# Shell widget

A Shell widget forms the interface between a widget hierarchy and the Motif Window Manager.

Motif has various kinds of Shell widget but in WorkShop Visual, these have been grouped together into one widget for convenience.

All WorkShop Visual design hierarchies must have a Shell widget as the root.

The Shell widget can be configured as an Application, TopLevel or dialog shell through use of the Shell resource panel. Application Shells are used as main application windows. Dialog Shells are usually dialog boxes which are invoked as a result of actions taking place in an Application Shell: they are considered to be more transitory in nature than application shells and hence if an Application Shell is closed all associated Dialog Shells also disappear. TopLevel Shells are similar to Application Shells in that they can be iconized separately; Dialog Shells may not.

The Shell widget can have only one child, which may be of any type.

For more information on Shell widgets, you are referred to XmdialogShell(3X), TopLevelShell(3X) and ApplicationShell(3X) in the OSF/Motif Programmer's Reference.

NOTES

A Shell widget will not become visible as a WorkShop Visual Design Window until a child is added; they will all appear as dialog Shells but generated code will produce the correct type of Shell.

Although a shell widget can have any widget as a child, much of the behavior of the Shell widget is based on the assumption that the child will be a Bulletin Board or related widget.

See also:

- Shell resource panel
- About WorkShop Visual