Feelin' GUI framework

[itix]

 - ability to fully describe apps using xml

It is good idea but not really killer feature. If you have visual editor it is right format to store UI but defining UI in XML is not easier than defining UI in C. Instead of handling coding errors introduced in C language you are handling syntatical errors in XML... but it is very neat idea nevertheless and I would like to try that for MUI, too.

 - integrated logging system

I dont know why any UI system should have integrated logging system unless this mean getting some useful data about errors in UI definition/logic.

[itix]

.XIB files are XML archives of the objects (and their properties) required to build an interface and that's worked quite well for nextStep and OSX/iOS :-)

But dont you use some kind of visual UI builder to create XML files?

I mean, defining MUI GUI in C is easy, defining Feeling GUI in XML looks easy too, no problem with that. But good XML editors for Amiga are missing...

@fransexy

You having a hangover again? :-)

[itix]

Cough :-)
http://sourceforge.net/p/hollypaint/code/HEAD/tree/trunk/hollypaint.xml

MUI-Royale as a shared library which could be used from any language would be nice to have.

Maybe it does not look that bad at all... I have seen XAML and thought there is way too much text.

So with MUI Royale you write XML file and it is translated to UI? There is no visual editor? Maybe writing XML files by hand is workable after all...

[itix]

Yes, it's translated on-the-fly. I've written the XML file by hand. No problem because I had already experience with MUI and can type with 10 fingers.

In the meantime someone is writing a visual editor
http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=39950&forum=32

Maybe XML is better than I thought even for hand typed coding. I wrote simple (incomplete) XML to C converter and here are results:

Object *create_app_tree()
{
   Object *app = ApplicationObject,
      MUIA_Application_Menustrip, mymenustrip = MenustripObject,
         MUIA_Family_Child, MenuObject, MUIA_Menu_Title, "Project",
            MUIA_Family_Child, new_mnu = MenuItemObject, MUIA_Menuitem_Title, "New...", End,
            MUIA_Family_Child, open_mnu = MenuItemObject, MUIA_Menuitem_Title, "Open...", End,
            MUIA_Family_Child, MenuItemObject, MUIA_Menuitem_Title, "",
               MUIA_Family_Child, save_mnu = MenuItemObject, MUIA_Menuitem_Title, "Save", End,
               MUIA_Family_Child, saveas_mnu = MenuItemObject, MUIA_Menuitem_Title, "Save", End,
               MUIA_Family_Child, MenuObject, MUIA_Menu_Title, "Export",
                  MUIA_Family_Child, export_ilbm_mnu = MenuItemObject, MUIA_Menuitem_Title, "ILBM", End,
                  MUIA_Family_Child, export_bmp_mnu = MenuItemObject, MUIA_Menuitem_Title, "BMP", End,
                  MUIA_Family_Child, export_jpg_mnu = MenuItemObject, MUIA_Menuitem_Title, "JPG", End,
                  MUIA_Family_Child, export_gif_mnu = MenuItemObject, MUIA_Menuitem_Title, "GIF", End, End,

It needs more work but if someone is writing visual editor that can output XML...

[itix]

You can use XSLT to convert between different XML formats. That would allow you to use your prefered visual editor.

I wrote a xml to reaction tool 10 years ago using expat.library, it created compilable code. Being able to draw GUIs on the fly without modifying the binaries didn't seem much useful as if you add new functions you would still need to recompile the C code anyway. Later I started to write a mui version but got a little bored.

Coincidentally my first revision of muixml was using expat.library, too, but I found it too cumbersome for this purpose. Now I am using mini xml and quite easily I can map XML to equivalent C code.

Only if I understood mini xml API better...

[itix]

Aha.
http://aminet.net/package/dev/gui/muixml

I'm interested in the source code with open source license. :juggler:

I can do that. I was thinking GPL/LGPL, moving code generators to link lib and main executable would be GPL. How that sounds?

[itix]

Seems like a re-invention of the wheel to me.

Then again, I've always hated the add on UI experiences (including MUI, both on user and dev side) and prefer a stock Amiga experience.

Though I finally did cave a bit back in the day and gave in and regged MUI so I could run MailManager and GMSMailer.

From developer POV using low level Intuition is pain in the ass. GadTools saved some typing but there is still way too much coding involved.

Technically it is possible create GadTools GUI from XML saving lot of work.

[itix]

Great.

How do we want to proceed? Should I create a Sourceforge project?

Yes please I dont have much time at the moment to do anything so any help is appreciated.

[itix]

Just sent you an email ;-)