From: GBanschbach@...
Date: 2002-09-27T02:43:26+09:00
Subject: Ruby/Tk or mod_ruby or what ??

Dear All,

     I am writing to ask if someone among the Ruby user base can address an
issue for me.   I have begun to review Ruby after learning Java/Swing.
I found Java to be good enough, but alot of code to get things done.   It
was not too painfull to learn.   I read 3 books on Java / SWING and came
away able to write basic apps with a GUI.   I decided that I wanted
something simpler, and cleaner to use.   Something that I could also teach
to others in my group [  mostly Bourne Shell scripters ].   Ruby is nice in
the regard that it has a similar feel to shell scripting.    Then I decided
that since Tk was the default GUI for Ruby - sort of - and I remembered
that I made some simple Tcl/Tk gui's before,  I would use Tk again. Fine.
But then I find out that the "interface" to Tk is very
different........8-(.      Then I start to look for docs on how to use it
..... you know,  like a tutorial.
       I apologize in advance - a good tutorial is not a small project....
but  the "tutorials"  for Ruby/Tk are SAD.    In fact, it would be more
accurate to say that there aren't any.   Maybe I should look at using some
sort of  ruby-to-web-browser interface...  But to tell someone to "go read
a Perl/Tk book"  is  doing Ruby a disservice.   Some people will think
"....I might as well use Perl then".    Below is an approximation of what I
think would be a help.     If some of you more experienced with Ruby/Tk,
maybe we can band together and put out the beginings of a
tutorial......like what is below:

[  This is a shade long but I want to show the kind of progression that is
needed   -  please be patient ]

One that ( like other GUI tutorials ) starts out by saying -   Ok.  Here is
the root window.   It does this.
you put things in the root window.  Here is a window with a button.
Notice that when you run in Unix / X , that even though you copied the
example WITH a title:
#!/usr/bin/env ruby

require 'tk'
root = TkRoot.new() { title "Click the Button" }
...
Tk.mainloop

you will not see the title.     Here is WHY:  Yada   Yada   Yada.
Here is the same code with x y z.

A button usually has an action associated with it.    Sometimes people will
refer to the ACTION as a "CALLBACK."
Here is how it works.

Now let's talk about a script that has a text entry.   When you enter a
word into the text entry widget,  it will convert the word to UPPER CASE.
Here is the code.....  WITH COMMENTS      8-).    Notice that we put the
widgets in a Frame.  A frame is for  ........

Now let's make it a 2 field Name - Phone number type of GUI  -  no lookup
features - that is the Next version in Chapter 3.
For now we will just add another text field and  OK & Cancel buttons.
[End]

      With Tk so prevalent,  why isn't there something like this for Ruby.
Every BOOK I have seen on Amazon got ONE chapter for Tk.    Not even  15
pages.     Most Tcl/Tk books have 50+ pages......

Ok, guys.....   I'm done for now.  I will help produce one if  I can get
the help I need to learn it.... no sense in just complaining....  8-)

Thanks,
Greg