DTBUILDER(1)

📦
version 2.5.3 · 2 versions
, in nixos 26.05

💖 NAME 💖

dtbuilder — the CDE Application Builder, bestie. That's the whole vibe. (It lives in the user cmd corner of the manual, iykyk.)

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

dtbuilder [projectfile]  [-useWC classCaret]

That's it. That's the whole summoning ritual. 🕯️

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Okay so <pink>dtbuilder</pink> is an interactive application development tool and a user interface management system for CDE — no cap. Its full government name is the CDE Application Builder, and the entire point of it is to make developers' lives easier when they're constructing applications that integrate all nice and pretty into CDE. 🎀

It hands you two basic services, and honestly? Both iconic:

  • it helps you assemble Motif objects into the application user interface you actually want, and
  • it generates the appropriate calls to the routines that support CDE desktop services (think ToolTalk, sessioning, Help — the whole squad).

💅 OPTIONS 💅

  • -useWC class — Use the specified widget class whenever possible. Valid values are:
    • dt — Generate DtComboBox and DtSpinBox widgets. This value retains the CDE 1.0 behavior.
    • xm — Generate XmComboBox and XmSimpleSpinBox widgets. This value selects the Motif/Xm behavior.

Pick your fighter wisely. ⭐

🌸 OPERANDS 🌸

dtbuilder accepts an optional filename operand, and it reads that as the name of an application project file that should be loaded up for editing. That file should be in the BIL format defined for use by the Application Builder — periodt.

If you don't specify a project file, then dtbuilder comes up "empty", ready for a brand-new application to be developed interactively by you. Blank canvas energy. 🎨

💜 RESOURCES 💜

If the -useWC option isn't specified, dtbuilder goes looking at the useWidgetClass resource in the Xt resources table to figure out which class to use for generated widgets. The class/type is XmCUseWidgetClass/XtEnum, and the valid values are:

  • xm (the default) — Generate XmComboBox and XmSimpleSpinBox widgets. This value selects the Motif/Xm behavior.
  • dt — Generate DtComboBox and DtSpinBox widgets. This value retains the CDE 1.0 behavior.

So like — same two choices, just sneaking in through the resources door instead of the command line. 🙈

🍓 STDIN 🍓

Not used. She does not want your piped input, thank you. 💀

🧚 INPUT FILES 🧚

A project file that's gonna be processed by dtbuilder must to be in the BIL format defined for the CDE Application Builder. (Yes, that's the original wording, and yes, we're keeping it exactly as-is. 💖)

Interactively, the Application Builder provides facilities for loading additional project files, plus application module files (which also must be in the BIL format) and interface files that use Motif's UIL format. So many files, so little time. 😭

🌈 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES 🌈

None. Nothing to set. Go touch grass. 🌱

🔥 ASYNCHRONOUS EVENTS 🔥

The dtbuilder utility takes the standard action for all signals. Very chill of her. 🫶

⭐ STDOUT ⭐

Not used. Not a single crumb of output.

💀 STDERR 💀

Used only for diagnostic messages. That's the one and only thing it's for, ngl.

👑 OUTPUT FILES 👑

None by default. 🎀

Interactively, though? The Application Builder provides facilities for writing ("saving") application project and module files — both of which must be in the BIL format — and also for writing ("exporting") interface files that use Motif's UIL format. Save and export, two separate little moments. ✨

🎀 EXTENDED DESCRIPTION 🎀

None. That's it, that's the section. 🙈

💖 EXIT STATUS 💖

The following exit values are returned:

  • 0 — Normal termination. She ate and left no crumbs. ✅
  • 1 — Abnormal termination. The dtbuilder utility was unable to allocate necessary memory or spawn the code generator. 😭

🦋 CONSEQUENCES OF ERRORS 🦋

Default. Nothing extra to report. 💅

🌸 APPLICATION USAGE 🌸

Because dtbuilder is a complex, highly-interactive tool, users typically consider the command line interface as little more than the way to start up the Application Builder. It's the front door, not the house. 🏠

Also: CDE provides an "AppBuilder" action so the Application Builder can be invoked through the standard action interface — including through the Application Manager. Clickable king behavior. 👑

✨ EXAMPLES ✨

  • dtbuilder — This runs the CDE Application Builder, presuming that the user will either be creating a new project or will load one interactively through the Application Builder's "File" menu.
  • dtbuilder myproject.bip — Starts the CDE Application Builder and instructs it to load the project defined in the file myproject.bip.
dtbuilder
dtbuilder myproject.bip

Two commands, zero notes. Slay. 🔥

🫶 SEE ALSO 🫶

Go read those too, bestie, they're part of the lore. 📚

Friendly reminder: this whole page is filed under dtbuilder(user cmd) — that's the manual section she belongs to. 💜

Alright, that's the whole page! Same dtbuilder(user cmd) source/version vibes and everything, no dates to report — so consider this your cute sign-off. Mwah. 💋✨🎀

📦 where this page comes from