Xbae Matrix/Table Widget Home Page

XbaeMatrix is a free Motif table widget (also compatible with the free LessTif) which presents an editable array of string data to the user in a scrollable table similar to a spreadsheet. The rows and columns of the Matrix may optionally be labelled. A number of "fixed" and "trailing fixed" rows or columns may be specified.

While XbaeMatrix looks and acts like a grid of XmTextField widgets, it actually contains only one XmTextField. This means that XbaeMatrix widgets with hundreds or thousands of rows have much less overhead than they would if they used an XmTextField for each cell.

XbaeMatrix has callbacks for doing field validation and customizing traversal. It allows cells to be assigned independent colors. It allows rows, columns and regions of cells to be selected or highlighted. The matrix can be dynamically grown or shrunk by adding and deleting rows and columns at any position.

The widget has many resources to allow individual customisation and can be made to look and behave like an extended list widget with added functionality. Pixmaps (both colour xpm and standard bitmaps) can be displayed in individual cells with the callbacks available in the widget.

The file that is downloaded also contains the XbaeCaption widget which is a simple Motif manager widget that associates a label with a child.

The matrix widget is compatible with version 1.2 of Motif and above. The widget will not be supported for versions lower than X11R6 (please...) or any Motif release below 1.2.

Quotes from satisfied customers

These are unsolicited comments from email I have received.

- I do subcontract work for NASA JSC here in Houston. I have used the widget in an FAO shuttle application (United Space Alliance) and it is in an ISS PPL editor application currently under development (Lockheed Martin). Although my use is primarily as a super XmList widget, I have found it extremely flexible and a valuable addition to our tools at hand; 'course the free part helped some too... :) - Paul Roebuck

- I've recently downloaded XbaeMatrix version 4.6.2 and am very impressed with it. I used XRT/Table before and, in my opinion, XbaeMatrix offers almost the same set of features and similar performance at a MUCH BETTER PRICE :-) Even though some bells and wistles are missing, XbaeMatrix is a beautiful tool and is a "must have" for any Motif developer. - Marat Grichener

- This is an excellent table widget available in public domain. Thanks for your hard work - Eric Shiau

- I was looking for a faster redraw when the data is refreshed. 4.6 looks much faster at than 4.5 - it looks great! - Thomas Palmer

- the top software guy said "it's the best one out there" - the top software guy

- I've been using 4.6 for a while and its great - my code still works which must be a testiment to YOUR coding not mine - Adam Kerrison

- It's always a pleasure to hack into some nicely written code - John Roll

- I'm replacing our use of XRT with XbaeMatrix in an attempt to improve performance. I've got the new code in and it is working and is much faster - Tim Friest

- I demo'd a mockup of what I want to do with your widget and they (my "bosses") loved it, especially the speed. It is very easy to use too. - Todd M. Grimm

Screenshots of the demos included with XbaeMatrix

- add - dynamically adds and deletes rows or columns
- choice - change the way the matrix looks on the fly
- colors - different foregrounds and backgrounds for cells
- draw - use of the draw cell callback for pixmaps and very large matrices
- fifteen - a working clone of the old puzzle game
- list - how XbaeMatrix can be used to emulate an enhanced XmList widget
- matrix - displays variations of the labels
- multifixed - fixed and trailing fixed rows and columns
- select-push - what can be achieved with different shadows

Current objectives

Below is a list of things that crossed the mind as possible enhancements. Some of these range from the "doable" to useless to insane. Mentally, and now via this page, I keep a track of what is worth doing and what is not.

- Smooth vertical scrolling (more...)
- Cells with more than one line of text (more...)
- Different fonts in different cells (more...)
- Spannable cells (more...)
- (done) Cell widgets (more...)

Screenshots from users of the matrix widget

Real time stock market analysis - Donato Petrino (`dp@rtsffm.com`)

A directory browser / file manager - Dirk Vangestel (`gesteld@se.bel.alcatel.be`)

Options risk analysis - Andrew Reid (`andrew.reid@aus.db.com`)

A disk organiser - Alexander Ivanov (`avi@eaglesoft.com`)

Traffic matrices editor - Mariano (`mariano@tomcat.tid.es`)

Trading system - (`Andrew Lister`)

Display of tree-like structure - (`Andrew Lister`)

Screen for hedging short end bond positions - (`Andrew Lister`)

A free version of a popular finance program that runs on an infamous operating system. - (`Rob Clark`)

Yield curve construction - (`Andrew Lister`)

Option portfolio display - (`Andrew Lister`)

Total Airspace and Airport Modeller - A product that will sit on the desktops of employees at NASA, Continental, Lockheed Martin, FedEx and many more! - Shane Arnott (`sda@preston.net`)

A regression test optimisation tool - Tessela employee, Jonathon Tilbury (`Jonathan.Tilbury@tessella.co.uk`) helped (or did it all himself, I dunno) add the GUI to a powerful analysis library developed by TransEDA

Oleo The old GNU spreadsheet with a "gnew" look on it. (Danny Backx).

Please help this list to grow - send me a your screenshot and a note on what the application does.

Links to commercial sites that use XbaeMatrix

Eagle Software EAGLE Software provides automated backup solutions and system performance utilities for UNIX and AOS/VS.

GSE Systems GSE Systems designs, develops and delivers business and technology solutions by applying process control, information, simulation, client/server and business software, systems and services to the energy, process and manufacturing industries worldwide.

Tessella Support Services plc Tessella Support Services plc is a software services company specializing in the support of scientific, technical and engineering establishments.

Holometric Technologies GmbH Holometric Technologies offers:

- Development and services for measurement and digitization of free-form surfaces and CAGD (Computer Aided Geometric Design).
- Development and technical consultation for the UNIX operating system and X-windows

Parallax Group plc Parallax is a specialist consultancy and developer of leading edge technology solutions, and the UK's Object Reality Centre

The Preston Group has developed the most advanced simulation, scheduling, optimisation and visualisation technology for the global aviation industry.

They're the only ones who have given me permission to put a link to their site. If you would like your site to appear on this list, send me some mail.

Other sites using XbaeMatrix

- ATS Aerospace, Canada
- Alcatel, Belgium
- Concord Communications, USA
- Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, Australia
- Ford, USA
- McDonnell Douglas, Kennedy Space Center, USA
- Merrill Lynch, Tokyo
- NASA, USA
- Rover Cars, UK
- Science Applications International Corp, Alaska USA
- Shell Oil, USA
- Silicon Graphics Incorporated, USA
- Sony Pictures Imageworks, USA
- Sungard Security Systems, USA
- Swiss Bank, USA

To name but a few

Join the mailing list Please join the LessTif mailing list for questions on Xbae. You can subscribe to it by following the instructions here, and send a message on the list by mailing to lesstif@lesstif.org. Finally, the list is archived, see the information here.

Check out the competitors

If you don't think free software can cut it, here's what you get for a price:

XRT/Table

Microline Software

Integrated Computer Solutions

Download Xbae

Please use a site close to you - at least in the same continent (Antarctica excepted!).

Although these are all official mirror sites they might not all be up to date with ftp.x.org.

Asia | ftp.cs.cuhk.edu.hk
Australia | archie.au
Europe | ftp.eu.net sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk
North America | ftp.x.org ftp.cdrom.com wuarchive.wustl.edu
South Africa | ftp.is.co.za
South America | ftp.unicamp.br

Year 10000 Information

The widget has been proven to be year-2000 compliant. More importantly however: is it also year-10000 compliant ?

There is no reason why the widget should not be year 10000 compliant as it handles no date manipulation or the like. It does, however, have one time calculation and that is in determining whether the number of milliseconds between two consecutive clicks constitutes a double click. I would imagine someone double clicking at the stroke of midnight, December 31, 9999 would even be OK (apart from having a bit of a problem with their social life).

The question should not be aimed at the matrix widget but rather the data being displayed in it. Is the application's data Year 10000 compliant?

All that aside, no one can be held liable in the event that the software is not y10k compliant (see the LICENSE file) and you have the source code so you can check it yourself.

X related links

X Window System

The Free Motif clone

The Linux home page

FAQ Search Interface

Motif FAQ

X11 FAQ

Xt Intrinsics FAQ

Widget FAQ

Kenton Lee's home page

If you have comments or suggestions, send us E-mail at lesstif@lesstif.org