Graphical Technology

ACUCOBOL-GT includes broad programming and run-time support for adding a native Graphical User Interface (GUI). In addition, many graphical elements, such as floating windows, labels, entry fields, push buttons, radio buttons, check boxes, list boxes, combo boxes, and others, are emulated with character-based components when run on text-mode systems. Some graphical elements are not emulated in text-mode environments and are simply ignored by the runtime. See User Interface Programming for more information.

ACUCOBOL-GT GUI syntax extensions make it easy to implement specialized user interfaces that are well suited to both graphical and character-based systems, and which remain fully portable. See Creating Portable User Interfaces for information on user interface development approaches, .

The graphical capabilities supported in ACUCOBOL-GT include the following:

• syntax extensions for creating floating windows, toolbars, and controls (such as buttons, entry fields, and labels)
• support for creating and managing menu bars with pull-down submenus
• configuration variables for customizing windows, importing icons, and mapping colors
• library support for host-specific features, such as file open and save-as dialog boxes, message boxes, font selections, print spoolers, and context-sensitive help