Feb-28-2021, 05:36 AM
I don't know that I agree that it is "easy" to port a console program to be a GUI program. A console program has has a fixed sequence. The operator enters information when prompted by the program. You don't have to worry about step A occurring before step B because the steps are ordered by the program.
In a GUI program the sequence is dictated by the user. If step A has to happen before step B, you must take steps that the operator has performed step A before you make step B available. But if you strictly regulate what the user can do at any given time it detracts from the power of a good user interface. When I am writing a Word document I don't have to select a font and set the line spacing and margins before I can begin typing. The application lets me perform these operations at any time and applies them to the document. You should strive for a similar experience in your applications. There should be your data, and the operations you can perform on your data. And for the most part the order of operations should be flexible.
I find GUI applications easier to write than console programs, probably because I'm used to writing event driven programs and that way of thinking has become more natural to me. But I very vaguely remember struggling with with the shift in paradigm when graphical interfaces were first coming into being. Of course the tools available for use back then were pretty horrible.
In a GUI program the sequence is dictated by the user. If step A has to happen before step B, you must take steps that the operator has performed step A before you make step B available. But if you strictly regulate what the user can do at any given time it detracts from the power of a good user interface. When I am writing a Word document I don't have to select a font and set the line spacing and margins before I can begin typing. The application lets me perform these operations at any time and applies them to the document. You should strive for a similar experience in your applications. There should be your data, and the operations you can perform on your data. And for the most part the order of operations should be flexible.
I find GUI applications easier to write than console programs, probably because I'm used to writing event driven programs and that way of thinking has become more natural to me. But I very vaguely remember struggling with with the shift in paradigm when graphical interfaces were first coming into being. Of course the tools available for use back then were pretty horrible.