Comparison of wxSmith features

Here is a list of wxSmith features when compared to other wxWidgets RAD solutions.

Note that support for new features are added on a daily basis for some of these RADs.

Please update this list when something gets added.

General information

Basic general information about the RADs: developer, license/price etc.

RAD	Developer	Cost (USD)	Open source	Software licence
wxSmith	Bartlomiej Swiecki	Free	Yes	GPL
DialogBlocks	Julian Smart	Free (trial), €66 (normal), €35 (student)	No	Proprietary
wxDesigner	Robert Roebling	Free (trial), €129 (normal), €29 (student)	No	Proprietary
wxFormBuilder	José Antonio Hurtado, Juan Antonio Ortega, Ryan Mulder, Ryan Pusztai, Michal Bliznak	Free	Yes	GPL
VisualWx	?	Free	No	?
wxDevC++	Guru Kathiresan , Tony Reina, Malcolm Nealon, Joel Low	Free	Yes	GPL
wxForms for Delphi / C++ Builder	Guru Kathiresan	Free (trial), $29.99	No	Proprietary
RAD	Developer	Cost (USD)	Open source	Software licence

Widgets supported

Widget	wxSmith	DialogBlocks	wxDesigner	wxFormBuilder	VisualWx	wxDevC++	wxForms
wxAnimationCtrl	Yes†	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
wxAuiManager	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxAuiNotebook	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
wxAuiToolBar	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxAuiToolBarItem	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxAuiToolBarLabel	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxAuiToolBarSeparator	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxAuiToolBarSpacer	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxBitmapButton	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxBitmapComboBox	Yes†	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxBoxSizer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxButton	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxCalendarCtrl	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxCheckBox	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxCheckListBox	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxChoice	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxChoicebook	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
wxColourDialog	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxColourPickerCtrl	Yes†	?	?	Yes	?	Yes	No
wxComboBox	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxContextHelpButton	Yes†	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No
wxDatePickerCtrl	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxDialUpManager	Yes†	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxDirDialog	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxDirPickerCtrl	Yes†	?	?	Yes	?	Yes	No
wxFileDialog	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxFilePickerCtrl	Yes†	?	?	Yes	?	Yes	No
wxFindReplaceDialog	Yes†	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxFlexGridSizer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxFontDialog	Yes†	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxFontPickerCtrl	Yes†	?	?	Yes	?	Yes	No
wxGauge	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxGenericDirCtrl	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
wxGLCanvas	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxGrid	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxGridBagSizer	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
wxGridSizer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxHtmlEasyPrinting	Yes†	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxHtmlListBox	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
wxHtmlWindow	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxHyperLinkCtrl	Yes†	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
wxImage	Yes†	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxImageList	Yes†	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
wxListbook	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
wxListBox	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxListCtrl	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxListView	Yes†	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
wxMediaCtrl	Yes†	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxMenu	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxMenuBar	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxMessageDialog	Yes†	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxMultiChoiceDialog	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxNotebook	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxOwnerDrawnComboBox	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxPageSetupDialog	Yes†	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxPanel	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxPasswordEntryDialog	Yes†	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxPrintDialog	Yes†	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxProgressDialog	Yes†	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxPropertySheetDialog	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes
wxRadioBox	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
wxRadioButton	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxRichTextCtrl	Yes†	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxRichTextFormattingDialog	Yes†	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxRichTextStyleComboCtrl	Yes†	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxRichTextStyleListBox	Yes†	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxRichTextStyleListCtrl	Yes†	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxRichTextStyleOrganiserDialog	Yes†	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxSashLayoutWindow	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No
wxSashWindow	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No
wxScrollBar	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxScrolledWindow	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxSearchCtrl	Yes†	?	?	Yes	?	?	?
wxSimpleHtmlListBox	Yes†	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxSingleChoiceDialog	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxSingleInstanceChecker	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxSlider	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxSpacer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
wxSpinButton	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxSpinCtrl	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxSplitterWindow	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxStaticBitmap	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxStaticBox	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxStaticBoxSizer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxStaticLine	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxStaticText	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxStatusBar	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxStopWatch	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxSymbolPickerDialog	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxStdDialogButtonSizer	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
wxTextCtrl	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxTextEntryDialog	Yes†	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
wxTimer	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxToggleButton	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxToolbar	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxTreebook	Yes†	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
wxTreeCtrl	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
wxVListBox	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
wxVScrolledWindow	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
wxWindow (Foreign)	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
wxWizardPage	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No
Widget	wxSmith	DialogBlocks	wxDesigner	wxFormBuilder	VisualWx	wx-DevC++	wxForms

• ^  Currently available via patch but should be integrated into the main distribution soon.
• ^  Currently available from the SVN repository and in nightly builds and will be part of the next release.

Contrib widgets supported

Widget	wxSmith	DialogBlocks	wxDesigner	wxFormBuilder	VisualWx	wxDevC++	wxForms
awxLed	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
wxChartCtrl	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxCustomButton	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxDynamicSashWindow	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
wxEditableListBox	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
wxFlatNotebook	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
wxImageButton	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxImagePanel	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxLEDNumberCtrl	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
wxMathPlot	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
wxPlotCtrl	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
wxPlotWindow	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
wxPropertyGrid	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
wxPropertyGridManager	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
wxScintilla	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
wxStyledTextCtrl	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
wxTreeListCtrl	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Widget	wxSmith	DialogBlocks	wxDesigner	wxFormBuilder	VisualWx	wxDevC++	wxForms

Languages supported

Feature	wxSmith	DialogBlocks	wxDesigner	wxFormBuilder	VisualWx	wxDevC++	wxForms
C++ code output	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Delphi / Pascal code output	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Python code output	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Lua code output	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Ruby code output	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Perl code output	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
C# code output	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Basic code output	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Feature	wxSmith	DialogBlocks	wxDesigner	wxFormBuilder	VisualWx	wxDevC++	wxForms

Features supported

Feature	wxSmith	DialogBlocks	wxDesigner	wxFormBuilder	VisualWx	wxDevC++	wxForms
XRC input	Yes†	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
XRC output	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
XRC code loading	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	?	No	No
Validators†	Partial	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Conditional UI†	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Event table and handler generation†	Yes	Yes	Partial	Yes	Partial	Yes	Yes
Bitmaps support†	Yes	Yes	Yes	Partial	Yes	Yes	Yes
English descriptions†	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Easy access to window pointers†	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	?	Yes	Yes
Visually creating custom controls	Partial	Yes	Partial	Partial	Partial	No	No
Template controls†	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Sizer design	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Non-sizer design	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Feature	wxSmith	DialogBlocks	wxDesigner	wxFormBuilder	VisualWx	wxDevC++	wxForms

• ^  Currently, only one dialog resource per XRC file is imported.

Features explained

^ Validators

The aim of the validator concept is to make dialogs very much easier to write. A validator is an object that can be plugged into a control (such as a wxTextCtrl), and mediates between C++ data and the control, transferring the data in either direction and validating it. It also is able to intercept events generated by the control, providing filtering behaviour without the need to derive a new control class.

How to use validators in a RAD that supports this concept: Just add a variable, select the variable and a validator, and the data transfer between variable and control is done for you.

^ Conditional UI

It's the ability to adapt the user interface to the UI guidelines of different platform.

Just mark elements as for one platform (or several), and preview the look for any given platform.

^ Event table and handler generation

The RAD generates the event tables and empty handlers (including UI update handlers) so you can immediately concentrate on writing code to make the dialog come to life.

It includes a choice of event types for each window, with function name editing.

DialogBlocks Event Handler

Here DialogBlocks haves the list of event handlers.

The most noticeable feature here is that if you do a double-click on a event, you're transported to the function associated in the code. It's very handy.

VisualWx Event Handler

Here VisualWx filters the events:

• Base wxWidgets Events
• Component Events
• Windows Events
• VisualWx Events
• Custom Events

^ Bitmap support

Bitmaps support means that you can import images into your project from a variety of formats and associate them with your static bitmap and bitmap button controls.

You can specify whether the bitmaps will converted into XPM format (the standard format for small bitmaps in wxWidgets) and whether the XPM image will be inserted as inline C++ code, or loaded from a file.

^ English descriptions

English descriptions show a brief description of each element, to help you get used to sizers and also to make it easier to see at a glance the important aspects of your dialog element.

^ Easy access to window pointers

The easy access to window pointers concept means:

Give each window a variable name, and the RAD will add the name to the class declaration, and initialise it to the appropriate window in the implementation.

In XRC mode, the RAD can generate the code to find the window and assign it to the pointer variable.

^ Template controls

Template controls are sets of most common widgets together, like an Ok/Cancel pair buttons inside a sizer, being user-definable.