Using the User Interface Language (UIL) on VAX VMS is somewhat
different from using most VAX VMS compiled languages. First, you
describe a user interface by creating a UIL module with one of the
editors available on VAX VMS (such as the VAX Language-Sensitive
Editor), and you store this interface description in a file (called
a UIL specification file). The default file type for a UIL
specification file is .UIL.
Next, you create the application program that uses this interface to
invoke the application's functions. Your application must include
Motif Resource Manager (MRM) routines to retrieve information from
the compiled UIL module.
If, for example, the file INTERFACE.UIL contains your UIL module and
APPLICATION.C contains your application, the steps you follow to
create and use an interface are as follows:
1. Create the specification in file INTERFACE.UIL.
2. Compile the specification with the UIL compiler, as follows:
$ UIL/LIST INTERFACE
This DCL command creates a User Interface Description (UID) file
named INTERFACE.UID and a listing file named INTERFACE.LIS.
3. Create and compile the application program in file
APPLICATION.C.
4. Link the application program APPLICATION.OBJ using the VMS
Linker.
5. Run the application, using the following command:
$ RUN APPLICATION
The User Interface Description (UID) file, INTERFACE.UID, is
read directly by the application and is NOT linked as part of
the application. As a result, you can change the interface and
recompile it with UIL compiler. To rerun the application with
the new interface, you do NOT have to recompile or relink the
application.
The "VMS DECwindows Guide to Applications Programming" completely
describes how to create a UIL module and how your application
extracts information from the UIL module to build its interface.
The MRM routines are fully described in the "VMS DECwindows Toolkit
Routines Reference Manual".