Re: Graphics libraries for Objective Caml?

Xavier Leroy (xleroy@pauillac.inria.fr)
Tue, 18 Jun 1996 16:35:44 +0200 (MET DST)

From: Xavier Leroy <xleroy@pauillac.inria.fr>
Message-Id: <199606181435.QAA04969@pauillac.inria.fr>
Subject: Re: Graphics libraries for Objective Caml?
To: moj@utu.fi (Matti Jokinen)
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1996 16:35:44 +0200 (MET DST)
In-Reply-To: <96Jun14.013718+0300eet_dst.18158-355+177@utu.fi> from "Matti Jokinen" at Jun 14, 96 01:37:10 am

> What alternatives are available to implement graphical interfaces on
> Ocaml programs? If I understand the user manual correctly, the builtin
> graphics library allows only one window open at any time. Moreover,
> the graphics module under Windows seems to be incompatible with the
> -custom option.

Actually, the graphics windows is only available under the interactive
toplevel application. Batch-compiled programs, with or without the
-custom option, cannot use it.

> Camltk would be an obvious choice for Unix, but what
> about those users who for some reason want run the same programs under
> Windows 95?

Now that Tk is available for Windows, it's conceivable that CamlTk
could be ported to Windows. However, we at INRIA have almost no
manpower to develop for Windows, so we'll have to wait until someone
volunteers to do the Windows port of CamlTk.

> Obviously I could write a wrapper for C functions in the
> Windows library (or can I?)

Definitely yes. Objective Caml for Windows is a 100% Win32 application
(no MSDOS code inside), so it has full access to the Win32 API through
the C interface.

- Xavier Leroy