			INTRODUCTION TO TIX


TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------

1.0 About This Version

2.0 What is Tix
2.1 Getting Tix
2.2 Installing Tix

3.0 Getting Started
3.1 The Widgets
3.2 Using the Tix Widgets
3.3 Configuring the Tix Widgets
3.3.1 Subwidget Options
3.3.2 Using the Options Database
3.4 Alternative Bindings and Color Schemes
3.5 Othet Commands
3.6 Other Features
3.7 Using Tix Interactively

4.0 Accessing Subwidgets
4.0.1 Container Widgets
4.0.2 Conglomerate Widgets
4.1 Unsafe Access to Subwidgets

5.0 To Tix or not to Tix
5.1 More Documentation ...
5.2 Acknowledgement


1.0 ABOUT THIS VERSION
----------------------

	This is Tix version 4.0. In this version, all the Tix widgets
have been rewritten under an object oriented framework.


2.0 WHAT IS TIX
---------------

	TIX 4.0 is a set of compound widgets based on TK.It includes a
	Combobox, a FileSelectbox, other useful compound widgets and a
	bunch of extensions to TK.

	Tix is not based on [incr tcl]. It is based on its own OOP
	framework. While [incr tcl] tries to be general, the Tix OOP
	framework is tuned tuned for compound widget programming.
	Therefore, it allows you to rapidly develop new widgets
	without having to go through all the dirty works you have to
	do under [incr tcl], such as renaming widget commands.

	Also, Tix features a well-defined subwidget access mechainsm
	that allows you to easily access subwidgets inside a compound
	widgets without compromising the integrity of the OOP
	interface.


2.1 GETTING TIX
----------------

    1) ftp://harbor.ecn.purdue.edu/pub/tcl/extensions/Tix4.0.tar.Z

    2) http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~ioi/gui/tix.html


2.2 INSTALLING TIX
-------------------

    1) Unpack the file at a proper place. It will create a directory
       Tix4.0/

       % tar xvf Tix4.0.tar

    2) Edit the Makefile to indicate where you want to put the Tix
       library files (the default location is /usr/local/lib/tix.)

    3) Inside the directory Tix4.0/ do

       % make install

    This will install the tix library to /usr/local/lib/tix and the
    man-pages to /usr/local/man.


3.0 GETTING STARTED
--------------------

	You need to set the environment TIX_LIBRARY that points to the
	directory that contains the TCL library of Tix. This should
	usually be /usr/local/lib/tix.


3.1 THE WIDGETS
----------------

	There are a binch of files inside Tix4.0a1/test and you can
	start with using these files as examples.

	[	To be written		]


4.0 ACCESSING SUBWIDGETS
-------------------------

	Usually the subwidgets inside a compound widget should be
    invisible to the user and should be accessed directly. However,
    TIX provides a mechanism to access the subwidgets when it is
    necessary. The widgets can be access in two ways according to the
    type of the compound widget.


4.0.1 CONTAINER WIDGETS


4.0.2 COMPOSIT WIDGETS


4.1 UNSAFE ACCESS TO SUBWIDGETS
--------------------------------

	Currently you can access the public subwidgets any way you
    like. This is potentially dangerous: all the subwidgets inside a
    comglomerate widget have default bindings so that they can cooperate.
    If you change those bindings, the comglomerate widget may stop
    functioning correctly.

	In a future release, access to public subwidgets will be
    restricted. Before that date comes, though, please be careful when you
    access the public subwidgets. Advoid it if possible and, in any case,
    do *not* change any binding of the public subwidgets. Even adding
    bindings using

	bind [.cbox entry] <Enter> "+myproc"

    can be dangerous! If it seems to work fine now, it will break in
    the near future. You have been warned.


5.1 MORE DOCUMENTATION
-----------------------

	This release of Tix 4.0 will give you enough information to
    use the Tix widgets and extensions in your applications. In a few
    weeks, possible at the beginning of september, I'll release a "fully
    documented release" to include more information, such how the Tix
    Intrinsics works so you can write your new Tix conformant widget.
    There will also be a PS formatted version of this paper that include
    some screen dumps.


5.2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
--------------------

	I have to thank the many people who have given me advices, bug
    reports, hard time, etc. I love to have see those mails. I have to
    send my special thanks to Shannon Jaeger, the correspondence with
    who who has given me enough enthusiasm to continue with the Tix
    project.
