DM Interface Builder Overview

On the screenshot below the key user interface parts are highlighted, which are described in detail below.

Interface elements

Main menu gives access to file and window operations and Interface Builder configuration settings.

Title bar shows you the name of the active form and the name of the resource file in which the form is stored.

Main toolbar gives you the access to the most frequently used operations, such as cut, copy, paste and widget alignment.

Status bar shows a context-sensitive hint and also:

Navigation area

Navigation area contains information about the current project. You may browse project or class structure there.

Classes view

Contains a list of displayable classes in the current project. The classes are grouped in the clusters or packages. Normally the user selects a class in the classes view to create a new form based on this class.

Features view

Features view contains a treeview, which is populated with the features and the direct ancestors of the active displayable class. A displayable class becomes active when the user activates the form editor for the form associated with this class. When there are no form editors open in the editing area, this view is hidden.

Features and ancestors are sorted in alphabetical order. A special entity of Current is also there.

It is possible to open several features views for the same displayable class. It is a convenience feature only. Their contents will remain the same, but you may keep different inheritance branches open in different views, or apply different filters to them.

Editing area

Editing area is used for designing the forms. Editing area may contain any number of overlapped form editors and project managers.

Project manager

Project manager contains list of all forms available in the DM resource file. A separate project manager window is displayed for every resource file opened.

Form editor

Form editor is used to design forms. Several form editors can be opened at the same time, but only one of them is active. You place widgets on the active form editor and then adjust their size or placement and edit their properties.


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Last updated: 2005/02/02 11:51:09