232) Is there a C++ binding for Motif?

[Last modified: Nov 96]

Answer:  See also the previous answer concerning ViewKit (from Doug Young and
the Hungry Programmers.

(Added Oct. 95) YACL is a freely available C++ class library that includes GUI
classes based on the Model-View-Controller paradigm. The class protocols are
designed in a platform independent manner, and are implemented under Motif 1.2
as well as under Microsoft Windows and OS/2. This makes it possible to
maintain a single code base for an application that runs on all three
platforms. YACL also includes a suite of container and data storage classes
for general-purpose programming. YACL is available from ftp.cs.sc.edu in
pub/yacl. For more information, see the web page:

        http://www.cs.sc.edu/~sridhar/yacl.html.

Thanks to M. A. Sridhar, sridhar@usceast.cs.sc.edu.

(Added Sept. 95; URL updated Jan. 96) Amulet User Interface Toolkit from Brad
A. Myers, Rich McDaniel, Andrew Mickish, Alex Klimovitski, Carnegie Mellon
University.  Amulet is a user interface software environment for C++ to
support future user interface software research.  This environment, which will
be portable across X/11, Microsoft Windows, and the Macintosh, is designed to
be very flexible: parts can be replaced and new technologies and widgets can
be easily created and evaluated.  Built-in support will be provided for direct
manipulation, multi-font text editing, gesture recognition, speech
recognition, 2-D and 3-D animations, visualizations including maps and large
data sets, world-wide-web browsing and editing, and multiple people
interacting with the system at the same time (CSCW).  Another goal is to be
useful for students, which means that Amulet must be easy to learn.  Finally,
the system will provide sufficient performance, robustness and documentation
so it will be useful for general user interface developers.  See:

        http://www.cs.cmu.edu/Web/Groups/amulet/amulet-home.html

Answer:  ObjectBuilder by Openware Technologies, Inc. is a complete C++
implementation of Motif. Kris Gottschalk (kris@boulder.openware.com) wrote
[I've condensed his features list and a few others details...ksall@cen.com]:

Since Solbourne began developing OI around 1988, it was purchased by ParcPlace
Systems (at which time ObjectBuilder was developed) and as of Oct. '94,
ObjectBuilder/OI was purchased by Openware Technologies, Inc from ParcPlace.
OI is now on release 4.6 and has a customer base of about 3,000 seats.

[ObjectBuilder's features include: Visual Subclassing, Dynamic Reparenting,
Customizable Main Window, Xt Kit, Resource Editors, Flexible Geometry
Management, Customizable palattes and attribute editors, 16 Bit
Internationalization, Mnemonics and Accelerator Editor, Motif or OPEN LOOK
look-and-feel switch, Help Editor.]

ObjectBuilder is currently available on Sun/Solaris, HP 9000/700 and IBM AIX
RS6000.  We will also be supporting SGI, DEC Alpha, Sco UNIX, Unysis Unixware
and NCR SVR4 throughout the first half of 1995.  And our anxiously awaited
Windows NT platform will be available in late 1995.  In addition, Openware
will be launching a full array of C++ development tools including an Object
Repository, Debugger, OI Table Widget and Adapter.  Also anticipate an
ObjectBuilder upgrade 2.6/4.6 in April and a new ObjectBuilder release 3.0/5.0
in the summer.

If you have any more interests or questions or would like to set up a
evaluation of ObjectBuilder, please contact:

        Kris Gottschalk
        Account Manager
        Openware Technologies, Inc.
        Object Technologies Business Unit
        4909 East Pearl Circle  Suite 200
        Boulder, CO  80301
        Phone: 303-440-9991 x4224
        Fax: 303-440-9934
        email: kris@boulder.openware.com


Answer:  Wind/U implements MFC (Microsoft Foundation Classes) on Unix using
Motif.  Bristol Technology, Inc. (203) 438-6969, info@bristol.com.  Microsoft
Visual C++ together with Wind/U can be used to create Motif applications.
According to J. Daniel Smith <dan@bristol.com>, here's how it works: you
create the application on the PC using MSVC++ and then port it to Unix (or
VMS) using Wind/U.  Since Wind/U uses X and Motif to implement the Windows
API, you end up with a true Motif application running native on the target
platform.

Answer:  WWL is a library which defines C++ classes around X Toolkit Widgets.
It is intended to simplify the task of C++ code writers when using the Toolkit
by providing them with C++ objects, methods, type checking and several utility
functions and classes.

WWL has been tested under SunOs4.0.3 on sun3 and sun4, HPUX version 6.5 and
7.0 and Ultrix 4.0 on DECstation 3100 and 5000. It is expected to work on most
other UNIX systems without too many problems.

WWL is distributed as a tar file with all the source, documentation and
example. The file is available using anonymous ftp from

        ftp.x.org            /R5contrib/WWW-1.2.tar.Z

( ftp://ftp.x.org/R5contrib/WWW-1.2.tar.Z )

Answer:  Rogue Wave Software has a C++ binding for Motif called View.h++.

"View.h++ is a complete C++ interface to OSF/Motif.  It doesn't just
encapsulate it, but also includes a set of classes that provide a level of
abstraction above Motif, thus simplifying menu and dialog creation, XmStrings,
XmFontLists, etc.  View.h++ supports a Model- View-Controller architecture,
allowing for an even more object-oriented interface design.  Includes a copy
of Rogue Wave's Tools.h++ (foundation class library)"
 Rogue Wave also offers full support for View.h++.

It is currently available for Sun Sparc, IBM RS/6000, HP 9000/700 series, SCO,
Intel SVR4 ESIX.  Please call for Silicon Graphics and DEC Ultrix status.

For additional information, please contact:

        Matt Steinauer
        Rogue Wave Software, Inc.
        P.O. Box 2328
        Corvallis, OR 97339
        Phone: (503)754-3010
        Fax:   (503)757-6650
        email:   matts@roguewave.com


Answer:  Builder Xcessory 3.0, an interface builder from ICS, allows the user
to visually build C++ classes from Motif and user-written widgets.  C++ code
is generated in the "Doug Young" fashion.  (Doug actually worked on this
project with ICS.)  C and UIL can also be generated.

Integrated Computer Solutions, Inc. (ICS) 201 Broadway, Cambridge, MA  02139
USA info@ics.com   617/621-0060

Answer:  Andreas.Baecker@gmd.de wrote: The GINA++ application framework
contains an encapsulation of the OSF/Motif widg et classes and the Xt
functionality into C++ classes. Its functionality is comparab le to that of
the ULowell binding and the WWL. Additionally, it provides an easy-to -use
framework for modeling new composite and primitive widget classes, plus an
application framework similar to ET++ or MacApp build on top of it. The
binding may be used independently from the framework classes. GINA++ is
available through anonymous ftp from ftp.gmd.de [129.26.8.90] in the directory
/gmd/ginaplus.  Documentation about the Motif binding has been published in
the X Resource Journal, Number 2, 1992, Pages 106-130. The binding compiles
with AT&T C++ 2.1 and GNU G+ + 2.1 and has been tested on SunOS 4.1.[12],
X11R4 and Motif 1.1.3.

Answer:  Motif++ is a library that defines C++ class "wrappers" for the
widgets defined in the X11R5 OSF/Motif-1.2 widget library.  It also supports
X11R4/Motif-1.1 as well.

Motif++ is also an application toolkit that provides other tools in
conjunction with the widget wrapper classes.  It has support for the Xbae
widget set, plus other widgets.  It has Imake support, and lots of test files.
Motif++ also has alot of contributed software.

Motif++ is very similar to other public domain widget libraries such as The
Widget Wrapper Library (WWL) and the C++ Binding for OSF/Motif developed at
the University of Lowell. The two latter libraries are the result of much
larger efforts.

Available via anonymous ftp:

        ftp://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/motif++/motif++.30.jul.94.tar.gz

The /packages/motif++ also contains documentation.  For more information,
contact Ronald van Loon (rvloon@motif.xs4all.nl).  There is also mailing list
for Motif++:

        motif++@motif.xs4all.nl

To join, send email to the administrative address:

        motif++-request@motif.xs4all.nl


Answer:  C++ Report, a magazine published by SIGS Publications, now regularly
publishes articles on X, Xt and Motif vs. C++ written by Ronald van Loon.

Answer:  Xm++ is a user interface framework for the C++ language built upon
X11 and the X-Toolkit. It is designed to be a simple and intuitive programming
interface to access the functionality of commonly used widgets.  Xm++ was
initially created for the Motif widget set, now support for the Athena widgets
was added. Applications created with Xm++ run in both environments without
changes, although many nice features are only available when using Motif.

Xm++ is available on: ftp.x.org as: /R5contrib/Xm++.0.53.tar.Z (
ftp://ftp.x.org/R5contrib/Xm++.0.53.tar.Z ).

Answer:  wxWindows is a toolkit for platform-independent GUI programming in
C++. It consists of several class libraries and tools.  wxWindows has been
made freely available with no commercial restrictions. As well as undergoing
further development at AIAI ( http://www.aiai.ed.ac.uk/ ), outside
contributors are helping to extend its abilities and range of platforms.  See
http://www.aiai.ed.ac.uk/~jacs/wxwin.html .

Answer:  (updated Sept. 95) Intersolv now markets, maintains, and enhances
C++/Views (formerly from Liant).  The C++/Views solution provides an
extensible object class library with visual development environment.  See
http://www.intersolv.com/cpls.html. Thanks to Uwe Baemayr (uwe@liant.com) for
the correction.

Answer:  Quest has ObjectViews.

Answer:  Doug Young has written a book "Object Oriented Programming with C++
and Motif", Prentice-Hall ISBN 0-13-630252-1 about using C++ without requiring
one of these toolkits.

Unfortunately, this library (last released in 9/92) has the same name as the
one by Ronald van Loon (rvloon@motif.hacktic.nl).  Motif++1.2 is a library
that defines C++ class "wrappers" for the widgets defined in the OSF/Motif-1.1
widget library.  Motif++1.2 is also an application toolkit that provides other
tools in conjunction with the widget wrapper classes.
    One enhancement of Motif++1.2 beyond its wrapper classes are the addition
of an "application" class which takes care of the low-level tasks including
initializing X, creating and managing one or more top-level shells, and
entering the main event loop.
    Another feature of Motif++1.2 is its integration with The Widget Creation
Library (Wcl).  Motif++1.2 makes it easy to initialize Wcl and create C++
wrappers for desired widgets in the widget tree.
    Availability: anonymous FTP at ftp.arc.umn.edu (137.66.130.11), file
pub/Motif++1.2.tar.Z.  Contact Paul Felix, felix@ahpcrc.umn.edu or
pfelix@vx.cis.umn.edu.

submitted by:  mvc!biggers@duke.cs.duke.edu ( Mark R. Biggers )