Stars of Shareware: Programmierung/SOURCE.mdf/programm/msdos/pascal/dlgdsn3/dlgdsn.doc

Text File | 1992-12-03 | 10.3 KB | 331 lines

                                                          December 3, 1992

                                 Dialog Design

                  A Dialogbox Design Program for Turbo Vision

                                  Version 3.0

                   (C) Copyright 1990-2 by L. David Baldwin.
                             All Rights Reserved.

  Further copyright information given below.


  OVERVIEW

  Dialog Design takes some of the pain out of designing dialog boxes for
  Borland's Turbo Vision package.  With Dialog Design, dialog controls can be
  easily added, edited, rearranged, and the dialog itself sized, moved, etc.
  Once the design is satisfactory, Dialog Design can produce source code to
  be included in your program or a resource file for use by your program.


  REQUIREMENTS

    Borland (R) Pascal version 7.0 (Turbo Vision 2.0)
       (Dialog Design version 2.x supports Turbo Pascal 6.0)
    Some familiarity with the Turbo Vision package
    A mouse is desirable


  DESIGNING A DIALOG BOX

  Dialog Design has three modes of operation:

    Design Mode

    Dialog Design begins in design mode and this is the mode that you use for
    all layout work and editing.  In design mode, the dialog doesn't look or
    act quite like it will in the final design.  Here's some of the
    differences:

       A 'canvas' background is used to better delineate the actual space
       occupied by each control.

       Controls are colored red when selected.

       Multiple controls may be selected.

       All controls may be selected even those not normally selectable.




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    Try Mode

    Try mode is entered using the F9 key.  In try mode, the dialog behaves as
    it's supposed to.  You can check the Tab order, make temporary entries,
    and push buttons to actually check how things will work.  Exit try mode
    with the escape key or click on the close box.

    Ordering Mode

    Ordering mode allows you to change the Tab order of your dialog controls.
    The method for doing this is discussed further below.  The F8 key toggles
    you into and out of ordering mode.

  While there is no fixed way to design a dialog, here's one suggested
  sequence:

  1.In design mode, work with the dialogbox large enough so that you won't be
    crowded.

  2.From the Add menu, select a control to add.  This will bring up a dialog
    where you can enter the necessary information.  Use the online help (F1
    key) if you have a question as to what goes in a particular field.  When
    the OK button is pushed, the control will appear in the lower right corner
    of the design box.  The control is then positioned by dragging it with the
    mouse, or by using the arrow keys (Shift+arrow moves a little faster).
    Work in the upper left corner of the box.

  3.Continue adding controls as desired.  At any time, controls can be
    repositioned or sized with the mouse (further details below).  If
    something other than position or size needs changing, select the control
    and from the Edit menu choose Edit Selected (or use F7).  This will bring
    up its dialogbox for changes.

  4.When all the controls have been added and positioned, size the box to fit
    and move it to the desired location on the desktop.  Be sure and add a
    title (Edit Dialog from the Edit menu).

  5.Enter Try Mode with the F9 key and test the dialog.  Be sure to check how
    the controls sequence using the Tab key.  Exit Try mode with Esc or click
    on the close box.

  6.If the Tab sequence needs changing, use F8 to enter ordering mode.  With
    the mouse, click on each control to establish the desired order.   Exit
    back to design mode with F8.

    Changing the sequence without a mouse is a little more complicated.  Use
    the Tab key to select (highlight) the next control to be sequenced.  Then
    press the Enter key to enter the selected control into the sequence.
    After all controls have been entered, exit back to design mode with F8.





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    Some controls (such as Static Text, and Labels) don't enter into the
    tab sequence of a dialogbox.  You can order these if it's convenient, but
    the order won't effect the final results.

    Be sure to recheck the tab order in Try mode.

  7.This is a good time to save your work.  Choose Save or Save As from the
    File menu to create or update a .DLG file.  Any file with the same name
    will be renamed with a .BKP extension.

  8.You can preview the source code to be generated by choosing Write Source
    to Screen from the Operations menu.  The code will appear in a viewer
    window.

  9.To create source code for your dialogbox, choose Write Source to File
    from the Operations menu and choose a filename (.SRC is the default
    extension).  The source code produced will consist of a dialogbox
    definition function and a data record with fields matching those required
    by the dialog's SetData and GetData methods.

    The .SRC file generated may be inserted directly into TESTCASE.PAS (at
    the line of asterisks) to provide a program to test the dialogbox.

  10.To generate a resource file or add the new dialogbox to an existing
    resource or EXE file, choose Write Resource from the Operation menu.
    Both a filename and a resource ID name will be requested.  If the file
    already exists, it will be renamed with a .BKP extension.  If the
    existing file is a resource or EXE file, it will be copied, and the new
    resource added to the copy.  Any existing resource with the same ID will
    be deleted.  Note that the resource ID name is case sensitive.


  SELECTING, CLICKING, DRAGGING, SIZING, ETC.

  To select a control, click and release on it with the left button or use the
  Tab key.

  To select multiple controls, select the first, then hold down the shift key
  while clicking on the others.  Note that, in this mode, clicking toggles
  selection on and off so it's possible to deselect as well as select.

  You can also select a block of controls by using the mouse to define an
  enclosing rectangle.  Position the mouse to one corner of the desired
  rectangle (the start position must not be on a control).  Hold the left
  button down and drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle before
  releasing the button.  During the drag operation, a shaded area will show
  the rectangle.  Those controls completely enclosed by the rectangle
  will be selected.  If the shift key is held down during this operation, any
  previously selected controls will remain selected.

  To select all controls, use the F4 key.



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  To move controls, select the controls to be moved, then click on any one of
  them and, without releasing the button, drag the group to the desired
  position.  The group may also be moved using the arrow keys.

  To resize a control, first select it then click and drag on its lower right
  corner.  Note that some controls only size in one dimension and all have a
  minimum size.

  To edit a control, double click it with the left button or click on it with
  the right button.  Or select it with the Tab key and press F7.  Either way
  brings up the control's Add/Edit dialog.


  SOME DETAILS

  Command Line

  The command line used to load Dialog Design is:

    DLGDSN [<dialog filename>]

  The optional dialog filename specifies the name of a design file to be
  loaded.  If no extension is given, '.DLG' is assumed.

  Options Button

  Most of the Add/Edit dialogs have an Options button.  This button brings up
  another dialog which will let you change the default ofXXXX and evXXXX flag
  and mask bits.  In most cases, you'll want to stick with defaults but some
  bits do have interesting uses.  In particular, the ofFramed bit can be used
  for framing controls.  Also, with a little effort, you can frame groups of
  controls or divide the dialog into panes.  The context sensitive help (F1)
  for the options dialog has some hints on this.

  Help Context

  Many of the Add/Edit dialogs have fields labeled Help Context and Value.
  By default, these contain hcNoContext and 0.  Dialog Design uses the help
  context symbol when generating source code and the value when producing a
  resource.

  For small projects, it may be convenient just to enter this information by
  hand.  However, if you're using Borland's demo help compiler, TVHC, Dialog
  Design can work with the help definition file it produces.  To do this,
  choose Load Help Ctx file from the Options menu and supply the filename of
  the help definition file.  Then clicking on the '*' box next to the help
  context field (or typing '*' in the field) will bring up a pick list of the
  definitions from which to choose.






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  During the various iterations of writing a help file, the numerical values
  associated with the help symbols are often changed.  However, once a help
  context symbol has been entered for a control, Dialog Design will keep its
  associated help value current.  Updating occurs whenever:

       A .DLG file is already loaded and a help context file is loaded
    or
       A help context file has been loaded and a new .DLG file is loaded.



  COPYRIGHT

  Documentation and Program (C) Copyright 1990-2 by L. David Baldwin.
  All Rights Reserved.

  Dialog Design may be copied and distributed freely by individuals to
  friends and acquaintances providing that no fee is charged and it is not
  part of a package for which a charge is made.

  Please report any problems, suggestions, etc.  Contact me by Compuserve
  (best way) or at one of the addresses below.

  Dave Baldwin
  CompuServe ID #76327,53.

  22 Fox Den Rd.,
  Hollis, NH 03049        (Approx May 15 to Oct 15)
  [phone]

  144 13th St. East,
  Tierra Verde, FL 33715  (Approx Oct 15 to May 15)
  [phone]





















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