Multimedia Guide and Reference
The pop-up menu for the multimedia parts contains the following
choices:
- Open Settings
-
Select Open Settings to display the settings for the selected
parts. The Settings view displays the attributes and their initial
values for the part. If multiple parts are selected when you select
Open Settings, a settings notebook for each selected part opens in
a different window. You can use the Settings view to change the values
of the attributes that set up the initial appearance or behavior you need for
the part.
- Edit Part
-
Select Edit Part to open the editing view that is appropriate for
the selected parts or the part whose pop-up menu you displayed. If the
part is a visual part built with VisualAge, the Composition Editor for that
part opens. Otherwise, the Script Editor for that part opens.
- Promote Part Feature
-
Select Promote Part Feature to make the private data about the part
publicly accessible to other parts. Promoting part features, or adding
attributes, actions, or events to the interface, enables data to be shared
between two parts.
- View Parts List
-
Select View Parts List to open a window listing all parts that are
components of the selected part. This menu option is useful if parts
have been overlaid so they are not visible in the Composition Editor.
- Change Name
-
Select Change Name to change the name of a part placed on the
free-form surface. When you change the name of any part, you are
changing the internal name of the part. This internal name appears in
the status area at the bottom of the Composition Editor when you select the
part. For a nonvisual part, the name also appears as a label beneath
the icon for the part on the free-form surface. This menu option does
not change the class name of a part.
- Delete
-
Select Delete to remove the selected parts.
- Layout
-
Select Layout to help you place parts in your views.
- Distribute
- Spaces visual parts evenly within a specified window
- Snap To Grid
- Aligns visual parts with the nearest grid intersections
- Match Size
- Sizes all selected parts to match the size of the anchor part (the part
selected last)
- Become Primary Part
-
Select Become Primary Part to specify the primary part for your
composite part. The primary part is the subpart with which most
interaction will take place. It is the part whose interface is
transparently exposed through the interface of the composite part. By
default, the primary part of a composite part is the part that was added to
the free-form surface first. For a visual composite part, this is
always the Window part that VisualAge provides by default. If the
pop-up menu for a part does not include Become Primary Part, then
the part is already the primary part.
- Connect
-
To make a connection between two parts, select Connect from the
pop-up menu for the part or for the free-form surface. The displayed
menu contains the attributes, events, and actions for the part or the
application. You select the source of the connection from this menu
and, after you select the target part for the connection, another menu
displays for you to select the target feature. To see all attributes,
events, and actions for the part or application, select Connect
> All Features. The features in the
Connect menu vary depending on the part selected.
- Browse Connections
-
Select Browse Connections to show or hide connections to or from
the part.
- Show To
- Displays the connections for which the part is the target
- Show From
- Displays the connections for which the part is the source
- Show To/From
- Displays the connections for which the part is either the target or source
- Show All
- Displays all the connections among parts in the Composition Editor
- Hide To
- Conceals the connections for which the part is the target
- Hide From
- Conceals the connections for which the part is the source
- Hide To/From
- Conceals the connections for which the part is either the target or source
- Hide All
- Conceals all the connections among parts in the Composition Editor
- Reorder Conections From
-
Select Reorder Connections From to order the connections.
Connections fire in the order in which they are made. However, this is
not always the correct order for the connections to occur for a valid GUI
application. Reorder Connections From enables you to order
the connections in the way that works best.
- Quick Form
-
Select Quick Form to create a visual part that is appropriate for
displaying the value of an attribute. Quick Form is
available for most attributes of both visual and nonvisual parts. After
selecting Quick Form, do the following:
- Select the attribute for which you want the corresponding quick
form.
- Move the mouse pointer to where you want to place the upper-left corner of
the part. (The mouse pointer assumes the crosshair shape after you
select the attribute.)
- Click mouse button 1 to place the part.
VisualAge automatically makes an attribute-to-attribute connection between
the new part and the part from which you requested Quick
Form. Open the settings view for the quick form to determine what
other defaults were also set for you.
- Tear-Off Attribute
-
Select Tear-Off Attribute to work with an attribute as if it were a
standalone part. After you select Tear-Off Attribute, select
an attribute from the displayed list and drop the tear-off attribute on the
free-form surface. You can then form other connections to or from the
tear-off attribute.
- Create Deferred Update Part
-
Select Create Deferred Update Part to add a part that holds changes
to data to the free-form surface. You can then make connections to the
deferred update part. The Create Deferred Update Part part
holds changes to data until you indicate, through its apply action,
that the changes are to be saved.
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