XmHTML Widget Set

This document is the main index to the XmHTML Widget Set documentation. XmHTML provides a widget capable of displaying HTML 3.2 conforming text.

These pages will be updated regularly as the development of this widget progresses. Keep an eye on them!

The XmHTML Widget Set is unique in its kind: it is the only HTML 3.2 widget set available under the GNU Library General Public License. As such, XmHTML can be used for both commercial and non-commercial applications.

September 11, 1998, released XmHTML Beta 1.1.5

This page tells you where you can find it.

XmHTML reaches the press! Read the article about XmHTML Eric Foster-Johnson wrote in his Cross Thoughts column of Unix Review's Performance Computing magazine.

Table of Contents

1. Where to get XmHTML and the XmHTML mailing list
2. XmHTML Widget Set Overview
3. Description of latest changes
4. Legal Issues, distribution and licensing
5. Copyright Notices
6. XmHTML Widget Set Programmers and Reference Guide
7. XmHTML Manual Pages
8. XmHTML PNG Demo Page
9. HTML Extensions implemented by XmHTML
10. List of applications using XmHTML

Pointers to other Web related sites:

• HTML 3.2 Document Overview
• HTML 3.2 Element Overview
• W3C - The World Wibe Web Consortium
• W3C Technical Reports & Publications
• The Web Developer's Virtual Library

The full package of these web pages is also available for downloading: XmHTML.html.tar.gz (136826 bytes).

XmHTML Widget Set Overview

• XmHTML, a high performance Motif Widget capable of displaying HTML 3.2 confirming text. Amongst it's many features are the following:
  • builtin image support for X11 bitmaps, X11 pixmaps, GIF87a, GIF89a, JPEG and PNG;
  • GIF images are decoded using a patent free scheme;
  • builtin support for animated GIF89a and animated GIF89a with NETSCAPE2.0 loop extension. XmHTML supports all GIF89a disposal methods;
  • image support covers all X11 visual types and display depths;
  • delayed image loading;
  • progressive image loading;
  • builtin scrolling interface (both keyboard and mouse);
  • anchors can be displayed as pushbuttons;
  • anchor can be highlighted for enhanced visual feedback;
  • autosizing;
  • capable of displaying text/html, text/plain and standalone images;
  • supports the full HTML 3.2 standard; as well as the HTML 4.0 <FRAMESET> tags;
  • an extensive set of callback resources;
  • full text justification;
  • smart and user-definable font mapping;
  • can work with a predefined palette (which it can even create for you);
  • builtin quantizer using Floyd-Steinberg error diffusion;
  • four different dithering methods allow one to achieve an optimum balance between performance and image quality;
  • HTML Table support;
  • Support for HTML4.0 Events;
  • fully compatible with LessTif;
  • comes with an extensive set of documentation (manual pages, Programmers and Reference Guide and a collection of examples);

• XmBalloon, a very lightweight "tooltip" Widget to show a one-line string in a small popup-window. Features include the following:
  • Choose between a rectangular or shaped window;
  • Popup window can be transparent;
  • User-configurable Popup and popdown delays;
  • very easy to use;

The XmHTML Widget Set also contain a number of routines which allow one to make full use of XmHTML's image support for purposes other than XmHTML.

Plans for the future include the migration of XmHTML's image support into a seperate Image library to allow authors to add image support to their applications with a single call.

Features missing in the current version of XmHTML are the following:

• Java applets. Kaffe, might offer some solution here.

©Copyright 1996-1997 by Ripley Software Development
Last update: September 25, 1998 by Koen