How Do You Use Vermont Views?

The fastest and easiest way to use Vermont Views is to use the Vermont Views Designer. To give you an overview, the basic steps are outlined below. Details can be found in the Designer User's Guide.

1. Use the Designer to interactively create the panels (data forms, menu forms, and windows) for your application.
   
   
2. Save the panels in a Designer library. When you save a Designer panel, all the information you have specified for that panel (size, color, field types, layout and so on) is saved in binary representation in the library. During application execution, information about the panel is read from the library using a single function call.
   
   
3. While still in the Designer, use the menu system to automatically generate a working prototype. The Designer creates the data structures, prototyped function lists, stub functions, and prototype main() for you. Stub functions are "dummy" functions that you later replace with your own code. When you run the prototype, these stub functions simply display a message stating what function was called.
   
   
4. Compile and link with a Vermont Views library. You have a working prototype of your application in minutes.
   
   
5. Replace the stub user functions with your own code. Use the Vermont Views library of functions to customize the prototype. Your application is done.

Of course, you do not have to use the Designer to build your application. If you prefer, you can use Vermont Views functions to build your forms, menus, and windows in code.