Re: AppKit (Win32) generals questions

[Thierry DELHAISE]

Gregory John Casamento a écrit :
> Thierry,
>
> GNUstep can be made to have a native win32 look through the use of themes.
>   
Great ! But ... this is not enought and this is my fault (sorry) since  
I've asked about look and should not have to. What I want is that my 
Application be a Native win32 application using MS Windows application 
recommendations : using of standards panel, alowing interaction with 
clipboard, and Windows services (ODBC, COM, OLE) , Windows toolbar's, 
etc ...So what I want , is that GNUstep be a layer between my 
application code and Win32.
> Currently there is no plan for using the standard panels.   This would be a 
> welcome change, since it would help GS blend into the OS better.
>   
Yes, I saw, and this is where I can may be contribute to the project but 
with the directions/recommendations of some old steppers ;-) (let call 
them gurus ! ;-) ).

After spending my morning time to dig into GNUstep implementation I've 
some (certainly stupid) questions about  how  is  port  GNUstep on Win32 :

So on Win32, the concept of  DisplayServer have been port ? What was the 
functionnal need for this, I mean for Win32 ? It seems to me (but may be 
I'm wrong) that the display server have the functionnal job to draw all 
(GNUstep) windows inside an application. So, DisplayServer is in charge 
of drawing low level window letting gnustep gui drawing all controls 
with the look of GNUsetp since gui don't use native control on win32 
(?). It seems too that it have to handle drag and drop operations and 
may be clipboard interaction ? Why not have let this jobs to operating 
system ? Since on win32 windows could do the jobs ? (I know that win32 
do mostly bad job ;-) but this one, since it do it since so many years, 
we can hope it will do it mostly correctly ;-), no ?

In this area, does controls in the spirit of GNUstep have to be draw by 
GNUstep or could those be the native one's ? This questions since I 
pretty sure that developping a Win32 theme could spent a lot of time to 
recreate the exact look and feel (and function) of an allready existing 
control under the native platform. And I'm not sure (but may be I'm 
wrong) that Mac's users, or *nix one's want to have a win32 native look 
on their host platform ? I know that *Step one's want to remember the 
good day's ... so I understand why there is a need to draw controls or 
windows or menus with *Step look and feel in mind ;-) (my Sun's OpenStep 
workstation died last years ... ;-) )

> The only issue with using the standard panels is accessory views, since there's 
> no way for them to be shown in the standard panel.
>   
I can search(confirm) but I'm pretty sure this is possible in standard 
windows panel : I'm remembering some code I've wrote to "adapt" the 
OpenFile dialog (to display a preview of a file) under WindowsNT 4.0. I 
think this is allways possible . Like you can do this with PrintDialog, 
PrintPreview, and some others ...

> As far as I know there is some cooperation between the clipboard and win32 apps.   There is obviously more work to do.  
>   
Ok great. What are the persons who can inform me in about the "good" 
direction (and the win32 implementation they wrote) ?

Thx for your time
> Later, 
> Gregory Casamento -- Principal Consultant - OLC, Inc 
> # GNUstep Chief Maintainer
>
>   

Later,

Thierry