ArcGIS Engine Developer Guide

C++ APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE
LIMITATIONS
When using the C++ API, only command-line applications are cross-platform.
On Solaris and Linux, controls in the form of Motif widgets have been provided
and GUI applications can be built. The Motif applications will not run on Windows.
However, GUI applications can be built on Windows with the COM API,
including Visual C++, and several ActiveX controls provide GIS functionality to
standalone GUI applications. For details, see the Visual C++ section of the help
system.
SOLARIS AND LINUX POST-CRASH CLEANUP
If an application does not exit cleanly, it is possible that processes will remain. To
tidy up these processes, use the mwcleanup utility. Typing “mwcleanup” at the
command line will kill all running ArcGIS applications and clean up all X properties.
CHOOSING BETWEEN MOTIF AND GTK
If you would like to write a control application on Solaris or Linux, you have
two widget sets to choose from: Motif and GTK. One major factor in whether
you should use Motif or GTK will be your programming experience: if you are
already familiar with one, that will make your ArcObjects experience easier. In
addition, each has both benefits and disadvantages.
Pros
Motif
multiplatform availability
traditional UNIX look and feel
well supported and documented
preinstalled on Solaris
long-established industry standard
GTK
multiplatform availability
widely used for newer projects
fairly easy to program
standard part of most Linux distributions
active development
Cons
Motif
difficult to program
little active development
support for Linux is lacking
dated design
GTK
noncentralized support
documentation is lacking
support for Solaris is quite new
MOTIF PROGRAMMING
Getting started with Motif programming
Motif widget ArcGIS controls have been provided for C++ developers. To use
them, you must understand some basics of Motif programming. This is not by any
means a complete resource; the variety of Motif widgets and their resources,
which you have available to you as a programmer, are not discussed here. However,
this should give you a place to start figuring out the Motif-specific bits of
the C++ API and samples.
Seven steps of Motif programming
When writing a Motif program, there are seven steps that need to be done.
1. Initialize the Motif Toolkit.
2. Create the widgets.
234 • ArcGIS Engine Developer Guide