OS/2 Version 2.0, Volume 4: Writing Applications

This document is intended as a general introduction to the concepts involved in the design and implementation of applications which will execute in the OS/2 Presentation Manager and Workplace Shell environments under OS/2 Version 2.0. It is not intended to be an exhaustive reference on the subject of Presentation Manager programming, and should be used in conjunction with the official IBM product documentation, and other reference books and documents, which are mentioned herein.

It must be stressed that this document is not intended to teach the reader how to program in the “C” language or how to use the Presentation Manager programming interface, nor is it intended to teach the theory of object-oriented programming. Rather, it serves as a guide to the integration of various object-oriented software engineering techniques with the Presentation Manager application model, in order to produce well-structured, easilymaintainable applications which conform to CUA guidelines.

The information given in this document is generally independent of programming language implementations (with certain exceptions noted in the text), and may be used to develop applications in any supported programming language. However, programming syntax examples used in this document are shown using the “C" language, since this language is commonly used for Presentation Manager application development, and most clearly illustrates the structure of the Presentation Manager and Workplace Shell application models.

This document is intended for:

• Application designers, planners and development managers who require an understanding of the application of object-oriented principles to the Presentation Manager environment, and the productivity gains to be achieved from the use of such principles.
• Programmers who wish to understand the structure of Presentation Manager and Workplace Shell applications, and the techniques by which applications may be constructed so as to achieve maximum function, with optimal levels of reusability and maintainability.