[comp.os.msdos.programmer] Pop-up menus in graphics mode: Summary

geirt@solan.unit.no (Geir Torheim) (02/15/91)

Hi,

I would like to thank all the persons who responded to my request.

I should have stated more clearly that I was only interested in how to
make pop-up menus in *graphics mode* and *not* in text mode. There are
many good and simple tools/libraries for making menus in text mode. 
Ftp to e.g. 128.252.135.4 (clarkson),  128.214.12.37 (garbo),
128.214.25.8  (hut) or 26.2.0.74 (simtel20).

However, one package which gives you pop-up menus in graphics mode is
teglc. 

This is on clarkson under mirrors/msdos/c
Get the file teglc.zip.

(Also on simtel. -- If I'm not wrong, the mirrors directory on clarkson is
a copy (how did I guess ... :-)) of the simtel stuff.)

You have to pay 50 dollars to get the source code. Can be used in TC,
MSC and Turbo-Pascal. It looked very good.

There are other libraries, but they are probably more expensive.
Have looked at something called ``zinc'' for TC++. Very nice, but cost
around $200. I've heard that it doesn't save the graphics screen under
the window. I'm not quit sure this is right, though. (Sounds strange
too me -- If you move a window with graphics under, it will give you
a lot of holes and a lot of trouble.) 


Here are the replies I got:
(I have deleted some stuff on all of them -- only the interesting
lines are kept.)


"John Brothers" <jdb@reef.cis.ufl.edu> writes:

> For general graphics, I would have to say the stuff by MetaGraphics.  They
> make three major libraries:
> 
> MetaWINDOWS:  Full featured graphics library with libraries that hook into just
> about every imaginable compiler out there.  All routines written in ASM, so it
> is blindingly fast.  WELL supported library.  Unfortunately, doesn't support
> the SVGA resolutions and it works as a TSR (with your program calling the
> TSR for output -- don't worry, this is all transparent to the programmer).
> 
> MetaWINDOWS/+:  Same as MetaWINDOWS, but comes as a linkable library.
> 
> MetaWINDOWS/Premium:  Highly optimized MetaWINDOWS/+, supports SVGA, etc.
> 
> TurboWINDOW/C:  MetaWINDOWS for Turbo C only.
> 
> QuickWINDOW/C:  MetaWINDOWS for Quick C only.
> 
> There are a couple of Pascal ones too.
> 
> TurboWINDOW/C can be picked up for 99 dollars, and out of it you can build  
> a respectable GUI that can do what most people want.  After that, then you
> should look at adding a Window Manager on top of that.  I have looked at
> just about every window manager in existence, but the ones you want are
> those that support MetaWINDOWS (that way the graphics routines are compatible
> and you don't have two different conflicting graphics managers).  Those
> that support MetaWINDOWS are:
> 
> MENUET:  Pretty decent, they do educational pricing. Free demo.
> 
> graphics-MENU:  Sucks.  Complete rip-off.
> 
> WNDX:  Very powerful, large, nice looking, but it is expensive (395 bucks).
> 
> What did I choose....well, I have a 386-33 with 8MB, so I ended up going to
> the Windows SDK and MSC 6.00A....I HATE Microsoft language products, but
> for what I have to do, Windows is the only alternative.  People want Windows,
> and thus I must give it to them.
> 
> Brian


  elliott@aerospace.aero.org writes:

> I asked this question a while ago, and the only reponses I got refered
> me to commercial packages which cost around $300-$400.  If you don't
> mind shelling out the bucks, pick up any issue of Dr. Dobbs or
> C User's Journal or any other programming rag and there will be
> several ads for products that will suit your needs. 
> 
> KBEIII
> 


  msmith@bubba.ma30.bull.com (Michael Smith) writes:

>  There are many window/menus progs on simtel20 (26.2.0.74) in the
> PD1:<MSDOS.C> and PD1:<MSDOS.TURBO-C> directories.  IMHO one of the
> best is TURBBOOK.ARC.  Which is written for Turbo C.
> 
> mike

(This one looked good Mike, but only in text mode...)

  jmoore@ecn.purdue.edu (James D Moore) writes:

> I bought a package sometime ago that will give you graphics pull down 
> menus called Matrix Layout. It is not cheap but it will probably do what you
> want and more. The graphix interface allows you to build the menus and any 
> dialog images and then generates the C code or Pascal or Basic. I found it 
> quite cumbersome to use fore some stuff but it has potential.
> 
> Jim Moore
> 

gram@uctcs.cs.uct.ac.za (Graham Wheeler) writes:

> There are plenty of C libraries for windows in graphics mode, eg C-Scape,
> Vermont Views. I don't know of any shareware/public domain ones, but I'm
> sure they must exist. Magazines such as Dr Dobbs or Byte carry adverts for
> the commercial libraries. It's quite possible that the Turbo Graphics Toolbox
> (a Borland library for Turbo Pascal) supports menus, although I last used this
> about five years ago so I'm not sure.
> 
> Graham.

WARNOCK@STARS.GSFC.NASA.GOV (Unix is as elegant and intuitive as IBM
JCL) writes:

> In response to your request for information on pop-up menus in
> graphics mode for MS-DOS, there is one package, written for TurboC
> which seems quite extensive.  It is called TEGL, and is available
> on WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL - in PD1:<MSDOC.C>TEGL1.ZIP.  There is
> actually a newer version available in some places.  It is a full
> set of functions for implementing a full graphics interface for
> your own application, including mouse functions, pull-down menus,
> etc.
> 
> I haven't used it for anything other than trying out the demo, but it
> is well documented and seems quite robust.  I hope this helps.
> 
> Archie Warnock


  tema@jvd.msk.su (Artem V Mikheev) writes:

> We have developed UI development toolkit for graphic mode
> under DOS environment. It has much more than you requested:
> pull-downs, pop-ups, scroll bars, push buttons etc.  The
> only problem is that this toolkit supports high resolution
> modes for EGA\VGA  ( 640x350 and 640x480 with 16 colors  )
> only. It uses our own graphic library wich is many times faster
> than BGI graphic.You can use this toolkit in your Turbo C programs.
> I could send you a demo ( Mouse cursor editor) with C source code.
> If you are satisfied I'll send you full toolkit.
> 

> Tema


Well, that's it.

  - Geir

nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) (02/19/91)

In article <1991Feb15.112940.7639@ugle.unit.no> geirt@solan.unit.no (Geir Torheim) writes:

   Ftp to e.g. 128.252.135.4 (clarkson), ...

   This is on clarkson under mirrors/msdos/c
   Get the file teglc.zip.

I wish that we could take credit for the fine work done by the people at
wuarchive.wustl.edu.  You're confusing grape.ecs.clarkson.edu [128.153.13.196]
with wuarchive.wustl.edu [128.252.135.4].

--
--russ <nelson@clutx.clarkson.edu> I'm proud to be a humble Quaker.
It's better to get mugged than to live a life of fear -- Freeman Dyson
I joined the League for Programming Freedom, and I hope you'll join too.