VMS DECwindows Guide to Application Programming

This document serves as a comprehensive guide for experienced programmers developing applications for the VMS DECwindows environment (Version 5.4) using the XUI Toolkit. It covers the core components of the XUI Toolkit, including widgets, X Toolkit intrinsics, User Interface Language (UIL), and the XUI Resource Manager (DRM).

The manual outlines fundamental programming concepts such as separating application form from function, establishing widget hierarchies, and implementing callback routines for user interaction. It provides detailed instructions and examples for:

• Application Structure: Setting up a basic VMS DECwindows application.
• User Interface Creation: Building interfaces using low-level routines, high-level routines, or UIL and DRM for widget definition and management.
• Widget Tutorials: Detailed guidance on creating and customizing various widget types, including main windows, menus (work area, menu bar, option, pop-up, pull-down), dialog boxes (generic, attached, message, caution, selection, file selection), label, separator, button (push, toggle), list boxes, text widgets, scale, scroll bars, and color mixing widgets.
• Help Integration: Implementing context-sensitive help using the help widget and help libraries.
• Inter-Application Communication: Utilizing cut and paste routines (clipboard, QuickCopy) and communicating with the window manager via window properties and shell widget attributes.

Appendices offer additional information on using VAX language bindings (Ada, FORTRAN, Pascal), internationalizing applications, and building custom widgets.