Tivoli Service Desk 6.0 Developer's Toolkit Interface Designer Guide

Chapter 1: Introduction

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Introduction

What is the Interface Designer?

The Interface Designer is the tool used to create forms, menus, toolbars, and string tables for Developer's Toolkit GUI applications that you build.

Terminology conventions

The following terms are used frequently in this book:

Forms

Introduction

Forms provide an integral component to any GUI application. Forms present information to, and receive information from, end users.

Description of forms

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.

Process used to build forms

The process of building a form involves the following steps.

  1. Creating or opening a resource file.
  2. Adding a new form to the resource file.
  3. Customizing the form properties, size, and position.
  4. Adding controls to the form.
  5. Customizing the control properties, size, and position.
  6. Saving the control properties, size, and position.
  7. Saving the resource file (the file parses automatically when saved).
  8. Testing the forms in the resource file.

Resource Files

Overview

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.

Opening a new resource 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.)

Opening an existing resource file

To open an existing resource file:

  1. Open the Interface Designer.
  2. From the File menu, choose Open.
  3. Select the resource file you want to open.
    Result: The resource file opens. The Forms tab is active and shows a list of the forms that belong to the resource file.

Starting and Quitting

Starting the Interface Designer

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
  1. Make sure that the directory and path point to the location for Tivoli Service Desk (TSD) products.
  2. At the command prompt, type i-design.
  3. Press enter.

Quitting the Interface Designer

To quit the Interface Designer:

  1. From the File menu, choose Exit.
  2. Choose OK to save your changes.

OK and Apply

Overview

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.

When should Apply be used?

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.

Setting Preferences

Introduction

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.

Setting general preferences

To set general preferences:

  1. From the Options menu, choose Preferences.
    Result: The Preferences dialog box appears and displays the General tab.
  2. To align controls to the nearest grid coordinate, select the Snap To Grid check box. Otherwise, continue with step 3.
  3. To automatically display the Properties dialog box when you create a new form or control, select the Auto Property Sheets check box. Otherwise, continue with step 4.
  4. To draw or create multiple controls simultaneously, select the Draw Multiple Controls check box. Otherwise, continue with step 5.
  5. To initially display the control palette in its own window, select the Detached Control Palette check box. Otherwise, continue with step 6.
  6. To display the Menus tab in the Developer's Toolkit Interface Designer window, select the Show Menu Page check box. Otherwise, continue with step 7.
  7. To display the Toolbars tab in the Developer's Toolkit Interface Designer window, select the Show Toolbar Page check box. Otherwise, continue with step 8.
  8. In the Editor box, type the name of the text editor you want to use to correct .df file parse errors.
  9. In the Grid Spacing box, type your preferred point size for your form grid lines.
  10. Choose Apply or OK.

Setting colors 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:

  1. From the Options menu, choose Preferences.
  2. Choose the Colors tab.
  3. From the Canvas Background list box, select the background color of the form.
  4. From the Canvas Foreground list box, select the grid point colors in the canvas foreground.
  5. From the Selected Control list box, select the border color for a selected control.
  6. From the Active Control list box, select the border color for the active control.
    Note: The Selected Control and Active Control settings are used when you align and size controls. The selected controls align or are sized according to the position or size of the active control. This is explained in detail in "Designing Controls."
  7. Choose Apply or OK.

Saving preference selections

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

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