MySQL Workbench Release Notes
MySQL Workbench is implemented with a C++ core back-end, and a native
front-end for each supported platform. Currently the front-end is
implemented with Windows Forms on Microsoft Windows, GTK+ on
Linux, and Cocoa on OS X / macOS. This approach permits the
application to have a native look and feel, while reducing the
amount of work required to maintain the project. However, the GUI
functionality required by MySQL Workbench can be met by a subset of
graphical operations. These are implemented in a cross-platform
GUI library, MForms. This further reduces the development effort
because plugin developers can use MForms rather than writing
front-end specific code for each supported platform. This also
helps consistency of operation across all platforms. MForms is
coded in C++, but provides a Python interface. To use it, the
Python code must import the mforms module.
MForms Containers
Given the problems of using an absolute coordinate system across different platforms, MForms employs containers that perform automatic layout. The basic containers that MForms provides include:
Form: A top-level window which can contain a single control, usually another container. The window will be sized automatically to fit its contents, but can also be sized statically.
Box: This container can be filled with one or more controls in a vertical or horizontal layout. Each child control can be set to use either the minimum of required space, or fill the box in the direction of the layout. In the direction perpendicular to the layout, for example vertical in a horizontal layout, the smallest possible size that can accommodate all child controls will be employed. So, in this example, the smallest height possible to accommodate the controls would be used.
Table: This container can organize one or more controls in a grid. The number of rows and columns in the table, and the location of controls within the grid, can be set by the developer.
ScrollView: This container can contain a single child control, and adds scrollbars if the contents do not fit the available space.