Tivoli Service Desk 6.0 Developer's Toolkit Interface Designer Guide
The Interface Designer is the tool used to create forms, menus, toolbars, and string tables for Developer's Toolkit GUI applications that you build.
The following terms are used frequently in this book:
Forms provide an integral component to any GUI application. Forms present information to, and receive information from, end users.
Forms are special windows that can contain numerous types of controls. Controls are objects on a form that can be manipulated by the end user. Examples of controls include option buttons, text boxes, and check boxes.
The process of building a form involves the following steps.
Resource files (also known as .df files) are the physical text files created when you create definitions for forms. With the Interface Designer, you can open the resource file first, then access any form associated with the file.
Starting the Interface Designer automatically creates a new resource file. You can create another resource file by using the following procedure.
To open another resource file:
Note: Only one resource file can be open at a time.
Resource files can also be accessed from the command prompts of any operating system by typing:
i-design myfile
where myfile is the name of the resource file. (The .df extension is automatically added to the file name.)
To open an existing resource file:
There are several ways to launch the Interface Designer depending on your operating system. The following are procedures for Windows, OS/2, or X Motif for UNIX. You can also start the I-Designer from the command prompt of any supported operating system mentioned.
To start the Interface Designer:
If you are using... | then... |
Windows 95 or NT 4.0 | From the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Developer's Toolkit, and choose Developer's Toolkit Interface Designer. |
OS/2 | In the Developer's Toolkit folder, choose the Interface Designer icon. |
X-Motif on UNIX |
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To quit the Interface Designer:
In almost all dialog boxes in the Interface Designer you can implement your changes with the OK or Apply buttons. Either button implements your changes immediately. The difference is that the OK button implements your changes while closing the dialog box where you made the changes. The Apply button implements your changes while the dialog box where you made the changes remains open.
Use Apply when you want to preview your changes without closing the dialog box. For example, if you want to try several different preference colors for your controls, using the Apply button saves you from having to choose preferences from the options menu after each color selection.
You can customize the Interface Designer's environment using preferences. Preferences affect the function and appearance of the Interface Designer, as well as the appearance of controls on forms you create.
To set general preferences:
Colors preferences are used to set the background and foreground colors of forms as well as selected and active controls as you use the Interface Designer. (This does not affect the color of a form when your interface is integrated with a Developer's Toolkit application.)
To set colors preferences:
You must save your preference selections if you want them to remain in your next session of the Interface Designer.
To save your preference selections:
Note: You must choose Save from the File menu to save your preferences. Your preferences will not be saved if you select the OK or Apply buttons and exit the Preferences Window without choosing Save.
Tivoli Service Desk 6.0 Developer's Toolkit Interface Designer Guide