The Edit Window dialog can be displayed by either double clicking anywhere within the window, or selecting the window and clicking on the "attribute edit" icon in the tool bar. This dialog presents the current attributes of the window. The dialog consists of three sections: identification, appearance, and properties.
This section displays naming and other identifying information for the window object.
| Window Name | This field contains the name of the window. The Screen Painter automatically generates a unique name for it. This name can be maintained or changed, as long as the new name conforms to the Zim Object Naming Rules. In addition, the new name together with the Directory Name cannot be the same as that for any display, form or menu object which is being defined within the same screen painting session. If the name is changed such that the Window Name and Directory Name are the same as that of a window object whose definition already exists in the Data Dictionary, a warning dialog is presented which informs you that saving the definition of the window replaces the existing definition. |
| Directory | This field contains the Zim directory name for the window. This name can be maintained or changed, as long as the new name conforms to the Zim Object Naming Rules. In addition, the new name together with the Window Name cannot be the same as that for any display, form or menu object which is being defined within the same screen painting session. If the name is changed such that the Window Name and Directory Name are the same as that of a window object whose definition already exists in the Data Dictionary, a warning dialog is presented which informs you that saving the definition of the window replaces the existing definition. |
| Window Number | This field contains an automatically generated identifying number for the window. The value in this field can be used to identify the window if it triggers a callback event. Refer to Callback Events for more detailed information about associating windows with callback events. The value in this field can be changed and need not be unique. |
| Window Tag | This field contains an identifying text string for the window. The value in this field can be used to identify the window if it triggers a callback event. Refer to Callback Events for more detailed information about associating windows with callback events. The value in this field can be changed and need not be unique. If left blank (the default), the value contained in Window Name is used for Window Tag. |
| Change Window | This push button can be used to replace the current window by one whose definition already exists in the Data Dictionary or, to select a new window with default attributes. Clicking on the push button results in the display of the Change Window dialog. |
This section presents the display or appearance attributes of the window object.
| Style | This field displays the window style. There are four different window styles: "Resizeable", "Dialog", "Simple" and "Borderless". Resizeable windows have the familiar double line borders with active resize areas for horizontal, vertical and diagonal resizing. Bar menus can be associated only with resizeable windows (which must also have a caption, and cannot be clipped to their parent window). Dialog windows have a thick border displayed in the active border color. The window for the Edit Window dialog is itself a "dialog" style window. Dialog style windows cannot have scroll bars, nor can they have minimize or maximize buttons on the caption bar. Also, menus cannot be associated with dialog windows. Simple windows have a thin line border. Menus cannot be associated with simple windows. Borderless windows have no visible border and may not have a caption bar. Menus cannot be associated with borderless windows. |
| Caption Bar | This field determines if the window has a caption bar. All window styles except "Borderless" can have a caption bar. If this field is cleared then the window does not have a caption bar. In addition, the window cannot have any associated caption text, be movable, have a system menu, or have minimize and maximize buttons (these options become unavailable). Note that if the window already has an associated menu, a caption bar is required. |
| Scroll Bars | This field determines if the window has scroll bars. |
| Caption Text | If the Caption Bar field is available and checked, then this field is available. The text entered in this field becomes the default caption (or heading) for the window and is displayed centered in the caption bar associated with the window. This field can be left blank if no caption is required. The caption for a window is also assignable through the Zim language using the WINDOW SET command. |
| System Menu | This field determines if the caption bar includes a system menu. It is available only if a caption bar has been selected and the window style is not "Borderless". If it is available and selected, then a system menu is displayed in the caption bar. If cleared, then a system menu is not displayed. In addition, the Close Option field is cleared and made unavailable, as this option is dependent on the presence of a system menu. |
| Close Option | This field determines if the window's system menu includes a Close menu item. If this field is available and selected, then the system menu ncludes an available Close menu item. If cleared, then the Close option in the system menu is unavailable. Selecting this field automatically selects the Closed event option presented in the Window Options dialog. |
| Minimize Button | This field determines if the window's caption bar includes a minimize button. If this field is available and selected, then a minimize button is included. Note that "dialog" style windows cannot have minimize or maximize buttons. |
| Maximize Button | This field determines if the window's caption bar includes a maximize button. If this field is available and selected, then a maximize button is included. Note that "dialog" style windows cannot have maximize or minimize buttons. |
This section presents the behavioral attributes of the window object.
| Availability | This field enables the default availability attribute of the window to be selected from the two values "Available" and "Unavailable". The end-user cannot interact with windows which have this attribute set to "Unavailable". The availability attribute of window objects can be changed under Zim program control using the WINDOW SET command. |
| Modal | This field determines if the window has the "modal" attribute or not. If selected, the window has the "modal" attribute. If cleared it has the "non-modal" attribute. "Modal" windows do not permit the end-user to switch the input focus away from the current window. "Non-modal" windows do permit such focus switches between windows. The window for the Edit Window dialog is itself a "modal" window. |
| Movable | This field determines if the window can be moved by the application end-user. If available and selected, the Move menu item in the window's system menu is available. In addition, the window responds to the end-user moving the window around the desktop using the standard Windows technique of dragging the caption bar. For a window to be "movable", it must have a caption bar. If the Caption Bar field is cleared either manually, or by selecting a window Style which disallows caption bars, this field is also cleared and made unavailable. |
| Auto Size | This field determines if the window has its dimensions automatically adjusted in order to accommodate the dimensions of the form or display object which is displayed within it. If cleared, then the window maintains its defined dimensions and scroll bars (if selected) are inserted if the defined dimensions of the window are too small to fully accommodate the form or display object. If scroll bars have not been selected, then the window clips the form or display object and the form or display object automatically moves within the window to ensure that the field which has the input focus is within the dimensions of the window. |
| Top-most Setting | This field determines the relative position of the window with respect to other windows. The values are "Not top-most", "Application top-most" and "System top-most". "Application top-most" means that the window remains on top of all other application windows (except other "Application top-most" and "System top-most" windows), regardless of whether or not it has the input focus. "System top-most" means that the window appears on top of all windows (except other "System top-most" windows), regardless of whether or not it has the input focus. |
| Clipped to Parent | This field determines if the window is constrained to be positioned within the dimensions of its parent window. Note that if the window being painted has an associated menu, then this field is cleared and made unavailable as windows with menus cannot be clipped to their parent window. |
| OK | This push button performs any required data validation, commits any changes that were made to the window's attributes, and returns to the Screen Painter's layout mode. |
| Cancel | This push button discards any changes that were made in this dialog and returns to the Screen Painter's layout mode. |
| Help | This push button invokes the Zim Help facility, initially displaying the section entitled Edit Window dialog (this section). |
| Options | This push button displays the Window Options dialog that enables additional attributes of the window to be viewed and modified. |