibility has been retained;
+event system;

 \item the concept of {\it validator} has been added to allow much easier coding of
 the relationship between controls and application data;
 \item the documentation has been revised, with more cross-referencing.
 \item the concept of {\it validator} has been added to allow much easier coding of
 the relationship between controls and application data;
 \item the documentation has been revised, with more cross-referencing.


@@ -182,8 +183,8 @@ Metrowerks CodeWarrior.
 (b) Unix:
 
 \begin{enumerate}\itemsep=0pt
 (b) Unix:
 
 \begin{enumerate}\itemsep=0pt

-\item Almost any C++ compiler, including GNU C++.
-\item Almost any Unix workstation, and one of: GTK+ 1.0, Motif 1.2 or higher, Lesstif.
+\item Almost any C++ compiler, including GNU C++ (EGCS 1.1.1 or above).
+\item Almost any Unix workstation, and one of: GTK+ 1.0, GTK+ 1.2, Motif 1.2 or higher, Lesstif.

 \item At least 60 MB of disk space.
 \end{enumerate}
 
 \item At least 60 MB of disk space.
 \end{enumerate}
 


@@ -194,7 +195,7 @@ Applications Institute by anonymous FTP and World Wide Web:
 
 \begin{verbatim}
   ftp://www.remstar.com/pub/wxwin
 
 \begin{verbatim}
   ftp://www.remstar.com/pub/wxwin

-  http://wxwin.home.ml.org
+  http://www.wxwindows.org

 \end{verbatim}
 
 \section{Acknowledgments}
 \end{verbatim}
 
 \section{Acknowledgments}


@@ -356,7 +357,7 @@ STACKSIZE    8192
 The only lines which will usually have to be changed per application are
 NAME and DESCRIPTION.
 
 The only lines which will usually have to be changed per application are
 NAME and DESCRIPTION.
 

-\subsection{Allocating and deleting wxWindows objects}
+\section{Allocating and deleting wxWindows objects}

 
 In general, classes derived from wxWindow must dynamically allocated
 with {\it new} and deleted with {\it delete}. If you delete a window,
 
 In general, classes derived from wxWindow must dynamically allocated
 with {\it new} and deleted with {\it delete}. If you delete a window,


@@ -386,6 +387,26 @@ make calls like wxDC::SetPen(wxNullPen) or wxDC::SelectObject(wxNullBitmap) befo
 a drawing object that may be in use. Code that doesn't do this will probably work
 fine on some platforms, and then fail under Windows.
 
 a drawing object that may be in use. Code that doesn't do this will probably work
 fine on some platforms, and then fail under Windows.
 

+\section{Architecture dependency}
+
+A problem which sometimes arises from writing multi-platform programs is that
+the basic C types are not defiend the same on all platforms. This holds true
+for both the length in bits of the standard types (such as int and long) as 
+well as their byte order, which might be little endian (typically
+on Intel computers) or big endian (typically on some Unix workstations). wxWindows
+defines types and macros that make it easy to write architecture independent
+code. The types are:
+
+wxInt32, wxInt16, wxInt8, wxUint32, wxUint16 = wxWord, wxUint8 = wxByte
+
+where wxInt32 stands for a 32-bit signed integer type etc. You can also check
+which architecture the program is compiled on using the wxBYTE\_ORDER define
+which is either wxBIG\_ENDIAN or wxLITTLE\_ENDIAN (in the future maybe wxPDP\_ENDIAN
+as well).
+
+The macros handling bit-swapping with respect to the applications endianness
+are described in the \helpref{Macros}{macros} section.
+

 \section{Conditional compilation}
 
 One of the purposes of wxWindows is to reduce the need for conditional
 \section{Conditional compilation}
 
 One of the purposes of wxWindows is to reduce the need for conditional


@@ -403,6 +424,27 @@ The following documents some miscellaneous C++ issues.
 
 wxWindows does not use templates since it is a notoriously unportable feature.
 
 
 wxWindows does not use templates since it is a notoriously unportable feature.
 

+\subsection{RTTI}
+
+wxWindows does not use run-time type information since wxWindows provides
+its own run-time type information system, implemented using macros.
+
+\subsection{Type of NULL}
+
+Some compilers (e.g. the native IRIX cc) define NULL to be 0L so that
+no conversion to pointers is allowed. Because of that, all these
+occurences of NULL in the GTK port use an explicit conversion such 
+as
+
+{\small
+\begin{verbatim}
+  wxWindow *my_window = (wxWindow*) NULL;
+\end{verbatim}
+}
+
+It is recommended to adhere to this in all code using wxWindows as
+this make the code (a bit) more portable.
+

 \subsection{Precompiled headers}
 
 Some compilers, such as Borland C++ and Microsoft C++, support
 \subsection{Precompiled headers}
 
 Some compilers, such as Borland C++ and Microsoft C++, support