Builder dialog box

Use the Builder dialog box and the Builder Tools palette to edit the appearance of a form dialog (see Form dialog).

The title of the Builder dialog box is the name of the form dialog selected for editing in the Visual SQL Query Builder dialog box. The Builder dialog box includes two list boxes, the form dialogs list box and the dialog items list box.

The Builder dialog box opens after choosing Forms > Edit from the Visual SQL Query Builder dialog box, and then after selecting a file and clicking OK in the Edit Form dialog box that opens.

Key-in: VSQL FORMS EDIT

You can change a control item in a form dialog in one of two ways: In the form dialog, click an item to select it, and then move it or resize it. In the dialog items list box, change the values of the displayed parameters.

Form dialogs list box

Lists currently open form dialogs and highlights the form dialog selected for editing.

• Title
— The name of a form dialog.

• Id#
— The identification number of a form dialog.

• File
— The full filename of a form dialog.

Dialog items list box

Lists all the control items of the selected form dialog, enumerates the parameters of each control item, and allows you to type new values for the parameters.

• Number
— (not labeled) An identification number of a form dialog control item.

• X
— The X-coordinate of the location of the control item with respect to the upper left-hand corner of the dialog box.

• Y
— The Y-coordinate of the location of the control item with respect to the upper left-hand corner of the dialog box.

• Wdth
— The width of the control item. For many item types, 0 can be specified for the width or height. The Builder will then calculate a reasonable default if possible.

• Hght
— The height of the control item. For many item types, 0 can be specified for the width or height. The Builder will then calculate a reasonable default if possible.

• Label
— The label of the control item.

• Type
— Indicates the type of the control item. Valid types include ColorPicker, Generic, Group Box, IconCmdFrame, Label, LevelMap, ListBox, MenuBar, MLText, OptionButton, PushButton, Separator, ScrollBar, Text, and ToggleButton.

• Id #
— Specifies the resource ID of the item instance to load. Type and Id # are the parameters needed to load the correct item resource.

• EH
— The Enabled/Hidden flag — specifies the initial general state of the item. This field can be E (Enabled) to allow an item to be manipulated or H (Hidden). A Hidden item is dimmed, cannot accept the input focus, and ignores user actions. Most items should be E (Enabled).

• Arg
— The meaning of this field depends on the item's Type. For example, Label items use this field to specify the line justification to use.

• Aux
— Contains additional item-specific information. Currently, this field is used only to override the access string defined in an item resource. This ability enables the item to act as it is defined in the item resource but to affect a different application variable.

Text boxes

(not labeled) These are the text boxes immediately below the dialog items list box. When a row is selected in the dialog items list box, its values also appear in the text boxes. To change the value of a parameter, change the parameter in its text box and click <Enter>.

Enabled

Sets or clears an E (Enabled) in the EH field of a selected item in the dialog items list box.

Hidden

Sets or clears an H (Hidden) in the EH field of a selected item in the dialog items list box.

New

Creates a new, untitled dialog box. Also, the new dialog box is entered into the form dialogs list box.

The new dialog is not associated with any resource file until you select one of the following Dialog menu options: Save, Save To Existing or Save To New.

Load

Opens the Load Dialog dialog box, which opens another form dialog.

Save

Saves the current form dialog.

Dialog > New (<Ctrl>+N)

Creates a new, untitled dialog box. The new dialog is not associated with any resource file until you select one of the following Dialog menu options: Save, Save To Existing or Save To New.

Dialog > Load (<Ctrl>+O)

Opens the Load dialog box, which is used to select the resource file, which dialog within the resource file to open, and the mode in which the dialog will be opened.

Dialog > Close

Closes the dialog box that is currently selected. If unsaved changes exist in the selected dialog box, an Alert dialog box appears, and asks whether the original dialog box should be overwritten.

Dialog > Save (<Ctrl>+S)

Saves any changes made to the selected dialog. An additional Alert dialog box appears, and asks whether the original dialog should be overwritten.

Dialog > Save To Existing (<Ctrl>+E)

Saves the selected dialog to an existing resource file. Saves are not allowed to be made to new resource files.

Dialog > Save To New (<Ctrl>+W)

Saves the selected dialog to a new resource file. Saves are not allowed to be made to existing resource files.

Dialog > Delete (<Ctrl>+D)

Deletes the dialog box that is currently selected. An Alert dialog box will appear, asking whether the selected dialog should be removed.

Dialog > Page > Previous, Next

Toggles between pages of multipage forms.

Edit > Cut (<Ctrl>+X)

Cuts the selected item(s) from the dialog. The items are placed in the clipboard and can be pasted back into any open dialog. Any attributes associated with the items are cut with them. The cut items are removed from the dialog item list.

Edit > Copy (<Ctrl>+C)

Copies the selected item(s) to the clipboard without affecting the original items themselves. The copies of the items in the clipboard can be pasted into any open dialog. Any attributes associated with the items are copied with them.

Edit > Paste (<Ctrl>+V)

Pastes the item(s) in the clipboard into the dialog that has the input focus. Any attributes associated with the items are pasted with them. The pasted items are added to the end of the dialog item list.

Edit > Delete (<Ctrl>+Del)

Deletes the currently selected dialog box item(s).

Edit > Select All

Selects all the items in the current dialog. This function is equivalent to individually selecting each item while holding down the shift key or drawing a selection box around all the items.

Edit > Bring To Front

Brings the selected item(s) in front of all other items in the dialog. Using this command, you can control which items are selected first when you click an area that is occupied by more than one item. An item's front or back location affects its ability to select both when the dialog is being edited and when the dialog is being used.

Edit > Send To Back

Sends the selected item(s) in back of all other items in the dialog. Using this command, you can control which items are selected first when you click an area that is occupied by more than one item. An item's front or back location affects its ability to select both when the dialog is being edited and when the dialog is being used.

Options > Test Dialog

Toggles the dialog between edit mode and test mode. Edit mode is Builder's normal mode, in which dialogs and the items in them can be added, deleted, and modified. In test mode, the dialog behaves as it would in a normal MDL application; option buttons can be changed, check boxes toggled, text in text items can be edited, scroll bars moved, list boxes scrolled, color pickers selected, and level maps changed. Test mode allows the dialog box designer to test the “usability” of the dialog box's layout.

All linkages to the application code (such as dialog item hooks and access strings) are not connected and do not function in Builder's test mode.

Options> Preferences

Opens the Preferences dialog box. A value having units of Average Character Height is provided in the Vertical Spacing text item. Multiple dialog box items which are selected can then be separated by this value when the Alignment > Space Vertically menu item is chosen.

Options > Position Adjustment

Opens the Item Position Adjustment dialog box. It prompts the user to select an Item in the form being edited. When selected, the items position can be adjusted by using the Item Movement buttons Up, Down, Left and Right. The increment that items are adjusted in X and Y directions can be defined.

If Vertical is checked, adjustments can be made Up and Down. If the Vertical option is not checked, Up and Down Adjustments are not allowed.

If Horizontal is checked, adjustments can be made Left and Right. If the Horizontal option is not checked, Left and Right Adjustments are not allowed.

If Grid is checked the Grid is displayed. X and Y spacing can be defined. If Snap is checked on Item Movement will be governed by the Grid spacing.

Options > Tools

Opens the Builder Tools palette, which is used to create new dialog items. The Builder Tools palette also opens when the Builder dialog box opens.

Options > Dialog Attributes

Opens the Dialog Box Attributes dialog box, which is used to change the dialog's attributes, such as its name, modality, help Id#, type, width, height and hook Id#.

The Dialog Box Attributes dialog box can also be opened by double-clicking in an unoccupied area of the dialog box whose attributes are to be changed.

Options > Item Attributes (<Ctrl>+A)

Opens the Attributes dialog box associated with the type of item selected. Fifteen different attribute dialogs exist, one each for text, label, checkbox, groupbox, optionbutton, scrollbar, pushbutton, multiline text, listbox, colorpicker, levelmap, scale, radiobutton, sash and generic items.

Item attribute dialogs can also be opened by double-clicking the item whose attributes are to be changed. Item attribute dialogs do not exist for the horizontal and vertical separator items.

Alignment > Align [Left|Right|Top|Bottom]

Aligns all the selected items by their left, right, top or bottom edges. Left and right alignment does not affect vertical position, and top and bottom alignment does not affect horizontal position.

Alignment > Center on Horizontal, Center on Vertical

Aligns all the selected items about a common horizontal or vertical axis. Horizontal centering does not affect vertical position, and vertical centering does not affect horizontal position.

Alignment > Spread Horizontally, Spread Vertically

Spreads all the selected item(s) out an equal distance from one another and from the edges of the dialog box. Horizontal spreading does not affect vertical position, and vertical spreading does not affect horizontal position.

Alignment > Space Vertically

Aligns all the selected items so that they adjoin one-another vertically. Horizontal position is not affected. This menu bar item can be used in conjunction with the Preferences dialog box discussed earlier.

Alignment > Make Same Size

Resizes all selected items to the same size. The size to which the items are changed is determined by the first item selected. Vertical and Horizontal position are not affected.