Get A Face Lift

Given the ubiquity of Windows, adopting a “Windows look” is an obvious way to improve the look of any character-based application. The user interface does not necessarily need to work like Windows, but if it looks like Windows, at least the first-impression problem is eliminated.

A real terminal cannot accomplish this task - a terminal emulator (like AccuTerm) is necessary. And the emulator must have the ability to apply the Windows look to ordinary text in an intelligent manner that is easy for developers to take advantage of. AccuTerm accomplishes this by using “Visual Styles”, which adopts the current Windows color scheme and associates various border styles with terminal display attributes (like reverse, dim, underline, etc.) To take advantage of this feature, the application developer needs to use the display attributes in a consistent, intelligent manner. The terminal emulator displays the text using familiar Windows colors and renders the borders transparently. When used properly, specific screen areas (blocks of ordinary text with a common display attribute) appear as if they were text boxes or command buttons.

To take advantage of AccuTerm’s “Visual Styles”, the application may require minor modifications. The extent of the modifications depends on whether the application already utilizes display attributes to highlight screen elements, such as entry fields, labels and command buttons. If display attributes are not currently utilized, the developer must insert the proper terminal commands to display screen elements using appropriate attributes into their code. If the application is written using one of the many available 4GLs, there is usually a way to customize the display characteristics used in the 4GL environment overall. This may be as simple as changing some preferences in a configuration screen or data item.

Besides enabling the use of AccuTerm’s Visual Styles, these simple changes make the application’s interface more visually appealing even when used with ordinary terminals or terminal emulators.

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