VMS DECwindows User Interface Language Reference Manual

This manual serves as a reference for the User Interface Language (UIL), a specification language for defining the initial state of user interfaces for VMS DECwindows applications. It details the syntax and usage of UIL language elements and module components, explains how to use the UIL compiler, and guides on interpreting compilation diagnostics. The document also includes UIL built-in tables to ensure consistency with the XUI Toolkit.

Key aspects covered include:

• UIL's Role: UIL allows developers to specify interface objects (widgets, gadgets), their attributes, callback routines, object hierarchy, and literal values. The UIL compiler translates this into a User Interface Definition (UID) file, which the XUI Resource Manager (DRM) then uses at runtime to construct the interface.
• Advantages: UIL simplifies coding by abstracting low-level XUI Toolkit routines, provides earlier error detection through type checking, facilitates the separation of user interface "form" from application "function" for easier customization and localization, and enables faster prototyping.
• Features: The language supports named values for better readability and maintainability, compile-time expressions for dynamic value calculations, and identifiers for runtime data binding. It also includes mechanisms for organizing elements into lists and comprehensive support for compound strings, character sets, and fonts.