NON-STANDARD FEATURES

When purchasing a cross-platform GUI, the buyer needs to be aware that a set of standard features for cross-platform GUI packages has not yet been developed. The major differences between the packages are:

1. varying levels of support for the following items:
   
   • error handling
   • importing third-party objects
   • data entry restrictions for input fields
   • preview mode
   • advanced controls
   • international character set
   • bitmaps and icons
   • portable drop and drag
   • custom-defined widgets
   • printers
   • networks
   • file systems
   • geometry management
   • draw-package like features
   • choice of implementation language
   • facilities for creating help systems
   • predefined object definitions and behaviors
   • WYSIWYG screen painting
   • source code generation (vs. just a resource file)

2. another major difference involves the way fonts and colors are managed
   
   • some packages offer the developer platform-specific font selection
   • others automatically remap the font or color to the nearest one available (using their criteria)