IUP For Mac

IUP is a free and open source, portable toolkit for building graphical user interfaces.

IUP offers a configuration API in three basic languages: C, Lua and LED. IUP's purpose is to allow a program to be executed in different systems without any modification.

Currently available interface elements can be categorized as follows:

· Primitives (effective user interaction): dialog, label, button, text, multi-line, list, toggle, canvas, frame, image. · Composition (ways to show the elements): hbox, vbox, zbox, fill. · Grouping (definition of a common functionality for a group of elements): radio. · Menu (related both to menu bars and to pop-up menus): menu, submenu, item, separator. · Additional (elements built outside the main library): dial, gauge, matrix, tabs, valuator, OpenGL canvas, color chooser, color browser. · Dialogs (useful predefined dialogs): file selection, message, alarm, data input, list selection.

Hence IUP has some advantages over other interface toolkits available:

· Simplicity: due to the small number of functions and to its attribute mechanism, the learning curve for a new user is often faster. · Portability: the same functions are implemented in each one of the platforms, thus assuring the interface system's portability. · Customization: the dialog specification language (LED) and the Lua binding (IupLua) are two mechanisms in which it is possible to customize an application for a specific user with a simple-syntax text file. · Flexibility: its abstract layout mechanism provides flexibility to dialog creation. · Extensibility: the programmer can create new interface elements as needed.