UIL: what's available and how to use it

A UIL file

A UIL file is a set of descriptions of a static user interface. It specifies what user interface component is to be placed where on the screen. It consists of the following sections:

• a module header, which gives the module a name. This should be the same as the name of the file that contains it. E.g. if the file is called my_ui.uil, then the module section should be:

        module my_ui

• an end module section. This forms a bracket with the module section:

        end module;

• any number of value sections. The job of values is to set variables that can be used later on in the file in other sections. E.g. a string and an integer could be set by:

        value
           sample_string : "this is a string";
           sample_integer : 10;

• any number of procedure sections. Each callback (see the object section) must be declared in a procedure section. E.g. the callback called quit is declared as:

        procedure
            quit();

• any number of object sections, which describe the UI components. E.g. a push button with label "Push" to be displayed in fonr helvetica:

        object push : XmPushButton {
           arguments {
               XmNlabelString = "Push";
               XmNfontList = font('-adobe-helvetica-medium-r-*-*-*-140-*');
           };
           callbacks {
                XmNactivateCallback = procedure quit();
           };
        };

UIL Object types

Only some of the more common elements are listed here. These should be adequate for most purposes.

XmBulletinBoard: A container that allows children to be places at arbitrary x,y positions.

XmDrawingArea: A canvas for arbitrary graphics and mouse input

XmMessageBox: a standard dialog with a message, and OK and Cancel buttons

XmFrame: draw a rectangle around its single component

XmLabel: a simple text string

XmList: provides a list of choices from which the suer can select one or (optionally) several items

XmMainWindow: contains a menu bar, a command window, a work region, a message window and scrolling

XmRowColumn: a container that orders its components vertically, or (optionally) horizontally

XmPromptDialog: a dialog that prompts the user for a text string

XmPushButton: a labeled button

XmTextField: a text editor for single line input

XmToggleButton: an on/off switch

UIL data types

Used for values of variables or for object resources (see below). Only some are listed here. Mostly they correpsond to types in C:

any: used to suppress type checking (like void *)

boolean: true/false

color: e.g. color('red'), color('blue')

float: basically a double length number

integer: 32 bit signed integer

string: basically a char * string

widget: all objects defined in the object section are of type widget--sometimes these need to be parameters in declared procedures

Object properties

Each type of object has a number of properties (called resources) that can be set in the UIL description. Some of these are mandatory, but moslty there are defaults that give reasonable results. Each resource is listed by name, together with a type and the default value. If the default value is ?, this resource must be set. Every widget has the follwing resources that can be set:

XmBulletinBoard:

XmDrawingArea:

XmMessageBox:

XmFrame:

XmLabel:

XmList:

XmMainWindow:

XmRowColumn:

XmPromptDialog:

XmPushButton:

XmTextField:

XmToggleButton: