What is UIL and why is it so popular?
[Last modified: Sept 94] Answer: UIL is the acronym for “User Interface Language”, a Motif standard which permits separation of the user interface from application code. UIL is a textual description of the user interface which is compiled into binary form called UID (“User Interface Definition”) using the Motif-provided compiler called “uil”. It is important to realize that UIL is a static description of the UI in that connections between buttons and the dialogs they invoke, for example, is not expressed here; dynamic UI behavior appears in C code. The Period Table of Widgets, called “periodic” (delivered by many Motif vendors) is an example of a UIL application. There are many advantages and disadvantages of UIL applications. A few of the advantages are: UIL is a standard format which encourages separation of the user interface from application code. UIL can be read and/or written by many of the GUI builders and UIMS tools mentioned elsewhere in this FAQ, making your interface portabl
