EMEA
This tool is really great. We've run a number of projects through it. With such different graphics models, we didn't expect results to be this good, but the folks at Smalltalk Systems have worked magic again. It also works quite well for non-GUI code, although they're not pushing it for that. You're going to have to do a little tweaking, but if you don't have a big investment in home-grown widgets (which you're going to have to rewrite anyway) you'll be up and running very quickly. It's expensive if you look at it as a tool, but cheap if you look at it in terms of developer time.
GF/ST (Graphic Framework for Smalltalk) GF/ST provides a rich Smalltalk framework for graphic objects. When applications need to go beyond text, tables, lists, and buttons GF/ST provides a great base to build on. With GF/ST, sophisticated graphical applications are created on a well-designed framework of reusable components, including graphic objects, tools, and visual handles. |
If you have VA Smalltalk 7 or above, you already have this functionality. It has been incorporated into the product (as an unsupported Goodie), and this page documents that functionality. For users of legacy versions of VisualAge Smalltalk (versions 4.02 through 6.02), this product is still available separately: |
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Use GF/ST for:
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GF/ST has so many applications that is difficult to list or describe them. In general though, you need GF/ST if:
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Visual Inspector
As an added bonus, GF/ST includes a powerful Visual Inspector as an example application (with full source code!).What is the Visual Inspector? It is a learning tool, a productivity tool, and a better inspector, and we believe it will be a valuable addition to your VisualAge Smalltalk environment. It provides a graphical presentation of any objects in Smalltalk, showing the relationships between them and allowing you to modify them directly.
Major Features of GF/ST
GF/ST is more than graphic objects — it is a framework based on years of experience. The framework provides the basis for building applications quickly now that can be extended and grown to meet tomorrows needs.
Graphic Object — Graphic Objects are the heart of GF/ST. GF/ST uses an event model for the basis of communication and updating. Graphics Objects use events to notify interested parties about things that happen to it. Events are used to enforce constraints and to provide loose coupling between a GO and a domain model object that it displays.
Closed Path Figures |
Path Figures |
Other Figures |
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Rectangle |
Line |
Text |
Tools — Tools define the mode of interaction with graphic objects. GF/ST comes with a set of tools used for drawing, selecting, and ordering. The base tools that come with GF/ST are probably sufficient for all new figures you might add; if not, you can easily add to or customize the ones we provide.
Composite GOs — Collections of arbitrary graphic objects grouped to behave as one graphic object
Coordinate system control — For scaling, zooming, and automatic mapping from world units to pixels.
Display list management — For controlling large complex collections of graphic objects.
Handles — Handles are visual cues that provide the mechanism to translate user input into actions, using an event model. You can use the default handles, specify your own, and display a handle using any GF/ST graphic object. An example of handles are the three small rectangles in this figure.
Other Uses of GF/ST
One problem in describing GF/ST is that it has so many uses. Here is a longer list of uses that may help inspire ideas.
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