Minimum Application - WIN

The following is the minimum code necessary to create an application.

-- collect any program arguments
local app_args = { ... }

-- create the application's main frame
local appFrame = win.create_app_frame ()

-- run the application's loop
appFrame:run_app ()

The win.create_app_frame function creates and returns an applicationFrame window, which is the main frame for the application. The frame's run_app method sets the application's thread into modal state, where it runs in a loop processing events until the application quits. The call to run_app must be the last statement in the application program. The application's main frame object, and program arguments table, may be named whatever you like.

Although the above code produces a running application: it starts in the background; has an empty frame; is identified by the program's file name on the List page; does nothing and cannot be closed on a monitor (Ctrl+Alt+X can be used on the terminal. It is a base frame window to extend upon with the application functionality.

While the contents of the frame can be organized however desired, typically a title bar and close button are added. These can be added by a call to the frame's dress method, with a string value parameter of the initial title for the frame. This string is also set as the frame window's text value (as with set_text). The frame window's text value is used by the List page to identify the application. Typically the title bar text and List page entry would be the same. If different values are desired then call the frame's set_text method after dress, and set_title, with the desired value. The close button event's are handled by the system.


See Application Writing, WIN.