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User Interface Programming: Using the IDL GUIBuilder |
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For each widget, you can define attribute and event procedure properties. A widget's attributes define how it will display on the screen and its basic behaviors. The attributes you can set for a selected widget are displayed on the Attributes tab of the Properties dialog. These attributes are initially set to default values.
Event procedures are the predefined set of events a widget can recognize. When you write an application, you decide if and how the widget will respond to each of the possible events. The events that a selected widget recognizes are displayed on the Events tab of the Properties dialog. The event values are initially undefined. Supply event routine names for only those events to which you want the application to respond.
To open the Properties dialog for a widget, do one of the following:
These actions open a Properties dialog similar to the one shown in the following figure.
The status area at the bottom of the Properties dialog contains a description of the currently selected attribute or event. In addition, for each property that maps directly to an IDL keyword, there is a tool-tip that provides the name of the IDL keyword.
To display a tool-tip, place the cursor over the property name. The tool-tips are displayed only for properties that map to IDL keywords.
| Note If you have multiple widgets selected in the IDL GUIBuilder window, the Properties dialog displays the properties for the primary selection, which is indicated by the darker, filled-in sizing handles around the widget. When you select multiple widgets, only one is marked as the primary selection. |
To keep the Properties dialog on top, click the push pin button. To display reference information for the widget's properties and events, click the ? button.
The Properties dialog will close as soon as it loses focus, unless you click the push pin button. If you click the push pin button, the Properties dialog stays on top and updates to reflect the properties of the currently selected widget.
To close the Properties dialog when the push pin is being used, do one of the following:
Any changes you make to values in the Properties dialog are automatic; you will see the results of all visual changes immediately. For example, any changes you make to the alignment or column setting will change the layout position of the widget immediately.
All widgets share a common set of properties, and each widget has its own specific properties. These properties are arranged in the following order on the Attributes tab of the Properties dialog:
On the Events tab of the Properties dialog, the properties are displayed in alphabetical order with common and widget-specific events combined.
For information on the properties you can set for each widget, see IDL GUIBuilder Widget Reference.
There are several widget properties that you can set to multiple string values. The attribute's Value field contains a popup edit control in which you can enter multiple strings.
To enter more than one string in the edit control, do one of the following:
These actions move you to the next line. When you have entered the necessary string, press Enter to set the values.
IDL Online Help (March 06, 2007)
