Skins?

Hey guys, I need some help.

I just recently started learning to program in c++, so far so good. But I've been working my way up with user friendly languages (Like Visual Basic and... Game maker) and I'm starting to miss the eye candy in my applications. So, does anyone know if there's an easy way to skin my applications in c++ Builder? At the very least, XP style buttons would be very welcome.

I'd ask /g/, but those guys are assholes.

I'd ask /g/, but those guys are assholes.
I hate to tell you this, but ...

Just spam windows.h until it looks good.

Magnify me: ^Satori

Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom and love for backward compatibility with third-rate crapware, decided that you should add XML jibber-jabber called a manifest to your program if you want nice controls.

>>5
You don't really need the manifest for getting a fancy interface, although it's an easier solution if you want the skin to match Windows' one. All this special UI stuff can be done using USER32/GDI32 APIs, or by using premade UI controls/skinning libraries/etc or you could use Qt for a cross-platform UI.

I would learn Qt if I were you. I can't speak from experience, but it would seem like a very useful library to know.

>>1
Why, in this day and age, people still use C++ for GUI applications, is beyond me.

if you're writing code for windows, c++ is obsolete. use c# instead.
as an added bonus, your programs will probably run just fine on linux without even needing to be recompiled!

>>8
The answer was hinted at by >>7. C++ is useful exactly because Qt is implemented in it. (Discuss.)

More seriously, having an model is very nice when dealing with GUIs. Going beyond merely preferring C++ to C in this instance (which I assume is the point): there's really no need to use a dynamically typed language to build a GUI, and so on; I can't think of any reason that C++ would be worse than anything else at this sort of thing.

Should read:
an object model

>>9
I'm not a C++ programmer, but that statement is just wrong.
That's like saying C is obsolete because Java exists.
C# and C++ are different languages with different goals. There are merits and disadvantages with using either one. C# is a better Java, and it's rather easy to code in it, it also features a very large standard library which is helpful for common tasks, it's also an ENTERPRISE language. C++ is a C with objects, but it's a lot more low-level than C# and compiles to native code, and on Windows, you can do a lot of low-level things in both C and C++. C++ and C# are different languages with very different goals, although if you were using C++ with MFC for making GUIs in the past, you're probably better off switching to C#, but if you had other goals, C# might not be what you're looking for.

Or you could do like most sane people on /prog/ and just switch to using Lisp or Haskell, depending on your preferences, and use the FFI for non-portable things.

Or you could do like most sane people on /prog/ and just switch to using Lisp or Haskell,

w-t-f man. Haskell is still balls for doing anything stateful (eg. GUIs, programming outside of maths fields in general), and by balls I mean 'nads.

Incidentally, where can I get a Lisp that is statically typed (perhaps with inference)?

>>13
http://factorcode.org/

C# is a better Java,
and Java is a better C++.

>>14
Something a little more S-exy maybe?

>>13
I think Qi was something of that sort, but personally, I'm fine with the dynamic nature of Lisp, and just like it fine as it is. SBCL can do some limited type-inference, so you don't have to use (as) many declarations for speed (actually I barely use any, unless I'm writing some speed-critical code).

>>14
Factor makes you write better code!!

>>16
why? you want a bunch of extra syntax?

>>15
And C++ is a better C# oh shi-

>>21
Look at >>15 again, idiot:
.

The sentence already ended. You cannot add more to it.

>>21
You shouldn't be so self-critical, Anon. People make mistakes!

>>22
I lol'd a lot.

>>22
back to whatever phpBB ghetto you came from, please.

>>15
>>21
>>24
Wait, I see a pattern.

>>17
I have found static typing to be very nice as a means of keeping things orderly. Even with inference, the typing is there and provides information about what the program is doing (the programmer can infer just as well as the interpreter/compiler--hopefully.)

>>19
S-expressions really don't mandate much syntax.

>>12
There are merits and disadvantages with using either one.
Yes. And not using C# with Visual Studio for creating GUIs for Windows is sort of stupid.

S-expressions really don't mandate much syntax.
it's a lot more syntax than a list of words.

>>28
And yet there is a lot of syntax to be found in those mere words. Instead of just ( and ), I have noted {,}, [,], |, " and various other obvious syntactical marks in the factor sources--or do you suggest that these examples all still pass parse should I delete some of the non-alphanums at random?

(Not to mention: half of them came with XML files I was too timid to investigate.)

>>29
yes, the programs will still be syntactically valid. however, they may not be semantically useful.

>>30
You know, I don't believe you. Even if what you say was true, it would just be that much worse.

So, does anyone know if there's an easy way to skin my applications
Don't. Unless you want your program to be a User Interface Hall of Shame entry.

>>31
(scratchpad) : { ( -- ) ;
(scratchpad) 1 2 3 { 4 5 6 6 narray .
{ 1 2 3 4 5 6 }
those words can be redefined just like any other words in the language.

>>33
Woo, many languages permit the definition of syntax. It doesn't mean there is no syntax and it often means there is a lot more.

>>34
ok, find one bit of syntax that's part of the language itself instead of being defined in a library.

>>35
1. Sorry, not that interested.
2. Besides which, as many languages are implemented in themselves with a tiny bit of bootstrap, syntax defined in a (standard) library is not really separate from language syntax. If you want to argue that, see #1.

38 Name: Anonymous 2010-11-15 2:07

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