Author Topic: Common questions about EZGUI before purchase  (Read 9906 times)

Chris Boss

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Common questions about EZGUI before purchase
« on: September 24, 2021, 08:11:33 am »
In this post I will mention a number of common questions new users may have before purchasing EZGUI 5.0 Professional:

(1) What compilers does EZGUI work with ?

EZGUI was designed for use with the Powerbasic Windows compilers. It should work with nearly any of their Windows compilers such as PB 6.x, 7.x, 8.x, 9.x and 10.x

While not designed for them, it is possible to use EZGUI with the Powerbasic Console compilers as well, but it will require a little "tweaking" to do so. If the Console compiler supports a command to turn off the default console window, you will have to manually add that command to your apps code each time you compile it. I can also provide an old utility app (which came with EZGUI 4.0) you can use which can modify the compiled EXE after compiling (needs to change a single byte in EXE header).

It is recommended though to use the Powerbasic Windows compilers.

(2) Will EZGUI work with any other programming languages ?

In theory if could, but the biggest problem is that most programming languages use a C like string type for variable length strings.

Powerbasic uses the WIN32 OLE API's for variable length strings which is what the EZGUI run time API's expect.

The EZGUI runtime is a standard DLL (32 bit) so it can be accessed by any programming language, but because of the OLE string issue most languages may be able to work properly with it.

Also the include files for EZGUI are for Powerbasic compilers only and would have to be converted for another language.

(3) Will EZGUI 5.0 work on Windows 10 ?

YES.  EZGUI was designed using core WIN32 API's which make it extremely compatible with most versions of Windows, including new ones.

Because of this it can run on Windows 98, ME, Vista, XP, 7, 8 and 10 !

EZGUI knows what version of Windows it is running on and adjusts to it. Some features are simply turned off on Windows 98, ME and Vista. About 95% of the feature set works on those older versions. From Windows XP and on , all of EZGUI's features are active.

The OpenGL Canvas control in EZGUI requires that the core OpenGL drivers are installed for that to work. Most PC's support OpenGL so that should not be a problem.

(4) How large is the EZGUI runtime ?

The primary runtime DLL is only about 700 KB in size. There are a few other secondary runtime DLLs (ie. OpenGL Canvas control) and when using them the entire runtime is about 1 megabyte in size. The entire runtime can fit on an old fashioned floppy disk.

(5) Does EZGUI have a Form Editor ?

Yes, EZGUI 5.0 has its own Visual Designer (Form Editor). It does not though have a code editor built in. Instead it uses what I call a "Smart Parser" technology which let's you use the Designer with any compatible external code editor when generating code. The Smart Parser literally rewrites your source code when forms have been modified, each time you generate code. This allows a seamless integration between the Designer and your favorite code editor.

To be compatible the code editor needs to be compatible with the Powerbasic compiler and also support the passing of a filename to the command line. That is all.

(6) How much does EZGUI 5.0 Professional cost ?

Currently as of  9/24/2021 the price is only $39 and I don't expect it to change anytime soon.

EZGUI 5.0 originally sold for $249 when it was released and even at that price was worth every penny.

At the current $39 it is a real deal.

(7) Do I still get the same quality tech support if I buy EZGUI at your highly discounted price ?

Absolutely ! I provide the same tech support to all EZGUI users.