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GUIKit
Building GUIs
Interaction with Mathematica
GUIKit definitions interact with Mathematica using the Script[expr] expression. Script defines an initially unevaluated block of Mathematica code. The Script symbol has the attribute HoldAllComplete. Script[expr] blocks in interface definitions are typically used either by themselves in the interface definitions to define common Mathematica functions used throughout the interface or as arguments to BindEvent["eventName", Script[expr]] to define Mathematica functions to execute when a particular interface event occurs. The use of Script[] in user interface definitions is in many ways identical to the techniques of supplementing HTML pages with JavaScript embedded code.
This example shows both of the common cases of Script[] usage. There is a standalone Script[] block that defines the Mathematica function printMessage[]and Script blocks attached to events of the button to execute the printMessage[] function whenever the events are triggered.
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Here is a screen shot of what the user interface renders as on a typical platform.
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We can create a working definition with just a button because the GUIKit framework has the convenient feature of automatically wrapping a definition with an appropriate window if the root widget of the definition is not already a window or frame, but is at least a widget that can be added to a window.
How did we know what event names to use when attaching the scripts to the events of the button? If you have knowledge of the underlying Java event objects that are provided, you can determine the proper string name following Java naming conventions for the widget, or, if you interact with a running instance of the "Button" widget, you can query its list of valid names using the GUIInformation["widgetName"] function which works with GUIObject instances or within Script[] blocks.
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This is just an alternate version that uses the fact that a no-argument GUIInformation[] or one dropping the first argument GUIObject can be called inside a Script[] block as well, since it inherits the contexted environment of the GUIObject it is running within.
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