About the Animation API

This API defines a framework for creating polymorphic animation DLLs. These animation DLLs plug into the Window Server, and so are called from the Window Server's high-priority thread, rather than the application thread. Another API — the Window Server Client-Side API — defines the base classes for client interfaces: RAnim and RAnimDLL. Applications extend these classes to control server-side animation DLLs.

In ER5, the Animation API comprised 4 classes and functions: CreateCAnimDllL(),CAnimDll, CAnim, CAnimFunctions, CAnimGc. Animation DLLs were derived directly from CAnim.

After ER5 the API was changed to have12 classes: CreateCAnimDllL(), CAnimDll, CAnim, MEventHandler, CWindowAnim, CSpriteAnim, CFreeTimerWindowAnim, CAnimGc, MAnimGeneralFunctions, TWindowInfo, MAnimSpriteFunctions, MAnimFreeTimerWindowFunctions, MAnimWindowFunctions.

3 new animation DLL classes were created, allowing developers to derive from the specific class for the particular type of animation required — developers should no longer derive directly from CAnim. The functionality originally in CAnimFunctions was split between the classes MAnimGeneralFunctions, MAnimWindowFunctions, MAnimSpriteFunctions.