Specifications

OpenVMS VAX Operating System, Version 5.5-2 SPD 25.01.37
Applications
A set of integrated desktop applications is provided as
a base component of the DECwindows environment.
These applications establish and demonstrate the con-
sistent DECwindows user model. They also provide sig-
nificant end user capabilities.
• Bookreader — A tool for viewing the contents of
books that are distributed and stored on-line
• Calculator — A basic scientific calculator
• Calendar — A personal time management system
• Cardfiler — A hierarchical information storage appli-
cation similar to an online address and/or phone book
• Clock — An analog and/or digital date and time dis-
play with notification by alarm
• Compound Document viewer — Tools for reading
documents containing compound text, graphics, and
image data on terminals and DECwindows worksta-
tions
• DEBUG — A DECwindows user interface to the VMS
DEBUGGER
• Mail — A DECwindows user interface to the VMS
mail facility
• Notepad — A simple text editor
• Paint — A simple bitmap graphics editor
• Puzzle game — A game that challenges users to sort
mixed up puzzle tiles
• TPU/EVE — A DECwindows user interface to the
VMS TPU/EVE editor
DECwindows workstation users can display PostScript
files featuring WYSIWYG (what you see is what you
get) compatibility between the display and any of Dig-
ital’s PostScript printers. Display PostScript ability is
available within the Compound Document viewer and
DECwindows Mail.
Programming Support
The VMS DECwindows environment includes an ex-
tensive set of programming libraries and tools for use
by developers of new applications. These components
support the development of portable applications by fo-
cusing on three broad areas:
• X Window System (X) support
• X User Interface (XUI) support
• Compound Document Architecture (CDA) support
Components from each of these areas can be used in
any combination to address the needs of applications.
They can also use the tools from a variety of differ-
ent programming languages. All programming libraries
have been provided with procedural language bindings
in both the style of the VAX calling standard and the
style of the MIT C language programming conventions.
Support is provided for the following languages:
VAX Ada VAX FORTRAN
V
AX BASIC VAX MACRO
VAX BLISS-32
Implementation Language
VAX Pascal
VAX C (VAX calling standard
or MIT convention)
VAX PL/I
X Window System (X) Programming Support
The X Window System compatible X programming li-
brary (Xlib) provided by the VMS DECwindows environ-
ment provides basic resource management (windows,
color maps, input devices) and bitmap graphics ser-
vices. It defines a mapping of the X network protocol to
a procedure library.
The Xtoolkit programming library is also supported by
the VMS DECwindows environment. It is described fur-
ther under XUI Programming Support.
X User Interface (XUI) Programming Support
XUI determines the application model for Digital and
third-party software tailored for the DECwindows envi-
ronment. It establishes the conventions and styles that
are encouraged for applications that share a DECwin-
dows workstation. Applications use XUI components to
build user interfaces that make them look and feel like
integrated members of the Digital computing environ-
ment.
The XUI Style Guide, available in the VMS DECwin-
dows Programming Kit, describes the principles, phi-
losophy, and components used to build consistent and
well-integrated DECwindows applications.
Its concepts are implemented by the XUI Toolkit. The
XUI Toolkit is a superset of the X Window System
Xtoolkit and contains four components:
• Xtoolkit components (known as intrinsics) for man-
aging, modifying, and creating user interface objects
(known as widgets and gadgets)
• DECwindows widgets and gadgets for implementing
common user interface objects such as scroll bars,
menus, and push buttons
• Utility routines that provide applications with func-
tions for performing common tasks such as cut and
paste
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