Chapter 3 - Using QuickDraw GX Objects
This chapter introduces the objects used by QuickDraw GX. As mentioned
in Chapter 1, they fall into three main categories: shape objects, support-
ing objects, and printing objects. Shape objects are the core object; supporting objects allow you to modify and view them; and printing objects allow you
to print them out.To a large extent, all shapes behave similarly. You build, draw, and print them the same way. And, although their use of styles, inks or transforms may differ from shape to shape, all shapes use supporting objects. Likewise, whether you are printing a curve or a piece of text, printing objects operate in the same way. For this reason, this chapter focuses primarily on the various shape objects. Once you understand how they behave, and how to use them, you understand a major part of QuickDraw GX.
To recap, these are the QuickDraw GX shape objects:
This chapter also covers the supporting objects, listed here:
- geometric shapes, which include points, lines, curves, paths, and so on
- bitmap shapes
- picture shapes
- typographic shapes, which include text, glyph, and layout shapes
This chapter concludes with a discussion of the printing objects, listed here:
- styles
- inks, which refer in turn to color sets and color profiles
- transforms, which refer in turn to view-related objects
Shapes and supporting objects are tied together through the use of object references as properties. The definition of shape objects includes references to its style, ink, and transform objects. In turn, inks refer to color objects and transforms refer to viewing objects. Figure 3-1 shows how they interrelate.
- jobs, which have job collection objects
- formats, which have format collection objects
- paper-type objects, can have paper-type collection objects
- printer objects
- print-file objects
Figure 3-1 The shape object and some of the supporting objects
QuickDraw GX provides ways to take maximum advantage of these inter-
relationships. For example, rather than requiring applications to individually define new objects every time they create a new shape object, they can access
a set of default QuickDraw GX shapes that include references to default supporting objects.Another way QuickDraw GX reflects the interrelationships is by using similar names for similar basic functions and making them operate similarly for many, if not all, objects. For example,
GXDisposeShapeandGXDisposeStylework the same way, as doGXCopyToShapeandGXCopyToStyle, whileGXNewShapeandGXNewStylediffer primarily in the property values they need to initialize.This chapter reflects this by opening with a section, "Objects," that introduces default shapes and default properties, followed by several sections on
the basics of creating, copying, cloning, and disposing of shapes and supporting objects.Once the shared commonalities are outlined, this chapter distinguishes the ways in which the various objects are not alike. This chapter first examines the shape object and its properties, and then examines the style, ink, and transform objects in turn. The final section of this chapter examines QuickDraw GX printing and the printing-related objects and functions.
The section, "Shapes," begins by focusing on geometric shapes in order to establish a starting point for later discussion of other shape types. Geometric, bitmap, picture, text, glyph, and layout--each shape type is discussed in detail, showing what data structures and functions your application needs to create and manipulate them.
In effect, QuickDraw GX boils down to shapes and their supporting objects. Graphics shapes--geometric, bitmap, and picture shapes, are described fully in the QuickDraw GX Graphics book. Typographic shapes--text, glyph, and layout shapes, are described fully in the QuickDraw GX Typography book. Supporting objects--styles, inks, transforms, and view-related objects, are described fully in the QuickDraw GX Objects book. Printing objects are described fully in the QuickDraw GX Printing book.
Chapter Contents
- Objects
- Creating and Copying Shapes
- Cloning and Disposing of Shapes
- Creating and Copying Supporting Objects
- Cloning and Disposing of Supporting Objects
- Sharing Supporting Objects
- Shapes
- Geometric Shapes
- Creating Geometric Shapes
- Drawing Geometric Shapes
- Editing Geometric Shape Geometries
- Specifying Shape Fill
- Converting Between Shape Types
- Hit-Testing Geometric Shapes
- Bitmap Shapes
- Creating Bitmap Structures
- Editing and Drawing Bitmap Shapes
- Creating Offscreen Bitmaps
- Hit-Testing Bitmap Shapes
- Picture Shapes
- Creating, Editing, and Drawing Picture Shapes
- Hit-Testing Picture Shapes
- Typographic Shapes
- Text Shapes
- Glyph Shapes
- Layout Shapes
- Creating and Drawing Typographic Shapes
- Editing Typographic Shapes
- Hit-Testing Typographic Shapes
- Styles
- Geometric Styles
- Bitmap and Picture Styles
- Typographic and Layout Styles
- Inks
- Colors
- Transfer Modes
- Transforms
- Clips
- Mappings
- View-Related Objects
- Printing Objects
