Re: [xml-dev] mischief XML GUI

["Lou Munajim" <louai@bambookit.com>]

I would not know if I would call it mischief technology,
BUT
our own rites of passage into the XML world started out quite modestly.
Yup, a simple .conf file

Ahhh, the memories it dredges up, "Just one more little feature ... oh and
release it by 5 today"

All this began with the need to manage a GUI outside of its precompiled
class libraries.
It began as a simple configuration file,
..."name of widget please, you are located at and x, y ... next!"
and then it grew ... "ah, widget 2521, you have 3 children named ..."
and it grew ... "ah, widget 2521, you are green, bold, italic, using a
rather large font, with a tendency towards the beveled way of life..."
and it grew ... "ah, widget 2521, you are now chained to widget 2222, where
ever he goes, you follow"
and it grew ... "ah widget 2521, every time I call your name, change colors"
and it grew ... method invocations tied to event handling etc..

All this came to be known as XML GUI.

Bambookit GUI 2.0 is based on this syntax.
The documents are heavy on attributes, but the benefit, short and
descriptive XML elements

To make it concrete:
<Tab setName="tab>
  <TabPanel>
    <Widget setLabel="panel0"/>
    <Widget setLabel="panel1"/>
  </TabPanel>
  <TabControl>
    <Button setLabel="tab0"/>
    <Button setLabel="tab1"/>
  </TabControl>
</Tab>

A LIVE example can be found at
http://www.bambookit.com/scratchboard/tabs/standtabs.html

All this to say is, a little bit of mischief can lead to a flexible
architecture.

All the best,
- Lou
Louai Munajim
Architecture and development
http://www.bambookit.com