Table of Contents

Name

dtbuilder -- the CDE Application Builder

Synopsis

dtbuilder [projectfile] [-useWC class]

Description

The dtbuilder utility is an interactive application development tool and user interface management system for CDE. Known more fully as the CDE Application Builder, dtbuilder is designed to make it easier for developers to construct applications that integrate well into the CDE. It provides two basic services - aid in assembling Motif objects into the desired application user interface and generation of appropriate calls to the routines that support CDE desktop services (e.g. ToolTalk, sessioning, Help).

Options

-useWC class
Use the specified widget class whenever possible. Valid values are:
dt
Generate DtComboBox and DtSpinBox widgets. This value retains the CDE 1.0 behavior.
xm
Generate XmComboBox and XmSimpleSpinBox widgets. This value selects the Motif/Xm behavior.

Operands

The dtbuilder utility accepts an optional filename operand that is interpreted as the name of an application project file that should be loaded for editing. This file should be in the BIL format defined for use by the Application Builder.

If no project file is specified, then dtbuilder comes up "empty", ready for a new application to be developed interactively by the user.

Resources

If the -useWC option is not specified, dtbuilder uses the useWidgetClass resource in the Xt resources table to determine which class to use for generated widgets. The class/type is XmCUseWidgetClass/XtEnum and the valid values are:

xm (the default)
Generate XmComboBox and XmSimpleSpinBox widgets. This value selects the Motif/Xm behavior.
dt
Generate DtComboBox and DtSpinBox widgets. This value retains the CDE 1.0 behavior.

Stdin

Not used.

Input Files

A project file to be processed by the dtbuilder utility must to be in the BIL format defined for the CDE Application Builder.

Interactively, the Application Builder provides facilities for loading additional project files, as well as application module files (which also must be in the BIL format) and interface files that use Motif’s UIL format.

Environment Variables

None.

Asynchronous Events

The dtbuilder utility takes the standard action for all signals.

Stdout

Not used.

Stderr

Used only for diagnostic messages.

Output Files

None by default.

Interactively, the Application Builder provides facilities for writing ("saving") application project and module files, both of which must be in the BIL format, and also for writing ("exporting") interface files that use Motif’s UIL format.

Extended Description

None.

Exit Status

The following exit values are returned:

0
Normal termination.
1
Abnormal termination. The dtbuilder utility was unable to allocate necessary memory or spawn the code generator.

Consequences of Errors

Default.

Application Usage

Because the dtbuilder is a complex, highly-interactive tool, users typically consider the command line interface as little more than the way to start up the Application Builder.

CDE provides an "AppBuilder" action so the Application Builder can be invoked through the standard action interface, including through the Application Manager.

Examples

dtbuilder
This runs the CDE Application Builder, presuming that the user will either be creating a new project or will load one interactively through the Application Builder’s "File" menu.
dtbuilder myproject.bip
Starts the CDE Application Builder and instructs it to load the project defined in the file myproject.bip.

See Also

dtcodegen(1) BIL(4)

Table of Contents