What is the best way of doing this?

[ArBuZ]

Hi guys! I need a little advice.

I'm going to create a visual editor of dialog trees, that generates XML files.

Here is an approximate sketch of what I want to have:

 

I need to have the ability to add/delete, move, resize and link/unlink this nodes. (also collapse/expand would be great).

So, how do you think, what should I use to create such GUI?

Will WindowsForms (.NET) be enough to make such editor? Or should I use some GUI lib for that?

C++ is preferable language. But if using of the other one will make things much easier Ill learn it.

 

Its been a long time since Ive been made such programs. Last thing I was using was MFC . But I think now there are many modern ways of doing it.

 

Thanks in advanced.

[Rick]

I would say .NET with custom controls. Then you can make it so the controls can be moved at run-time. The only issue I've had with custom controls and moving at run-time is that as you are moving them they flicker, which is kind of annoying.

 

For my flowgraph project I have I draw them out in code. That way I avoided the flickering, but then again I didn't have controls like text boxes and stuff in them so I could do that easily enough.

[ArBuZ]

Custom controls... Hmm.. OK, Ill try it. Thank you very much!

[Canardia]

It should be 3D though, and use OpenGL.

[Rick]

ok ok, I'll ask. Why should this be in 3D?

[Canardia]

Because it gives much more benefits, and 2D user interfaces have been obsolete for long time, even if nobody has made a decent 3D user interface yet. Maybe Linux has, but it does not use it for additional benefits, but only as a task/desktop switcher, so it's merely an animation.

 

I feel that it's wrong and unethical to tell people to do it how everyone else does it, since it doesn't push the evolution of computers further. I think you should always suggest something which is better than what we have now.

[Rick]

OK. I accept your explanation.

[Rekindled Phoenix]

I would highly recommend .Net WPF applications, vector based replacement to WinForms.

 

Using a collection of Custom Controls (similar to Winforms) and mouse-drag events you could easily make a WPF application. Because of the design, the drawing of vector based shapes like the lines and rounded boxes in your picture are much easier to create than inheriting DirectDraw code which forces you to use custom Paintbrushes. *shudder*

 

Take a look at what you can do with WPF

http://images.google.com/images?q=wpf+application

 

I have had to design several WPF applications using both code and XAML (not XML), designed specifically for .Net WPF applications. It is ages beyond WinForms, and I would never go back.

 

 

(It also allows you to take advantage of the GPU using DirectX if you are so inclined to adapt a 3D version, but that is probably unnecessary.)

[Rick]

See I hated working with WPF. Designing the UI with it just didn't seem as natural as WinForms. I think having a web background would make coming into WPF easier than just a WinForms background. I know you can do some cool stuff with it, but design with it was just annoying.

[ArBuZ]

Yes, while gathering info about winForms I stumbled on WPF.

If I understood right inf future Microsoft is going to completely move on this technology.

So I think its a right way to go now.

 

Ill try it. But I'm still not familiar with .NET. So I decided to start from it found one interesting book about .NET and C# for C++ programmers. Reading it now.

[Rekindled Phoenix]

Yes, while gathering info about winForms I stumbled on WPF.

If I understood right inf future Microsoft is going to completely move on this technology.

So I think its a right way to go now.

 

Ill try it. But I'm still not familiar with .NET. So I decided to start from it found one interesting book about .NET and C# for C++ programmers. Reading it now.

 

If you have any questions regarding creating WPF applications, feel free to PM me.