BIL(4)

📦
version 2.5.3 · 2 versions
, in nixos 26.05

okay bestie, welcome to BIL(special file) — the Builder Interface Language for the CDE Application Builder. This is the manual page, but make it make sense. ✨

NAME 💖

BIL — Builder Interface Language for the CDE Application Builder

SYNOPSIS 🎀

:bil-version major minor
:project project_name
(
        project_attributes
[:connection
(
        connection_attributes
)]
)
:module module_name
(
:element element_name
(
        element_attributes
        [children]
)
[:connection
(
        connection_attributes
)]
)

DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so BIL, the Builder Interface Language, is a specialized representation syntax made to meet the intermediate storage requirements of the CDE Application Builder. It describes the overall attributes of the application — also known as a “project” — the modules it contains, the elements that make up modules, and the behavioral relationships between objects, aka “connections.” literally the whole structure, bestie. 💅

BIL is not a compiled language. It’s read and written as data by the CDE Application Builder and its associated code generator. Even so, the format of BIL is printable ASCII characters with a “human readable” nature, which makes it possible for users to examine the contents of a BIL-formatted file and to process a BIL file using simple ASCII string-oriented tools and techniques. slay for grep girlies. 🫶

Two distinct types of BIL files are recognized by the CDE Application Builder:

  • One type is known as a project file, and it describes overall attributes of the project (application) as well as identifies the modules that comprise it. It also contains any cross-module information, such as connections that bind together objects in different modules.
  • A second type of BIL file exists for each module and is known as a module file. It contains all module-specific information, including definition of the elements that comprise the module and connections that exist within it.

BIL is structured in an object-oriented fashion. Objects are defined and named, and sets of parentheses are used to enclose declarations of all the object’s attributes. Object types recognized by BIL include project, module, element and connection. iconic little family. 🌸

the directives, bestie 👑

  • :bil-version major minor — version information is useful to the CDE Application Builder and code generators in determining how to handle BIL files that may date from earlier releases. time capsule behavior, but make it intentional. ⭐
  • :project project_name — the :project directive names the project (application). It encloses a declaration of project_attributes as well as a list of any cross-module connections that may exist within the project.
  • :module module_name — the :module directive names a module. It encloses a declaration of all elements that comprise the module as well as a list of any connections that may exist within the module.
  • :element element_name — the :element directive names an element. It encloses a declaration of all element_attributes, including a list of any children that may be part of the element.
  • :connection — the :connection directive names a connection and specifies its attributes. It can occur as part of a project or a module.
  • :children — the :children directive appears as an attribute of any element which contains (“parents”) other elements. It encloses a list of all child elements, referencing each by its element name.

Project, element and connection attributes take the form:

:attribute_name attribute_value

Where attribute_name is an attribute appropriate for the project, element or connection, and attribute_value is typed according to the attribute. Attribute types include integer, string, object name, and keyword, where the keyword is one of a fixed list used by BIL to identify specific data values (e.g. :true, :none). Some attribute values are ordered N-tuples, in which case the complete set is enclosed in parentheses. no cap, parentheses are doing heavy lifting here. 🎀

Comments may be placed in a BIL file by starting a line with two slashes (//). Any comments that occur in a BIL file prior to the :bil-version line will be preserved by the CDE Application Builder across successive updates to the file. Comments that occur after the :bil-version line will not be retained. so put your precious notes above the version line, bestie. 😭

RETURN VALUE 💀

None.

EXAMPLES 🌈

The following is an example of a project file:

:bil-version    1 0
:project todotool
(
    :files      (main_window.bil task_dialog.bil)

:connection
(
    :from       main_window.add_item_btn
    :to task_dialog.task_dialog
    :when       :activate
    :action-type        :builtin
    :action     :show
    :arg-type   :void
)
)

A typical module file would contain:

:bil-version    1 0
:module task_dialog
(

:element        task_dialog
(
    :type       :dialog
    :x  649
    :y  499
    :width      354
    :height     57
    :bg-color   "white"
    :label      "Adding a New Task"
    :resizable  :true
    :has-footer :false
    :visible    :false
    :children   (
        ctrl_panel
        activate_panel)
)
:element        ctrl_panel
(
    :type       :container
    :container-type     :relative
    :x  0
    :y  0
    :width      354
    :height     57
    :visible    :true
    :border-frame       :none
    :north-attachment   (:obj task_dialog 0)
    :south-attachment   (:obj task_dialog 0)
    :east-attachment    (:obj task_dialog 0)
    :west-attachment    (:point 0 0)
    :children   (
        task)
)
:element        task
(
    :type       :text-field
    :text-type  :alphanumeric
    :x  28
    :y  6
    :width      -1
    :height     -1
    :border-frame       :none
    :label-type :string
    :label      "Task:"
    :label-position     :west
    :num-columns        32
    :max-length 80
    :read-only  :false
    :active     :true
    :visible    :true
    :north-attachment   (:point 0 6)
    :south-attachment   (:none 0 0)
    :east-attachment    (:none 0 0)
    :west-attachment    (:point 0 28)
)
:element        activate_panel
(
    :type       :container
    :container-type     :activate
    :x  -1
    :y  -1
    :width      -1
    :height     -1
    :visible    :true
    :border-frame       :etched-in
    :children   (
        ok_button
        cancel_button
        help_button)
)
:element        ok_button
(
    :type       :button
    :button-type        :push-button
    :x  -1
    :y  -1
    :width      -1
    :height     -1
    :border-frame       :none
    :label-type :string
    :label-alignment    :center
    :label      "OK"
    :active     :true
    :visible    :true
    :north-attachment   (:grid-line 5 0)
    :south-attachment   (:grid-line 95 0)
    :east-attachment    (:grid-line 30 0)
    :west-attachment    (:grid-line 10 0)
)
:element        cancel_button
(
    :type       :button
    :button-type        :push-button
    :x  -1
    :y  -1
    :width      -1
    :height     -1
    :border-frame       :none
    :label-type :string
    :label-alignment    :center
    :label      "Cancel"
    :active     :true
    :visible    :true
    :north-attachment   (:grid-line 5 0)
    :south-attachment   (:grid-line 95 0)
    :east-attachment    (:grid-line 60 0)
    :west-attachment    (:grid-line 40 0)
)
:element        help_button
(
    :type       :button
    :button-type        :push-button
    :x  -1
    :y  -1
    :width      -1
    :height     -1
    :border-frame       :none
    :label-type :string
    :label-alignment    :center
    :label      "Help"
    :active     :true
    :visible    :true
    :north-attachment   (:grid-line 5 0)
    :south-attachment   (:grid-line 95 0)
    :east-attachment    (:grid-line 90 0)
    :west-attachment    (:grid-line 70 0)
)
:connection
(
    :from       ok_button
    :to task_dialog
    :when       :activate
    :action-type        :builtin
    :action     :hide
    :arg-type   :void
)
:connection
(
    :from       cancel_button
    :to task_dialog
    :when       :activate
    :action-type        :builtin
    :action     :hide
    :arg-type   :void
)
:connection
(
    :from       ok_button
    :when       :create
    :action-type        :call-function
    :action     confirm_taskCB
    :arg-type   :void
)
:connection
(
    :from       cancel_button
    :when       :create
    :action-type        :call-function
    :action     cancel_taskCB
    :arg-type   :void
)
)

APPLICATION USAGE 🧚

Applications and application developers typically do not work directly with BIL files, instead using them indirectly through the CDE Application Builder. It may, however, be useful for them to understand the layout and scope of BIL to satisfy particular application development needs (e.g. to add specialized comments to BIL files or to examine them to examine useful information (such as help text built-into a application)). lowkey a “know the format, not the drama” situation. 💜

SEE ALSO 👑

dtbuilder(1) dtcodegen(1)

🫶 and that’s the whole BIL(special file) situation, bestie. Cute footer sign-off: the footer/source-version is BIL(special file), and the original page didn’t list a separate date or version line beyond that — so no inventing, periodt. 💅

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