Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Embarcadero adds Windows 7 multi-touch to RAD tools

Great article from SD Times, by David Worthington

Database and software development tool maker Embarcadero will fully support the Windows 7 API and multi-touch technology in upcoming versions of its rapid application development (RAD) products.

Embarcadero's C++Builder, a RAD C++ development environment for Windows, along with the Delphi RAD Visual development environment for Windows software and database applications, will have interfaces to work with the APIs, said David Intersimone, the company's vice president of developer relations and chief evangelist.

Both products will have a gesture management component for Windows 7 that will abstract out its multi-touch capabilities from the Windows API to make it easier for developers to use those features in their applications, he said.

"Developers drop it down on any form in an application, and it becomes gesture-enabled. They just set properties and hook on the gesture event that takes place," Intersimone said. Developers can also create custom gestures to override predefined ones, he added.

The gesture manager also supports single touch for older touch-based systems, such as kiosk screens, and can use a standard mouse in replace of a finger. Older touch-based systems lack Windows 7's touch-screen technology and treat gestures as mouse input, he explained.

Microsoft released Windows 7 to manufacturing on July 22. Embarcadero must wait until Microsoft finalizes the Windows 7 software development kit before it can finalize its products, Intersimone said. The SDK usually ships a few weeks after Windows goes RTM, he added. He would not provide a timeframe for the products' availability.

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