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Utilities
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KwikPeg provides the following utility programs to simplify the
development of your graphical user interface (GUI).
The KwikPeg Window Builder is a powerful visual design tool which
allows you to quickly create and use custom windows and dialogs.
The output of the Window Builder is the C++ source code required
to create the desired window or dialog. The Window Builder also
generates the prototype message handling code required to process
signals received from the window or dialog child controls.
The KwikPeg Window Builder is actually a KwikPeg application program
derived using the KwikPeg GUI Testing facility.
Hence, the Window Builder runs as a Windows application and
displays your GUI exactly as it will appear in your target
environment.
Using the Window Builder, you can import any number of custom
fonts and apply those fonts to KwikPeg controls using drag-and-drop
techniques. The Window Builder's visible control is immediately updated
to match the custom font and the generated source code assigns the font
to the control.
Graphics files can also be imported into
the Window Builder project environment. Imported graphics can be
any combination of BMP, JPEG, GIF or PNG files.
The Window Builder will encode the files, performing dithering and
color reduction if required, to ensure that the graphics are ready
to use on the target platform. Graphic images are encoded as
C style data arrays, ready to be compiled and linked into the target
system software.
Once a graphic has been imported into the Window Builder environment,
it can be applied to any KwikPeg object which supports bitmap decorations.
The source code generated by the Window Builder will perform all of the
necessary steps needed to create the controls and assign the correct
bitmaps to each control. While in the Window Builder environment,
the graphics appear on the selected controls exactly as they
will appear on the final target.
We believe that the Window Builder is simply the most
powerful GUI application development tool available to embedded
developers at any price!
The KwikPeg Image Converter is a PC executable program,
written using KwikPeg, that converts BMP, JPEG, GIF or PNG images
into the format supported by the KwikPeg bitmap functions.
The output of the KwikPeg Image Converter is a C++ source file that can
be compiled and linked with your application.
The Image Converter will optionally compress the output bitmap
for any particular image file, allowing you to achieve the best
tradeoff between speed and memory size.
The Image Converter also creates optimized palettes
for applications running in 8-bpp (256 color) mode.
Given a set of one or more image files,
the Image Converter will perform advanced quantization
and color reduction, producing an optimal palette for the selected file set.
The output images are then encoded using the newly generated palette
information. Multiple palettes can be used in one application.
The Image Converter also supports dithering of pixel color data when
reducing the color depth of an input image to match the output
display capabilities.
KwikPeg supports two font formats: a custom
1-bit-per-pixel, variable width, bitmapped font format and a
scalable vector font format. Two high quality bitmapped fonts are
provided: a system font and a slightly smaller menu font.
The scalable vector font allows generation of
normal, bold and/or italic fonts in any point size.
The KwikPeg Font Grabber is a Windows utility which incorporates
elements of the KwikPeg Library to convert TrueType and
BDF font files into the native bitmapped font format used by KwikPeg.
The output of the Font Grabber is a C++ source
file containing C style data arrays describing
the captured font. These source files must be compiled and
linked with your application. These captured fonts can be
used with any KwikPeg control that displays string data.
The KwikPeg Configuration Manager can be used to configure
KwikPeg to exclude support for the KwikPeg scalable vector font,
thereby shrinking the KwikPeg memory footprint.
The manager also permits you to assign any available font to each of the
standard controls provided by KwikPeg. This feature is
especially useful if you have used the Font Grabber to create an
alternate set of fonts for your GUI.
You can download and run the
KwikPeg Configuration Manager to see exactly how easy
font management can be.
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