Q: What is the hint string.
The GuiDesigner hint string property is currently unimplemented.

Q: How do I put timers into my GuiDesigner application?
One of the sample applications is xgrids.x.  This file is a collection of grid functions that implement many basic grid types. The XuiPressButton() grid function exercises the grid timer in all ways.  Timer related messages include:

 XuiSendMessage (grid, #GetTimer, @msec, 0, 0, 0, kid, 0)
 XuiSendMessage (grid, #SetTimer, msec, 0, 0, 0, kid, 0)
 XuiSendMessage (grid, #StartTimer, 0, 0, 0, 0, kid, 0)

Note that running timers are disabled by #SetTimer with msec = 0 .

Q: Why do bitmap files have to stay in the same place as during development?
Bitmap files can be located anywhere they can be opened.  Perhaps you are referring to the fact that images selected for grids with the GuiDesigner AppearanceWindow generate full path file names when design windows are converted into grid functions by Window ToFunction .  If you do not change these names, the locations of the bitmap image files are in fact fixed, just as you say.  To change to a relative path name, edit the grid function as in this example:

XuiSendMessage (g, #SetImage, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, @"\\xb\\xxx\\xstart.bmp")
XuiSendMessage (g, #SetImage, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, @"xxx\\xstart.bmp")

The second example skips the leading " \\xb\\ " part of the filename, which loads xstart.bmp from the xxx subdirectory of any current directory.

Of course the name of the bitmap file can be changed to a variable or expression:

XuiSendMessage (g, #SetImage, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, @imageStart$)
XuiSendMessage (g, #SetImage, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, imagePath$ + "start.bmp")

Q: The default font and default colors should be settable in a dialog.
Default colors are set by XgrSetDefaultColors().

The default font for XBasic, or any other XBasic application, is chosen when the application starts up.  First XBasic creates an xxx/fonts.xxx file that contains a list of bitmap fonts that may be appropriate as the default font.  Then XBasic reads in file xxx/font.xxx and sets the default font to the first font name not preceded by a ' comment character that is known to the system.  If no xxx/font.xxx file exists, XBasic chooses the default font it thinks best.

You can select a larger font for the development environment and console windows with Option Misc.