[news.eclipse.platform.swt] Re: About GUI SWT Builder

[dtirak@xxxxxxxxx (Dave Tirak)]

The screenshots provided look very promising.  I am excited to see
development on this plugin continue.  This would be an invaluable tool for
people just starting out in SWT or for quickly generating a GUI starting
point.  And having a "two-way" tool is highly desirable.
/dt


Konstantin Scheglov wrote:

> draco <dracodoc@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

>   I have plans for building SWT GUI builder. I did some basic things like:
> 1. Parsing Java code (using AST of course) for SWT widgets;
> 2. Convinient (I hope) property table with support of any property editor;
> 3. Widget tree;
> 4. Visual view using GEF. You see real images of real controls, i.e. as your
> window will look when you will start it (well, only when all properties are
> detected);

>   You can see some screenshots on http://eclipsedesigner.sourceforge.net

>   Currently I don't have much time (I have enough work with Eclipse profiler
plugin
> http://eclipsecolorer.sourceforge.net). But I would like to hear, what
people think
> about current state (source are only in CVS and it is not so easy to test,
so most
> probably you will have only screenshots). And what is most interesting -
where to
> go, which features are needed. 

> 1. Do you think, that current idea about 2-way tool is good?
>    I parse one method for Control's creation, calls of setXXX and then
> use this information. When user changes property in editor I modify Java
> code by changeing or adding call of setXXX.
>    Or may be I should just edit some model and then generate Java code
> from template (i.e. implement one-way tool)?
>    Or may be I should as WSAD generate field members for each control and
> method creating of each control?

> 2. How to implement layout edit support?
>    Currently it is almost impossible to add controls to composites using
> designer. Yes, you can place control from palette, but this is just hack.
>    I have one idea. I think, that would be convinient to place controls with
> absolute locations and sizes, and then generate set of Layout's and
> Composite's, which approximate these locations and sizes. However I am
> not sure about algorithm.
>    For editing you could place control directly with layout or "break"
layout,
> add control with absolute location and size and then regenerate layout.
>    What do you think about this?

> 3. How do you think, is designer for SWT needed at all?
>    Personally I feel, that would be usefull at least to see before start, how
> dialog will like like. But may be you have another idea...


> > 	I liked SWT very much, it seemed like the major defect of Java desktop 
> > application had been complemented.
> > 	However, it seemed that there is no plan of a GUI builder for SWT...
> > 	I read some gossip said:

> > Eclipse can't even call
> > itself a Java IDE, and Sun have made threats of legal moves to stop IBM
> > from ever calling Eclipse a Java IDE.  One result of this is the fact the
> > IBM created GUI builder that runs on Eclipse lets you build Swing/AWT GUIs,
> > but doesn't let you drag and drop SWT widgets. 

> > 	Is this the reason? But I can't see the connection.
> > 	There is a company trying to develop a commercial GUI SWT builder
> > 	http://www.swtworkbench.com/index.shtml
> > 	But we don't know when will it appear.

> > 	What's your opinion?

> > Cheers
> > draco

> -- 
> SY, Konstantin.