Icon Resources - Revision history

Paulb: /* The Tools of the Trade */

2008-06-26T23:50:46Z

‎The Tools of the Trade

Paulb: /* Adding New Icons */

2008-06-26T23:33:16Z

‎Adding New Icons

Paulb: /* Accessing Tool-Specific Icons */

2008-06-26T23:16:19Z

‎Accessing Tool-Specific Icons

Paulb at 22:03, 26 June 2008

2008-06-26T22:03:02Z

Paulb at 21:18, 26 June 2008

2008-06-26T21:18:04Z

New page

[[Category:Extending EiffelStudio]]
[[Category:Resource Handling]]

{{Note|The information here is for use in the EiffelStudio 6.3 development branch or later.}}
{{UnderConstruction}}

A typical [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] extender will need to either access either the pool of general stock icons (also know as pixmaps), add new stock icons or include a new collection for a tool or dialog development. The information here describes the built-n access methods as well as information for creating new icon pixmaps in the form of an icon "matrix".

== Icons, Pixmaps, Pixel Buffers and Matrices ==
Icon resources come labeled in all sorts of manners, typically because of the evolving and maturing of the [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] code base. To help you get a grip on what means what and what to use where, here's run-down of the terms used.

'''Pixmaps''' are [[:Category:EiffelVision2|EiffelVision2]] image representations. [[:Category:EiffelVision2|EiffelVision2]] pixmaps support transparency but do not support alpha channels. As [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] matures pixmaps are being phased out in place of pixel buffers.

'''Pixel Buffers''' are also [[:Category:EiffelVision2|EiffelVision2]] image representations, like pixmaps, but supporting alpha channels. Pixel buffers are become the image representation of choice because of their flexibility and their ability to be converted to pixmaps.

'''Icons''' are a single image representing a button, menu or other such glyph. In the [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] code base an icon is a notion rather than an actual physical entity. An icon is a slice of a pixmap/pixel buffer matrix.

'''Matrices''' are the way [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] logical groups a collection of icons. A matrix is typically a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNG PNG] file installed in the [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] delivery. A matrix is also referred to as a pixmap, which is a term derived from using [[:Category:EiffelVision2|EiffelVision2]]. In actualality a matrix is loaded as a pixel buffer and not a pixmap to support alpha channels. In the development branch, matrix pixmap resources are accompanied by a matrix configuration file, used with the [[Eiffel Matrix Code Generator]] tool to generate icon accessor classes, which is used in this document.

== Accessing Icons ==
If all you need to do is to access existing icon resources from [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]], or the operating system's default icons there is very little you need to do. Depending on what you are developing and if you are using [[EiffelStudio Foundations|ESF]].

=== Accessing "Stock" Icons ===
Access to all of the stock icons can be achieved through inheriting a shared accessor class <e>ES_SHARED_PIXMAPS</e> from your custom classes. <e>ES_SHARED_PIXMAPS</e> provides shared access to the OS stock icons through <e>stock_pixmaps</e>, [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] 16x16 through <e>icon_pixmaps</e>, [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] 12x12 through <e>small_pixmaps</e> and [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] 10x10 through <e>mini_pixmaps</e>.

{{Note|The names of the accessor functions are likely to change in the future for consistency and better naming.}}

Accessing icons in this way is specific to auxiliary development that is not based on [[EiffelStudio Foundations|ESF]] as [[EiffelStudio Foundations|ESF]] provides default accessor routines to all [[EiffelStudio Foundation Tools|tools]], [[EiffelStudio Foundation Dialogs|dialogs]] and [[EiffelStudio Foundation Widgets|widgets]] through a <e>stock_pixmaps</e> and <e>mini_stock_pixmaps</e> function for 16x16 and 10x10 pixel sized icons respectively.

{{warning|It is not recommended you create the icon accessor objects yourself using the accessor classes. [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] resource handling is smart enough to load matrix files twice, but at any point the matrix files may be renamed or the creation of the accessor objects may change and break your code.}}

All general stock icon matrix files are located under ''/Src/Delivery/studio/bitmap/png/'' or installed under ''$ISE_EIFFEL/studio/bitmaps/png/''.

=== Accessing Tool-Specific Icons ===
[[EiffelStudio Foundation Tools|Tools]] and [[EiffelStudio Foundation Dialogs|dialogs]] based on [[EiffelStudio Foundations|ESF]] can optionally inherit <e>ES_TOOL_PIXMAPS_PROVIDER</e> for accessing tool-specific icons located in the tool's [Modular Tool Development#Tool Folders|folder]. When inherited, <e>ES_TOOL_PIXMAPS_PROVIDER</e>, provides access to the icons through <e>tool_pixmaps</e>

== Tool Development ==
[[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] has a special way of handling tool-specific icon resources, using the similar techniques as those already described. Tools should used the new [Modular Tool Development|modular] development concepts outline.

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 To regenerate the icon accessor class for the stock 16x16 icons, you could perform the following using your terminal of choice:
 <code>
-cd $EIFFEL_SRC/Eiffel/interface/new_graphical/shared
+$>cd $EIFFEL_SRC/Eiffel/interface/new_graphical/shared
-emcgen "$EIFFEL_SRC/Delivery/studio/bitmaps/png/16x16.ini" --frame "$EIFFEL_SRC/tools/eiffel_matrix_code_generator/frames/estudio.e.frame"
+$>emcgen "$EIFFEL_SRC/Delivery/studio/bitmaps/png/16x16.ini"
 </code>

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 === Accessing Tool-Specific Icons ===
 [[EiffelStudio Foundation Tools|Tools]] and [[EiffelStudio Foundation Dialogs|dialogs]] based on [[EiffelStudio Foundations|ESF]] can optionally inherit <e>ES_TOOL_PIXMAPS_PROVIDER</e> for accessing tool-specific icons located in the tool's [[Modular Tool Development#Tool Folders|folder]]. When inherited, <e>ES_TOOL_PIXMAPS_PROVIDER</e>, provides access to the icons through <e>tool_pixmaps</e>.
 == Tool Development ==
 [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] has a special way of handling tool-specific icon resources, using the similar techniques as those already described. Tools should used the new [Modular Tool Development|modular] development concepts outline.

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 [[Category:Resource Handling]]
 {{UnderConstruction}}
 A typical [[:Category:EiffelStudio|EiffelStudio]] extender will need to either access either the pool of general stock icons (also know as pixmaps), add new stock icons or include a new collection for a tool or dialog development. The information here describes the built-n access methods as well as information for creating new icon pixmaps in the form of an icon "matrix".