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Index > Lgi > Feature requests and LgiRes issues
Author/Date Feature requests and LgiRes issues
Maggot
08/05/2003 4:20am
Hi,

I have been looking into Lgi for a while now. I was wondering if there is any way to edit toolbars using LgiRes and does the Lgi toolbar classes support custom controls?

The latest release of LgiRes on this web site does not include the GIF images that are used by the toolbars and the about dialog.

Are there any plans to create resource files that will contain all the toolbar images resource scripts into one file/archive or the executable? I know RES files could be created in windows and loaded during runtime, but i was looking forward to a cross platform solution integrated into Lgi. This would help in easing distribution of resource file variations to support different languages or user interfaces.

Do you plan to release the LgiRes sources to allow enhancement? If not then why?

I can't seem to find any licensing information for Lgi, eg: Propietry, GPL, LGPL, MIT/BSD, etc.

Thank you very much for your kind response.

-magg
fReT
08/05/2003 8:40am
I plan to add support for all the layout type classes in LgiRes sometime, but I'm just really busy and havn't got around to it. Sorry!

I'll fix the missing GIF's in the release download... sorry about that.

I do plan to add embeded graphics resources in the .lr8 files but at the moment it's just easier to bundle them in the archive alongside the .lr8. There is no reason why you can't compile LgiRes for Linux and run it from there. Normally I bundle the LgiRes source code / projects with the Lgi source download. I even have a working makefile for Linux (I have half ported it). If it's missing from the Lgi download it's not on purpose. There is one bit of code that doesn't work really well on Linux yet that I havn't fixed.

As for licensing I don't really care that much. It's a sort of "use it for whatever - don't sue me" type license :) I should pick one and be done with it. I guess MIT/BSD is pretty close.

Cheers
Maggot
09/05/2003 7:12am
I can't seem to find the VisualC workspace, source code and resource files for LgiRes in the Lgi sources you have provided (http://www.memecode.com/src/lgi-src.zip).

I have been aware of LGI at sourceforge (http://sourceforge.net/projects/lgi) for quite some time. But it has been deserted for quite a while too. At your sourceforge site, the Lgi project license has been classified as LGPL.

So, I guess you are changing the license from LGPL to something else? Is Chris Lee still contributing to LGI?

Do you have a roadmap for Lgi? Planned Milestones? How open are you towards code submissions, modifications? Would you be willing to set-up design guidelines for contributions? Do you have any user interface & application framework guidelines that you specifically follow?

I am interested in contributing to Lgi. I have been looking into this for quite a while. However, there is project in porting SWT from Java to C++ (http://nativeswt.sf.net). I am currently look into that as well.

Years ago, I wanted to assist in porting the JX Framework, but I could not agree with their restrictive licensing. They have a very nice complete app dev framework. Very suitable for the stuff I develop.

Many other frameworks or toolkits are either just ridden with high overheads, or have UI support that just plain sucks.

I mean no offense to the Lgi project or you.

-magg
fReT
10/05/2003 9:15am
I've uploaded the latest LGI for you:
- Proper License (modified BSD)
- Latest Linux fixes.
- LgiRes source included now.
- Some [old] docs included.

I havn't heard for a long time from Chris Lee, I'm the only developer at this point. The sourceforge project will be reanimated once someone other than me actually starts contributing to the project, I see no point in using the sourceforge address for something that only I use.

That said I do try and keep the lgi-src download up to date (like in the last few months) as good practice, both as a offsite backup and making the code public.

Once people are interested in it, then I'd be more than happy to docoument more of the classes, set up guidelines, roadmaps and whatever else people want. It's just that no one seems to care right now, so I've just been hacking away to fulfill the needs of my own projects.

If you look at LGI and think it's just too immature to use, then throw a few pointers my way about what really needs fixing and I'll slowly work through it. This is a free time hobby for me at this stage.

Personally LGI existed before I knew about things like WxWindows or the myriad of other libs out there. It's roots were in the bad 'ol DOS days when it ran as a full on graphical user interface in Watcom C++, 32bit protected mode and VESA SVG modes... did all it's own overlapping resizable windows, menus, fonts, mouse/key handling. Kinda like "windows" did on top of DOS, just without the application loading part. You had to compile in apps. The very first i.Mage ran in DOS on top of LGI. Scary stuff.

Anyway nowdays it's just a cross platform application framework.

Any contributions made are welcome, I would initially do the merging myself, either as diff's or as a complete zip of the tree (I'm quite handy with WinMerge ;). Otherwise if things start to pick up I'd just transfer to using sourceforge's CVS archive and give people write access once they show they can handle it. I'd love to see some external input.

Mostly I use Windows as my look and feel guidelines, working on the principle that 99% of people that use computers are comfortable with it, so I can't go wrong. As for application framework guidelines, it's pretty freeform, there is no "document - view" architecture or anything, thats just too restrictive for me. I've got tools like the GDocApp window that automates some of the drugery of writing a document based app, but thats mostly about doing recent file menus and so on.

Anyway, it's like 11:15 pm... I'll go now.
fReT
21/05/2003 1:52am
I've changed the license to LGPL, after some serious thinking about what I want to promote. Sorry about any confusion.

Also there is a ton of Linux fixes in the new release, and of course LgiRes's source and projects are in there.
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