Working in painters

In PowerBuilder,
you edit objects such as windows, menus, DataWindow objects, and
user objects in painters. In addition to painters that edit objects, other
painters such as the Library painter and the Database painter provide
you with the ability to work with libraries and databases.

Opening painters

Painters that edit objects

There are several
ways you open painters that edit objects:

From here	You can
PowerBar	Click New or Inherit (to create new objects) or Open (to open existing objects)
Library painter	Double-click an object or select Edit from the object’s popup menu
Browser	Select edit from an object’s popup menu

Other painters

Most other painters are accessible from the New dialog box.
Some are also available on the PowerBar and from the Window menu.

Painter summary

The PowerBuilder painters
are:

Painter	What you do
Application painter	Specify application-level properties and scripts
Database painter	Maintain databases, control user access to databases, manipulate data in databases, and create tables
DataWindow painter	Build intelligent objects called DataWindow objects that present information from the database
Data Pipeline painter	Transfer data from one data source to another and save a pipeline object for reuse
Function painter	Build global functions to perform processing specific to your application
Library painter	Manage libraries, create a new library, and build dynamic libraries
Menu painter	Build menus that the windows will use
Project painter	Create executable files, dynamic libraries, components, and proxies
Query painter	Graphically define and save SQL SELECT statements for reuse with DataWindow objects and pipelines
Select painter	Graphically define SQL SELECT statements for DataWindow objects and pipelines
Structure painter	Define global structures (groups of variables) for use in your application
User Object painter	Build custom objects that you can save and use repeatedly in your application
Window painter	Build the windows that will be used in the application

Painter features

Painters that edit objects

Most painters that
edit PowerBuilder objects have these features:

Feature	Notes
Painter window with views	See “Views in painters that edit objects” and “Using views in painters”
Unlimited undo/redo	Undo and redo apply to all changes
Drag-and-drop operations	Most drag-and-drop operations change context or copy objects
To-Do List support	When you are working in a painter, a linked item you add to the To-Do list can take you to the specific location

Other painters

Most of the painters that do not edit PowerBuilder objects have
views and some drag-and-drop operations.

Views in painters that editobjects

Each painter has a View menu that
you use for opening views. The views you can open depend on the
painter you are working in.

Many views are shared by some painters, but some views are
specific to a single painter. For example, the Layout, Properties,
and Control List views are shared by the Window, visual User Object,
and Application painters, but the Design, Column Specifications,
Data, and Preview views are specific to the DataWindow painter and
the WYSIWYG Menu and Tree Menu views are specific to the Menu painter.

The following sections describe the views you’ll
see in many painters. Views that are specific to a single object
type are described in the chapter for that object type.

Layout view The Layout view shows a representation
of the object and its controls. It is where you place controls on
an object and design the layout and appearance of the object.

If the Properties view is displayed and you select a control
in the Layout view or the Control List view, the properties for
that control display in the Properties view. If you select several
controls in the Layout view or the Control list view, the properties
common to the selected controls display in the Properties view.

Properties view The Properties view displays the property
sheet for the object itself or for the currently selected controls
or nonvisual objects in the object. You can see and change the values
of properties in this view.

The Properties view dynamically changes when you change selected
objects or controls in the Layout, Control List, and Non-Visual
Object List views.

If you select several controls in the Layout view or the Control
List view, the Properties view says group selected
in
the title bar and displays the properties common to the selected
controls.

In the Properties view popup menu, you can select Labels On
Top or Labels On Left to specify where the labels for the properties
display. For help on properties, select Help from the popup menu.

If the Properties view is displayed and you select a nonvisual
object in the Non-Visual Object List view, the properties for that
nonvisual object display in the Properties view. If you select several
nonvisual objects in the Non-Visual Object List view, the properties
common to the selected nonvisual objects display in the Properties
view.

Script view The Script view is where you edit the scripts
for events and functions, define and modify user events and functions,
declare variables and external functions, and view the scripts for
ancestor objects.

If you double-click a control or object in the Layout, Control
List, or Non-Visual Object List views, the Script view opens (if
it’s not already open) and displays the script for that
control’s default event. If you drag a control or object
from the Layout, Control List, or Non-Visual Object List views to
the Script view (in the Layout view, doing this does not
move
the control), the Script view displays the script for that control’s
default event. Dragging from the Layout, Control List, or Non-Visual
Object List view to Script view is especially useful if you are
using more than one Script view.

If you double-click a function in the Function List view,
the function’s script displays in the Script view. Dragging
a function from the Function List view to the Script view displays
the function’s script. To override a system-defined function,
just type your code in the Script view.

If you double-click an event in the Event List view, its script
displays in the Script view. Dragging an event from the Event List
view to the Script view displays the script for the event. You use
the Prototype window in the Script view (by clicking the button
next to the third dropdown listbox) to modify the event prototype
for a user defined event.

For information about the Script view, see Chapter 4, “Writing Scripts “.

Control List view The Control List view lists the visual
controls on the object. You can click the Control column to sort
the controls by control name or by hierarchy.

If you select one or more controls in the Control List view,
the controls are also selected in the Layout view. Selecting a control
changes the Properties view and double-clicking a control changes
the Script view.

Event List view The Event List view displays
the full event prototype of both the default and user-defined events
mapped to an object. Icons identify whether an event has a script,
is a descendent event with a script, or is a descendent event with
an ancestor script and a script of its own.

Non-Visual Object List view The Non-Visual Object
List view is a list of nonvisual objects that have been inserted
in an Application object, window, or user object of any type. You
can sort controls by control name or ancestor.

Function List view The Function List view lists the
system-defined functions and the object-level functions you defined
for the object. Icons identify whether a function has a script,
is a descendent of a function with a script, or is a descendent
of a function with an ancestor script and script of its own.

Note that while the half-colored icon identifies the myfunc
user-defined function as having both an ancestor script and a script
of its own, for a function this means that the function is overridden.
This is different from the meaning of a half-colored icon in the
Event List view.

Structure List view The Structure List view lists the
object-level structures defined for the object.

If you double-click a structure in the Structure List view,
the structure’s definition displays in the Structure view.

Structure view The Structure view is where you
edit the definition of object-level structures in the Window, Menu,
and User Object painters.

Using views in painters

Most of the PowerBuilder painters
have views. A painter window usually contains several views. Each
provides a specific way of viewing or modifying the object you are
creating or a specific kind of information related to that object.

Here the Layout view shows the window’s layout, and
the Script view shows the code for the selected command button:

Several views in a painter window mean you can work on more
than one task at a time. In the Window painter, for example, you
can see and modify window controls and code them at the same time.

To open a view:

1. Select View from the menu bar and then
   select the view you want to open.

You can only open one instance of some views, but you can
open as many instances as you need of others, such as the Script
view.

To close a view:

1. If the view’s title bar is not
   displayed, display it by placing the pointer on the splitter bar
   at the top of the pane.

2. Click the Close button on the title bar.

When a painter first opens, the default views display in panes.
In some painters, several panes are overlapped and have tabs you
can click to pop the pane to the top of the stack. Each pane shows
a different view. For some painters, all available views are included
in the default layout; for others, only a few views are included.

Each pane has:

• A title bar you can
  display temporarily or permanently
• A handle in the top-left corner you can use to drag
  the pane to a new location
• Splitter bars between the pane and each adjacent
  pane

You can change the layout of the views in a painter window
to suit your needs, and you can save different layouts for different
tasks.

Displaying the title bar

For most views a title bar does
not permanently display at the top of a pane (because it’s
often unnecessary). But you can display a title bar for any pane either
temporarily or permanently.

To display a title bar for a pane:

1. Place the pointer on the splitter bar at
   the top of the pane.

   The title bar displays.

2. (Optional) Click the pushpin at the left of the
   title bar.

   or

   Select Pinned from the title bar’s popup menu.

   The title bar remains visible when you move the pointer. Click
   the pushpin again or select Pinned again on the popup menu to hide
   the title bar.

After you display a title bar either temporarily or permanently,
you can use the title bar’s popup menu.

To maximize a pane to fill the workspace:

1. Select Maximize from the title bar’s
   popup menu.

   or

   Click the Maximize button on the title bar.

To restore a pane to its original size:

1. Select Restore from the title bar’s
   popup menu.

   or

   Click the Restore button on the title bar.

Moving and resizing panes

You can move a pane to any location
in the painter window.

To move a pane:

1. Place the pointer anywhere on the pane’s
   title bar, hold down the left mouse button, and start moving the
   pane.

   Moving tabbed panes If you move tabbed panes using the handle in the top-left
   corner of the top pane or the title bar, all
   panes
   in the stack move. To move one of the panes out of the stack, drag
   the tab for the pane you want to move.

   A gray outline appears in the pane:

   

2. Drag the outline to the new location.

   The outline changes size as you drag it. When the pointer
   is over the middle of a pane, the outline fills the pane. As you
   drag the pointer toward any border, the outline becomes a narrow
   rectangle adjacent to that border. When the pointer is over a splitter
   bar between two panes, rows, or columns, the outline straddles the
   splitter bar:

   

   When you move the pointer to a corner When you move the pointer to a corner, you’ll find
   that you have many places where you can drop the outline. To see
   your options, move the pointer around in all directions in the corner
   and see where the outline displays as you move it.

3. Release the mouse button to drop the outline in
   the new location:

   To move a pane here	Drop the outline here
   Between two panes	On the splitter bar between the panes
   Between a border and a pane	At the side of the pane nearest the border
   Into a new row	On the splitter bar between two rows or at the top or bottom of the painter window
   Into a new column	On the splitter bar between two columns or at the left or right edge of the painter window
   Onto a stack of panes	On the middle of the pane (if the pane was not already tabbed, tabs are created)

To resize a pane:

1. Drag the splitter bars between panes.

Floating and docking panes

Panes are docked by default within a
painter window. But a particular task may be easier if you float
a pane. A floating pane can be moved outside the painter’s window
or even outside the PowerBuilder window.

You can float and dock panes using the title bar or while
moving a pane.

To float a docked pane:

1. Select Float from the title bar’s
   popup menu.

   or

   While moving the pane, press shift or ctrl.

When you open another painter If you have a floating pane in a painter and then open another
painter, the floating pane temporarily disappears. It will reappear
when the original painter is selected.

To dock a floating pane:

1. Select Dock from the title bar’s
   popup menu.

   or

   While moving the pane, press shift or ctrl.

Floating and docking a tabbed pane In a tabbed pane, select Float or Dock from the tab’s
popup menu.

Adding and removing panes

You may want to add additional views to the painter window.
For example, you may want more than one Script view. If there are
some views you rarely use, you can move them into an overlapped
stack or remove them.

To add a new pane to the painter window:

1. Select View from the menu bar and then
   select the view you want to add.

   The new pane displays as a new row.

2. Move the pane where you want it.

   For how to move panes, see “Moving and resizing panes”.

To remove a pane from the painter window:

1. Display the pane’s title bar if
   it is not already visible and select Close from the popup menu (or
   click the Close button).

   or

   For a tab in a stack of tabbed panes, select Close from
   the popup menu.

Closing tabbed panes Selecting Close
in the title bar of a stack of tabbed panes closes all
the
panes.

Saving a layout

When you have rearranged panes
in the painter window, PowerBuilder saves the layout in the registry.
The next time you open the painter window, your last layout displays.
You can also save customized layouts so that you can switch from
one to another for different kinds of activities.

To save customized layouts for a painter window:

1. Select Design>Options and select
   the Layout tab.

   

2. Click Save As.

3. Type an appropriate name over [Current] and
   click OK.

Restoring the default layout You can restore the default
layout anytime by clicking the Default button.

Using popup menus

PowerBuilder provides a context-sensitive popup menu that lists:

• Actions appropriate to the currently
  selected object or the current position of the pointer
• Where appropriate, a Properties menu item for accessing
  the Properties view or the Properties dialog box associated with
  the current object or the current position of the pointer

The popup menu is available almost everywhere in PowerBuilder.

Example

For example, the following screen shows the popup menu for
a column in a DataWindow:

To display a popup menu:

1. Select an object, or position the pointer
   on an object or in a view.

2. Click the right mouse button.

Defining colors

You can define custom colors
to use in most painters and in objects you create.

To define custom colors:

1. In a painter that uses custom colors, select
   Design>Custom Colors from the menu bar.

   The Color dialog box displays:

   

2. Define your custom colors:

   Area of the Color dialog box	What you do
   Basic colors	Click the basic color closest to the color you want to define to move the pointer in the color matrix and slider on the right
   Custom colors palette	Modify an existing color–click a custom color, then modify the color matrix and slider. Define a new color–click an empty box, define the color, and click Add to Custom Colors
   Color matrix	Click in the color matrix to pick a color
   Color slider	Move the slider on the right to adjust the color’s attributes
   Add to Custom Colors button	After you have designed the color, click this button to add the custom color to the Custom colors palette on the left

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