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Conference bulova::decw_jan-89_to_nov-90

Title:	DECWINDOWS 26-JAN-89 to 29-NOV-90
Notice:	See 1639.0 for VMS V5.3 kit; 2043.0 for 5.4 IFT kit
Moderator:	STAR::VATNE

Created:	Mon Oct 30 1989
Last Modified:	Mon Dec 31 1990
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	3726
Total number of notes:	19516

1640.0. "Difficult DECwindows questions!" by LARVAE::BURGESS (volvo driver) Tue Oct 31 1989 06:14

I have been asked the following questions:

1. How are HINTS handled in DECwindows?  What is it that directs HINTS to 
the window manager and can other applications pickup and act on them?

2. Is VMS Xlib and XUI source code available internally within Digital?
 How and where?  

3. Is PASTE an Event? Or is there any identifiable event always associated 
with a PASTE?

4. What are the essential child processes - in DECwrite and DECdecision? 
Where else are child processes used? For example, does the Spell checker in 
DECwrite run as a sub-process; or does live-linking run as 
sub or detached processes.

5. At what version of DECwrite can I paste graphics DECwindows clipboards
 into DECwrite?

6. What ensures that the DECwrite window can only communicate with the
DECwrite application?

7. Do DECwrite/DECdecision cut & paste go down the software stack into 
Xlib? Which Xlib routines are used in DECwrite to implement cut & paste?
If they use the CUT and Paste routines in the Toolkit do these routines
always route down into the Xlib area internally?
                                          
8. What do DECwrite/DECdecision/Window Manager/Live links use in the 
DECwindows resource database ( ie. what mechanisms and resources)? Of 
particular interest is where and how "user data" is stored. "User data" in 
this context means directly or indirectly parts of the document being 
worked on.                                
                                          
How do I monitor all the changes to this database - where each change is 
not necessarily an Event?                 
                                          
Is "user data" held in properties and selections? 
                                          
9. Do the DECwindows toolkits do anything that is outside of Xlib? Do they 
have data areas? Are there shared writable areas in the toolkit shareable 
library? Are there any Mail type features/facilities in the toolkit?
                                          
10. The window manager is a process. Is "user data" moved through the window 
manager? If so - how and what?            
                                          
11. Do DECwrite/DECdecision ever by-pass Xlib? If so - under what 
circumstances? Do these applications ever talk directly to the X-Server, or 
to other instantiations of these products?
                                          
12. What are the mechanisms for communication between the Xlib routines and 
the X-Server, eg. Global sections - or what ?

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1640.1	Some (not all) explanations	MELTIN::dick	Gvriel::Schoeller	`Tue Oct 31 1989 09:23`	48
	I can answer some but not all of these. I would suggest that many of these would get answered quicker in QUEEN::DECWRITE (also accessible through the DNS object eng.ssg.cag.dtp.DECwrite-notes). 1. HINTS are an attribute of a window. If any client changes the HINTS on a window then any other client which is enabled for that event will be notified of the change. This is how the window manager finds out about the HINTS changes. Once notified of the HINTS change any client which knows the id of the window can query what the current setting of any HINTS are. 5. V1 of DECwrite does not use the global paste buffer. It does use the global selection mechanism on text. You can therefore do some things with MB1/MB3 for transfering in and out of DECwrite. You cannot CUT something in a DECwrite client and paste in another client (whether or not it is a DECwrite client). Check the conference mentioned above for more info. on when that will change. 6. Since DECwrite only uses a private paste buffer, nothing can get out to other clients. When/if it switches to the global mechanism that restriction will be lifted. 9. Yes. In the same fashion that all toolkits based on the Xt intrinsics do. They add functionality and client side data to the windows provided by Xlib. There is communication among widgets in a particular client that is done without going through the server. Any operations that imply communicating with another client are done through Xlib mechanism (through the server). If by MAIL facilities you mean a mechanism for using a MAIL send window from your application, yes. You can get at this through callable DECW$MAIL. Look in KOALA::DW-MAIL for more information on this. 10. I assume by "user data" you mean such things as the current selection and the contents of the paste buffer. No, these are not passed through the window manager. They are passed as through the selection mechanism supplied with X. 11. I doubt it. There is no (or very little) reason to access the protocol directly and it is unreliable (maybe impossible) to try to communicate with the server any other way. The server may or may not be on the same machine as the client (ie: DECwrite or DECdecision) and would have a hard time duplicating the Xlib mechanisms for all of the possibilities. 12. Xlib can communicate with the server through shared memory, DECnet or TCP/IP. They simply pass X protocol messages back and forth through whatever RELIABLE connection the implementers of a particular server decide to support.
1640.2		STAR::ORGOVAN	Vince Orgovan	`Tue Oct 31 1989 13:03`	4
	> 2. Is VMS Xlib and XUI source code available? Yes. It is included in the VMS Source Listings kit making it available both internally and to customers.
1640.3		EPIK::WOLFE	Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious	`Tue Oct 31 1989 13:18`	4
	.0 was also cross posted in the queen::decwrite conference...... Pete
1640.4	Location of VMS sources etc	LARVAE::BURGESS	volvo driver	`Wed Nov 01 1989 05:02`	4
	Thank-you for the responses. Any idea where the VMS Sources are held? Andy
1640.5		PSW::WINALSKI	Careful with that VAX, Eugene	`Wed Nov 01 1989 16:17`	5
	VMS source kits are available from the SDC. The sources themselves live in VMS Development, of course. If you have a legitimate business need for access to them, you should contact the VMS group. --PSW
1640.6		JAMMER::JACK	Marty Jack	`Thu Nov 02 1989 16:13`	4
	I believe VMS source kits are no longer available, due to the extremely low demand relative to the expense of producing them. VMS listings are available on magtape and CD.
1640.7		VIA::FINNEGAN	All of the best intentions are less than one good act.	`Fri Nov 10 1989 16:37`	14
	I can answer some of the DECdecision questions. Live Links are detatched processes as are the children of the control component or DECwrite. DECdecision does use the DECwindows clipboard to pass DTIF formated table data between the applcations. DECwrite does not. As far as I know DECdecision does not talk directly to the X-Server except through XLIB. I hope this helps. neal