By Ralph E. Griswold, Clinton L. Jeffery, and Gregg M. Townsend
Graphics -- presenting data in understandable ways and providing a visual interface for users (GUI) -- should be a central part of most computer applications. In most programming languages, however, graphics facilities are an add-on -- and they are so difficult to use that they often are avoided. Icon solves this problem by providing high-level, easy-to-use graphics facilities that are fully integrated with the rest of the language.
This book complements The Icon Programming Language by providing a complete self-contained description of graphics concepts, how they are cast in Icon, and how to use them in programming.
Low-level languages like C and C++ use add-on graphics libraries that demand complex, voluminous code to address many tedious details. The high-level graphics features in the powerful Icon programming language are integrated with the rest of the language; graphics code is short and easy to write. You don't need years of experience with arcane techniques - you can get impressive results with just a few lines of Icon code.
Using Icon you can draw, use colors and fonts, create images, do simple animations, and build powerful applications with visual interfaces (GUIs). Look inside for a hint of what's possible.
This book is self-contained. It has all you need to understand and use graphics in your programming, including how to program in Icon. Many carefully explained program examples guide you through the exciting world of graphics. Before long, you can be creating your own computer graphics.