Hi Jim, Yes, my Blackjack game as well as the wrestling game I'm working on are basically simple text games that use the command prompt window under Windows and a terminal window under Mac OS and Linux. The reason for that is that in order to create a textbox I have to use some platform specific graphics toolkit like the Windows API, GTK+, QT, Cocoa, etc and as we've already discussed that's exactly what makes cross-platform development so hard for developers. There is no single way to draw a window, add a textbox, and do that so it is both cross-platform and accessible at the same time.
For example, when ever you write a Windows application weather it is in Visual Basic, C++, or a .Net application it all wraps the Windows API which is the defacto graphics toolkit for Windows development. Most of the time screen readers can determine what is on the screen by using user32.dll, which is part of the Windows API, to determine the name of title bars, menu selections, figuring out which window is in the forground, things like that. However, if you go and write the same application using another toolkit like QT it might be cross-platform, but Windows, Linux, and Mac screen readers will have accessibility issues with it because it isn't the native graphics toolkit for the platform. By and large if you want to write an accessible GUI application for Windows use the Windows API. If you want to write an accessible GUI application for Linux use GTK+ commonly called the Gnome graphics toolkit. If you want to write an accessible GUI application for Mac OS use Cocoa. Which simply means one way or another using a GUI is more trouble than its worth unless you are using something like Mono. I suppose if we really wanted a textbox or something like that, which I don't think we need, I'd have to write it using Mono. The nice thing about Mono, the open source version of .Net, it was designed to be cross-platform independant. The System.Windows.Forms.dll wraps the native graphics API for the platform allowing you to write the code once, build once, but run it everywhere. On windows System.Windows.Forms.dll wraps the Windows API where on Linux it wraps GTK+. That's the way to do any kind of GUI programming in my opinion, but that requires installing .Net or Mono which I believe you mentioned you have never done since you don't like updating your system using Windows updates etc. However, on the upside I could use Windos events, timers, etc and mono would handle all that in the background transparently. Anyway, yeah, my locate function idea was just an idea. It probably wouldn't be as nice as the locate function, but it probably wouldn't be impossible to write one. That was basically my point. With a little time and experimentation it could probably be done one way or another. Cheers! On 4/15/11, Jim Kitchen <j...@kitchensinc.net> wrote: > Hi Thomas, > > So if I would need to uncomment my command prompt support in JFW would that > mean that you are putting the text of your Windows black jack game in a > command prompt type text box and not in a Windows text box? > > The one problem that I see with your using blank lines to put text where I > want it rather than having the locate function is, with the locate function > you can just put text at any row or column that you wish without touching > any text already on the screen. Like your game title and name are on the > top row and then you can just put some text in the middle of the screen. > Now some new information needs to go above the middle but below your title > and name. The locate function can do that. With the blank lines scenario > it is just scrolling text and rewriting the entire screen each time. I do > know though that one can set up fields in a text box and populate them with > text all over the screen basically doing the same as the locate function. > But you know I said an easy alternative to the locate function. <grin> > > TGIF and BFN > > Jim > > In any case = In any box ??? > > j...@kitchensinc.net > http://www.kitchensinc.net > (440) 286-6920 > Chardon Ohio USA > --- > Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. > --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
