architecture.txt

Dialog Editor Architecture

Dialog Template Parser Code
In-Memory Data Model
Graphical Code
	Hit-testing code
	Rendering code
Graphical User Interface
	Filesystem Interface
	Language Interface


The Data Model
--------------

This program maintains a binary form of the dialog template while it
is being worked on.  For any text fields in the dialog template that
Windows can only access up to 255 characters from, this program also
limits such fields to 255 characters explicitly.  Also, there are two
utility functions included, SetUnixNlChars() and GenWinNlChars(), that
are used to assist between newline conversions.


Other Commentary
----------------

The header "subwindef.h" remains in this program's source code due to
a previous, but impossible, wish to make this program cross-platform.
See README.txt for the explanation.

Originally, this program was written as only two source code files:
one for the dialog template parser and the rest was in dlgedit.c.
However, I later broke that single file, which was small in comparison
to bigger program's source code files, into several other files which
are hopefully more reusable on there own.  This is intended to be a
favor for you to not have to redo as much work as has already been
done if you plan on writing a Windows application for obsolete Windows
computers.