Ad Lib for MacApp
v2.6.4

The following notes describe the changes which have been made to Ad Lib since v2.5.

General Changes

A folder, "Ad Lib for MacApp Preferences," is now created within the system preferences folder. This folder contains the Ad Lib preferences file, the various object palettes and any global template files the user may be using.

Hint: We suggest that you copy the Ad Lib for MacApp Preferences file which we provide into your System:Preferences folder.

The "objects" palettes are now editable and more than one can be created and used simultaneously. Views, adorners, behaviors and text styles can be dragged to any of the object palettes for later use. You have complete control over what is shown in each palette and where they are placed on your screen.

Each item in a palette consists of a picture and a label. The label can be edited directly (as in the Finder). Should you desire, the label can be removed completely leaving only the picture showing on the palette. The picture associated with the item can be changed by dragging a picture clipping from the Finder or any other drag-enabled application onto the picture of the item as shown in the Ad Lib palette.

Hint: If you don't have a drag enabled drawing program, you can paste a picture to the Scrapbook and drag it from the Scrapbook to the palette.

The contents of the palette are saved in a separate palette preferences file. We have provided some example palette file. One is very similar to the "traditional" object palette.

Hint: To create a new palette we suggest that you duplicate one of the existing palettes, rename it, place it into the Ad Lib preferences file, open it with Ad Lib and then customize it.

The "Class Methods" window has been enhanced to work with the Codewarrior IDE v1.7 or later (CW10 or later, including CodeWarrior Pro) when the browser is activated and Ad Lib still works fine in conjunction with Object Master. There is also a popup for the "Class" field in the "Attributes" palette that uses browser information.


User Interface

Appearance

Ad Lib has been updated to be more visually appealing.

Direct Manipulation

The new drag and drop metaphor used in Ad Lib v2.6 is generally more intuitive and useful than the series of modal dialogs required in earlier versions of Ad Lib.

Ad Lib now uses the Drag Manager to perform all drag operations. This means the drag manager must be installed for Ad Lib to run correctly. An immediate benefit of this is that the target superview of a drag is now highlighted and views can be dragged between view editing windows.

Object Creation

Like views, which have always been created by dragging, adorner, behavior, and drawing environment objects are now created with a drag and drop operation. These items are dragged from a palette and dropped onto the view being edited. Alternatively, these items can be dragged to the "View Components" window to add them to a view.

Customized Palettes

You can now have more than one object palette with any combination of predefined views, adorners, behaviors, etc. on each one.

Hint: If there is a particular view set up that you find yourself using quite often, such as a labelled edit text view containing a static text label and an edit text view, you can set it up in the regular view editing window and then drag the finished view onto a palette to save it for later use. You can also drag predefined behaviors and adorners from the View Components window to a palette.

View Components

The "View Components" window has been enhanced to allow interactive editing rather than just static viewing. Object types displayed in the window (such as adorners and behaviors) can be dragged to and from the window and rearranged within it. The properties of the object selected in the window can be edited with the "Fields" menu and window in exactly the same manner as view objects.

Text Styles

Fairly standard Macintosh "Font" and "Style" menus are now used to set the properties of the text style objects associated with views. These menus replace the previous "Text" modal dialog.

The Window Editing Window

Ad Lib now has a single window in which a view or window is edited: the view or window being edited is now embedded within a standard scrolling editor window. This combined the separate window and modal dialog employed in earlier versions of Ad Lib in which the window was used to edit the view or window contents and the modal dialog for a different perspective.

The "Fields" Menu

The "Fields" menu is now a tear-off menu to make it more convenient to navigate through the properties within the class hierarchy of an object.

Finder Clippings

We now use Finder clipping document to contain a larger variety of predefined views, adorners, behaviors, etc. than can be conveniently shown on one or more object palettes. This reduces the clutter in the palettes while still providing convenient access to lesser used view components.

To add a view component contained in a clipping document just drag it from the Finder onto the view or window you are editing.

Template Creation and Editing

Local templates are now added to the Project Window in a manner similar to windows and views. When a template item is opened, the resulting edit window allows direct editing.

Data Editing

Custom data as defined in user or Apple provided templates is now edited directly via the "Fields" window. This replaced the modal "Data" window found in earlier versions of Ad Lib.

Custom Data Editors

By default, Ad Lib generates the user interface to be used in the "Fields" window for custom class data based on the information in the template. Most users will probably be content to use this interface, however it is possible to create a custom MacApp view for Ad Lib to present to the user when editing the data for a particular template. This view must adhere to a specific restricted specification using classes defined by Ad Lib, and it must be stored in the global template file of the class (see the folder "Creating Custom Edit Views" provided with the Ad Lib distribution).

There is a possibility for confusion if the user substitutes a new global template that differs from the local template in the document being edited.

Note: Because the MacApp view format as used in Ad Lib does not provide a means for Ad Lib to know the size of custom data contained in a view, it is very important that the templates accurately reflect the extra data in a view. If the template information is incorrect or unavailable, the views containing the custom data will become unreadable and Ad Lib will likely crash when attempting to read them. To ensure the templates are not changed on existing views Ad Lib counts the number of instances of each custom class in a document and disallows the deletion or editing of templates that are in use.


Project Window

The Ad Lib project window has been extended to contain a number of document elements within their respective expandable categories.

Windows and Views

The display of views and windows contained in the file being edited is very similar to previous versions.

Application Behaviors

The confusing method for adding and editing application level behaviors has been replaced by a simpler drag and drop technique. The project window is now the repository of application level behaviors (i.e., the document's 'BHVR' resources). Behaviors are added to the application by dragging them to the project window. Selecting a behavior in the project window allows it to be edited in the same manner as selecting a behavior in the "View Components" window.

Templates

Local templates are now displayed and edited through the project window rather than via a separate Template menu item.

External Resources

A document's external resources are now displayed and edited in the project window.


Templates

Global Templates

Ad Lib continues to support the concept of document specific templates and global templates as in earlier versions. Global templates, however, are no longer stored in the Ad Lib preferences file directly, rather, they are stored in individual template files contained in the Ad Lib preferences folder.

When Ad Lib is launched it scans its preferences folder for all available templates files and builds a list of available templates. This allows templates to be exchanged by users and provides a location for additional optional user interface information.

Once a global template is used within a document it is copied into that document and becomes a local template. If the global template is changed or removed the document will continue to use the local template.

Additional Data Types

The primitive data types Fixed, Float, and Double are now supported for use within templates, and Enumeration is allowed in custom data editors.

Additional Interface Items

Several new interface elements, such as popup menus and check boxes, have been added for your use within custom templates providing their own interface for the "Fields" window.


Bug Fixes


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©Copyright 1997 by Apple Computer, Inc. -- Last Updated 7/21/97