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GLG Toolkit:
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GLG Toolkit is a
state-of-the-art framework for developing highly graphical dynamic
interfaces: not just simple buttons and menus, but fully animated
graphical objects that show dynamic data and react to users'
interactions. It is not just a drawing tool for creating "pretty
pictures" (there are plenty), but a graphical engine that allows
developers to define graphical objects and interact with them from a
program. It is uniquely targeted towards an application developer,
converting a tedious job of coding low-level graphics into an engaging
interactive design of high-level behavior.
The Graphics Builder plays the central role in the Toolkit. The Builder allows the developer to define the look of an interface independent of its functionality, and change it at any time without touching the code, avoiding time-consuming compile-link cycles. It provides easy access to any and all advanced features of GLG graphical objects, including constraints, 2D and 3D dynamics, custom events, viewport and image objects, layering and subdrawings, groups and object hierarchies.
The Toolkit maintains the correct balance between the functionality of the drawing editor and the programming API. The Builder allows the developer to define intricate connections between graphical objects, while leaving the functional logic to where it belongs: a more wieldy programming environment. The programming API provides a seamless access to the high-level resources defined in the drawing, so that the code does not need to concern itself with what the interface looks like, only with its logical structure.
The GLG Toolkit redefines the meaning of the word "framework". Usually, a framework is a structure for enclosing an application, so that the entire application has to be written within it, instead of integrating into a native programming environment. GLG Toolkit may be used as both the framework (in which an application is built) as well as a native component (Motif, Gtk or Qt widget, MFC class, ActiveX control, Java bean, etc.) which can be easily inserted into the framework of your application. As such, it still allows unlimited access to the graphical object engine inside the component.
If the nature of
the
graphics or the number of objects is
not known until run-time, the GLG's Extended
API
can be used to generate objects dynamically. While other toolkits are
limited to defining the graphics at design time, using the either a
drawing
editor
or a limited-feature script, the Toolkit's Extended APIs
provide the application with the ability to create
drawings at run-time, adding
or deleting
graphical objects
dynamically,
based on database query, configuration
files or user
input.
The picture on the right shows an example of a GIS-based application
that creates icons at run time to visualize a variable number of moving
objects.
The
Toolkit's unprecedented level of control
is
accomplished with a concise and compact API. A handful of functions
provide the functionality which usually requires hundreds. All
attributes and
resources are accessed and modified with the same Get/Set resource method due to
the consistent resource-based model. In other toolkits, each attribute
has a different set of access methods, so if an object has 30
attributes, the developer needs to become accustomed with 30 different
functions.
In GLG, even custom attributes created by the user are still accessed
as resources with the same Get/Set resource methods. All a programmer
needs to know is the name of a given resource, either an intuitive
default such as FillColor, or any custom name given to the
resource by the developer.
Click
here for examples of the Toolkit used in various industries.
The GLG Graphics Builder uses a point and click
interface and is geared towards application development. It allows the
developer to not only draw graphical objects, but also attach 2D and 3D
dynamic animation, define object and resource hierarchies, setup
constraints, etc. The Builder also provides a way to prototype the
drawing with dynamic data to test the drawing's behavior.
The governing principle of the Toolkit is to allow developers to define as much of the graphical aspects of the application in the Builder as possible, leaving the code to handle only the application logic. In the beginning, the Builder is used to draw graphical objects, edit their shapes, define colors, gradients, shadows and other rendering attributes, attach dynamics for animation and layout the graphics in the drawing.
Furthermore, the Builder allows developers to assign custom names to objects and their attributes. They become resources for the application to access. The Toolkit organizes resources into tree-like hierarchies, resembling the way files are organized in a file system. This decreases the number of resources visible on each level of the hierarchy, making dealing with large drawings easier. The resource hierarchy of the drawing may be tuned interactively with the Builder to minimize later programming efforts.
The Builder provides two ways to access objects: by selecting objects and traversing their hierarchies, or by browsing resources directly. Object selection provides immediate access to objects for editing, while the resource interface views the hierarchy as the application sees it, and is convenient for debugging resource access errors.
The produced drawing encapsulates the graphical appearance of the objects, and is completely separate from the application code. As a result, the application does not need to be recompiled when the drawing changes, as long as the resource hierarchy remains intact. This feature is useful when providing multiple versions of the drawing, all of which contain identical resource hierarchies, but may differ in appearance. For example, some versions of the drawing may contain much more elaborate graphics, while those with simple graphics result in faster updates.
The Toolkit provides a
vast library of pre-built widgets: dials
and meters, graphs,
avionic gauges, process control widgets and
other graphical
components. All widgets are built on top of the Toolkit's object engine
and their behavior is encapsulated in the component's drawing. Each
component's drawing can be loaded into the Graphics
Builder and extensively customized, including not only editing its
resources, but also changing the shape of its graphical elements.
Custom
components can be
created and added to the Builder's palette.Click here for the list of available widget sets.
A common application
requires creating a dynamic screen displaying the current state of a process control, network monitoring or any other mission critical system. The screen
must
change in real-time to reflect the current data and react to an
operator's actions, converting them to signals to control equipment or
vessels
being monitored. The Toolkit specifically targets such tasks.
The
screen will contain graphical objects
representing hundreds or even thousands of pieces of equipment which
can
move, rotate, change colors, fill levels and labels based on changes in
data. The screen should support object selection, flicker-free updates,
drill-down, panning
and zooming. It must possess the ability to function on Unix, Linux, Windows and browser environments.
The screen should be screen-resolution independent, to display both on
small embedded monitors or large wall-mounted displays. With such a
specification, the task is nearly impossible-- unless the GLG Toolkit
is used.
With
the Toolkit, a developer no longer needs to
worry about tediously coding low-level graphics for a particular
platform. Instead, the developer draws graphical objects in the
Graphics Builder, defines dynamics and resources the application
accesses, and saves
the drawing. He/she then inserts the drawing into an application using
one of the provided GLG
containers, and starts using GLG's simple but powerful high-level Programming API. The API is used to set
the drawing's resources, supply
data and handle user
interaction.
The
Toolkit saves months of development time by
eliminating low-level graphics code, providing a point and click
drawing editor and allowing fast prototyping directly in the Graphics
Builder. Finally, the Programming API allows the developer to
concentrate on the application logic by enabling complete control over
any and all objects in the
drawing and letting the Toolkit to handle the rest.
Due
to the vector nature of the GLG graphics, every
attribute of a
graphical object, from a line width to gradient color, is inherently
dynamic. If an attribute of a graphical object is changed by assigning
it a new value, it will be automatically reflected in the drawing,
updating not only the object itself, but also all other objects in the
drawing affected by the change.
The
dynamic nature of GLG objects makes them ideal for rendering dynamic
icons. Alternatively,
if static bitmaps were used, a separate bitmap would be necessary for
each variation in color, line width, fill level, etc., which quickly
becomes an unmanageable task as the number of dynamic objects
increases.
With the Toolkit's vector graphics and resource mechanism, every attribute of an object is accessible as a resource. If the value of a resource changes, the Toolkit will update the drawing accordingly. The Toolkit's automated damage repair redraws all objects intersecting the update area, as well as objects that have attributes constrained to the changed attribute. The automated damage repair uses double buffering to eliminate flickering.
In
addition to changing attribute values directly, more elaborate
dynamics are also available using dynamic
transformations. For example, instead of setting an RGB color value
directly, a color list transformation may be attached to the object
color to change the color from green to red based on the value of the
state variable. A threshold transformation may be used to change color
when the value of a variable exceeds predefined limits.
There are two special
attribute dynamics types that deserve a special mention. The fill dynamics is
achieved by changing the value of the FillAmount
attribute. The fill dynamics using arbitrary fill angle is supported. A
visibility dynamics is achieved
by simply changing the value of the Visibility
attribute. Fractional values of the Visibility may be used for
transparency and alpha-blending, as well as object dimming and highlighting.
In
addition to the
attribute dynamics, full 2D and 3D geometrical dynamics are supported
using geometrical
transformations. The move, scale,
rotation, shear, mirror and path
transformations may be used to change object shape or position in the
drawing by specifying the move, scale or angle parameters. The object
rendering in the drawing will be automatically updated when the
controlling parameter is changed by the program.
The
unique feature of the Toolkit is the ability to attach dynamic
transformations not only to the geometrical objects, such as polygons,
rectangles, etc., but also to the object's attributes. For example,
geometrical transformations may be applied not only to objects, but
also to the object's control points, providing a powerful way to change
an object's shape. Another example is attaching a move transformation
to
the center of the rotation dynamics to dynamically move the center of
rotation.
Upon
resizing the drawing, the contained graphics
are automatically
resized to fit the new screen size, insulating the application from
worry
about the exact screen size. This transparent handling is convenient
for
monitoring applications in which the user may want to vary the screen
size
while still monitoring the entire process. An alternative
non-resizable mode
is available, which displays more objects as the area is increased.
The Toolkit's selection mechanism assures the object selection will work with an object's new dimensions. If it moves, rotates, or changes its shape, the selection mechanism will handle these changes transparently.
Additionally, the Toolkit's integrated pan and
zoom
features allow the user to navigate through a large drawing. These
features can also be controlled from the API.
The new
features of the OpenGL renderer include:A
JPEG, GIF or BMP image may be imported into a drawing to be used as
a drawing background or an image icon. Both fixed-size and scalable
images are
supported. Image transparency is supported with an OpenGL renderer.
An image may have dynamics attached as any other graphical
object, including the variation of the source image based on user data.
For example,
an icon may use several images to represent different states of an
object and have a variable whose value controls which image is used.
Move and
scale dynamics may also be used with an image object to
control its position in the drawing.
A
DXF converter
is provided to import DXF drawings and convert them into GLG drawings,
which can then be used the same way as any other GLG drawings.
Constraints are a unique feature of the GLG Toolkit. They are especially useful in large drawings or drawings with complex dynamics. If a drawing contains a map with 50 states, whose color is identical, the FillColor attribute of all 50 may be constrained to each other to ease development. Instead of setting the color of each state separately, setting one will automatically change the rest. The code of an application that uses such a drawing is naturally simpler.
In the Builder, instead of selecting each state and setting its color, only the color of one state needs to be changed. In the code, instead of traversing 50 states and setting 50 colors, one SetResource call will accomplish the same goal.
Constraints can also be used to define complex
logical dependencies
between graphical objects. For example, several objects may have constrained dynamics
in order to move in a related way. GLG graphs and dials utilize
this
feature extensively.
Constraints can be used to define complex behavior.
For example,
the
seven segment LED widget uses complex constraints so a single Value
attribute
controls all segments. In the code, one simple SetResource call
will
display the requested digit, and the appropriate segments will
automatically
be lit.
Constraints can also be used to handle objects in
separate layers as
if they were in one.
The
Toolkit's robust and sophisticated graphics
capabilities include splines,
gradients, shadows and other 3D effects, 2D and 3D
dynamics, constraints, aliases,
integrated zooming
and panning, object
tooltips, layering
and subdrawings, image objects, a choice of an OpenGL or native GDI
renderer and a GIS map server
component. Combined
with easy to use resource-based
data access and the virtually unlimited power of the Programming API, the GLG Toolkit is a
comprehensive graphical solution tested in a variety of industries.
While
the Graphics
Builder is used for interactive design of drawings, the Programming
API provides a way for the program to interact with the drawing from a
program. The API is the second crucial
element of the Toolkit, and provides programming access to
objects created in the Builder when the drawing is embedded into an
application.
The
Toolkit provides a number of native
programming containers
for deploying the Toolkit's graphics in an application, both C/C++ and
Java, Unix, Linux and Windows: a Motif/Gtk/Qt
widget, an MFC class, Windows
custom control, a Java bean and
class library, an ActiveX
Control and more. Click
here for more information on available programming containers and
deployment options.
A
developer will only need to use a single SetResource
function call or method to set any of the drawing's resources, which is
a result of the resource based Programming API. The programmer needs to
know only the name of a given resource, either an intuitive default
such as FillColor, or any custom name given to the resource.
The Programming API may be used to modify resources
of the drawing at run-time and supply dynamic data for real-time
updates. The application needs to concern itself only with supplying
new resource values, and the Toolkit's engine handles all details of
the low-level graphics and damage repair. The updates are data-driven,
so no CPU time is consumed if the data does not change. Click here for more
information.
The API may also be used to handle user interaction, such as object selection or interaction with buttons, sliders and other controls. The object selection is handled transparently by the Toolkit, regardless of the screen size or zooming state, and the program's callback is invoked with all selection information every time an object of interest is selected. Click here for more information.
Click
on the following links for more information on
specific topics of the GLG Programming API:
The
Extended API is also available, in
addition to the Standard API described above. It provides all
functionality available in the Builder to the program at run-time. The
Extended API allows the application to create, add or delete objects
from the drawing programmatically, which is convenient if the nature of
the graphics or the number of objects in the drawing is not known until
run-time. It
also allows to programmatically add dynamic transformations and
constraints to objects at run-time, instead of (or in addition
to)
defining transformations and constraints in the Graphics Builder.
The
Extended API may be used to implement
drawing editor functionality, such as dragging objects with the mouse,
and is often used to build custom diagramming applications. It also
provides methods for traversing all
objects in the drawing
as well as
introspection
methods for
querying a list of all resources contained in a drawing.
The Extended API may also be used to dynamically generate drawings based on configuration files, information from a database or user input. The object-oriented resource-based nature of Toolkit makes it extremely easy to create and add objects at run-time and supply data for them, without the need to attach all data variables by hand in a drawing editor. To create an additional instance of a dynamic object, it is copied using the GlgCopyObject function. The copy will contain the same set of resources as the original object. The resources on the copy may be accessed by simply naming the copy and using the name as part of a path name to access the resources inside the copy.
The
Extended API is available with all deployment
options (C/C++, Java and ActiveX).
The
following lists the types of applications that need Extended API.
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If the drawing can be built ahead of time using the Graphics Builder, the GLG Standard API is sufficient to display the drawing and update it with real-time data. |
