Riscos Wimp Templates

RISC OS Wimp templates

Use this skill when creating or editing Wimp template descriptions stored as TemplateText. The expected workflow is:

1. Decide which window templates the user needs.
2. If the window matches a bundled type, read only that type's reference in references/ and copy the matching asset from assets/.
3. If the window should follow a standard RISC OS pattern rather than a bundled asset, use the riscos-style skill and read only the relevant dialogue guidance there.
4. Assemble the required wimp_window blocks into a TemplateText file.
5. Convert between binary template/resource files and text form with riscos-ccres.

Converting with riscos-ccres

• To create TemplateText from an &FEC Template file, run riscos-ccres Templates,fec TemplateText.
• To create an &FEC Template file from TemplateText, run riscos-ccres TemplateText Templates,fec.
• riscos-ccres detects the conversion direction from the input file format.

Bundled window types

• For a fully user-redrawn document window copied from Templates,fec, read references/document.md and use assets/window_document.txt.
• For a simple document or object information window copied from Templates,fec, read references/fileinfo.md and use assets/window_fileinfo.txt.
• For a ratio-based scaling popup copied from Templates,fec, read references/magnifier.md and use assets/window_magnifier.txt.
• For a composite multi-page choices window copied from Templates,fec, read references/multichoices.md and use assets/window_multichoices.txt with assets/window_mutlichoices_pane.txt.
• For a standard save box copied from Templates,fec, read references/savebox.md and use assets/window_savebox.txt.
• For a modified-document close confirmation copied from Templates,fec, read references/close.md and use assets/window_close.txt.
• For an iconbar-menu program information window copied from Templates,fec, read references/proginfo.md and use assets/window_proginfo.txt.
• For a modified-document quit confirmation copied from Templates,fec, read references/quit.md and use assets/window_quit.txt.

Supporting layout references

• For standard ordinary-window defaults, grouped-box spacing, and practical grey-colour notes, read references/window_defaults.md.
• For grouped icon boxes, read references/icons_grouped.md.
• For grouped radio-icon sets, read references/icons_groupedradios.md.
• For colour-selector label, swatch, and menu-button placement, read references/icons_colourselector.md.
• For a compact four-choice radio-icon layout, read references/icons_compactradios.md.
• For a label, value field, and chooser/menu button row, read references/icons_menuselector.md.
• For a slider-style selector with decrement and increment arrows, read references/icons_sliderselector.md.
• For a numeric selector with bump icons and a units suffix, read references/icons_numericselector.md.
• For the standard bottom-of-dialogue action-button row with a divider and right-aligned default button, read references/icons_dialoguebuttons.md.
• For option icons that toggle between off and on states, read references/icons_option.md.
• For a simple label-plus-display informational row, read references/icons_infobox.md.
• For a label-plus-arbitrary-input row, read references/icons_input.md.

Output rules

• Keep each bundled asset as a complete wimp_window block that can be copied into a larger TemplateText file.
• Preserve the icon order from the source template and record icon numbers in the matching reference file.
• Any plain text longer than 11 characters should normally be encoded as indirected text, even for static labels, to avoid template-string truncation.
• When laying out a dialogue, measure the content spacing from the visible work area, not from the outer title bar or screen position.
• For simple stacked dialogue content, balance the vertical layout so the gap from the top of the visible work area to the first row matches the gap from the last content row to the divider or button-row separator.
• Keep related clickable icons in the same logical set the same width and height where practical, usually by sizing the whole set to the largest required hit area, except where differing control styles are intentionally signalling different actions.
• Do not normalise paired R5/R6 buttons to the same size; check the style-guide sizing rules for those button types first.
• Prefer one reference file per window type so only the relevant window description is loaded.
• When the user asks for multiple windows, combine only the required assets instead of loading every reference.

Maintaining this skill

When adding a new window type to the skill, read references/updating-the-skill.md and follow that process exactly.