Object Oriented Programming With C++ and Osf/Motif

This book grew out of a simple question: "How do I use the Motif user interface toolkit when programming in C++?" The most direct answer to this question, one that provides only the mechanics of the solution, is fairly simple. But fully addres sing all the surrounding issues is a more complex task. In particular, a complete answer must include ways to coordinate the programming model supported by X and Motif with the C++ object-oriented programming model. This is the central topic of this book.This revised edition updates and expands the material presented in the original book to take into account current versions of X and Motif, with their increasing level of C++ support. However, the material in this book is largely independent of a ny specific version of X or Motif. While most Motif books necessarily dwell on explanations of how to use the features of individual widgets, this book concentrates on how Motif can be used within the context of an object-oriented architecture. This includes not only the mechanics of using C++ with Motif, but also includes stylistic and design issues. These issues tend to remain the same from version to version of Motif. This book has another underlying theme that is at least as important as how to use Motif with C++. In the past few years there has been a fundamental shift in the type of software programmers develop. The textbooks we study in school often focus on algorithms and basic data structures. While no one would dispute that data st ructures and algorithms are the heart of any application, most modern programs cannot be considered complete without additional elements. For most applications written today, choosing appropriate data structures and determining the right algorithms a re only the beginning. Much of the emphasis in contemporary applications is on interactive user interfaces based on window systems such as the X Window System, the Macintosh Toolbox, Microsoft Windows, NeXTStep, and others. Estimates of the effort required to develop the user interface portion of a window-based application range from 50 to 90 percent of the total effort, which leaves only a small remainder to the task of developing the computational portion of the program. This does not diminish the importance of algorithms, it simply provides one measure of the additional complexity introduced by the interface component of contemporary interactive software. Programmers sometimes find it difficult to develop these new types of programs, partly because developing a good interactive interface is inherently difficult, but also because interactive programs require a different type of architecture than many programmers are accustomed to. Programmers who have never developed interactive applications before may be unsure where to begin. The type of algorithm usually studied in school generally involves a single function that takes some data as input and returns other data as output. Interactive programs are different. First, modern interactive programs are real-time applications. In addition, modern applications are often expected to coordinate the presentation of data in multiple areas of the screen, recover from errors in a user-friendly way, provide an appropriate interface for both expert and novice users, and much more. One of the goals of this book is to help the reader understand how to structure applications to address some of these issues and how using C++ can help. Simply understanding how to display and manipulate user interface components such as Motif widgets is only the beginning. It is also necessary to understand the subtle constraints X and Motif impose on an application's architecture as well as the way an object-oriented approach affects an application's design and implementation. Object- oriented programming matches the needs of modern interactive systems very well. Using C++ to implement Motif applications provides tools for structuring programYoung, Douglas A. is the author of 'Object Oriented Programming With C++ and Osf/Motif', published 1995 under ISBN 9780132092555 and ISBN 0132092557.