To simplify the user interface (UI) design, both XML UI Engine and XML UI Editor are provided as new components.
XUI Editor is a WYSWYG tool that creates BTT XML based transaction UI files. This tool makes it easy to design the widget layout by dragging out and putting different widgets from palette to the design panel. The XML based file whose extension is xui can be created for XML UI Engine to use.
XUI Editor only supports Windows® systems.
XUI Editor provides the following functions:
You can create new XML UI files in RAD easily.
There are eleven types of widgets, which can be dragged out from the palette and put in the design panel. The layout of widgets can be designed as you require.
You can use the up, down, left and right arrow buttons on the keyboard instead of the mouse to move the widget in the design panel.
In the design panel, the ruler is added to help you locate the widgets. Click the rule, you can create a Guide. Drag the widget near the guide, the widget is automatically attached to the Guide.
You can undo or redo the actions or the property modifications in the XUI Editor.
The created layout design can be saved as a formatted XUI file whose extension is xui, and an existing XUI file in the file system can be loaded to the design panel.
You can copy and paste the Text, Combo, Button, Label, Password, Checkbox, RadioButton, List, and Table.
In the Outline view of an XUI file, you can get the tree structure of the widgets by clicking the Show Outline button. The overview of the widgets layout is available if you click the Show Overview button.
Open the Source view in the design panel, you can get the source code of the XUI file. The modification of the codes can take effect in the design panel. The XML based code is formatted in a good manner.
The basic properties of the selected widgets, such as foreground color, font, text, can be modified in the Properties view of the XUI Editor.
You can edit the logic classes, such as Initializers, Before&After validation, Actions, and add attributes for the classes in the Properties view as well.
The Properties view can be extended according to the widget customization.
The widget palette contains eleven predefined widgets. You can extend the palette by newly developed widgets.
The preference configuration of the XUI file is added into the RAD preferences, which can be found and modified.
In an XUI file, you can take the widgets in other XUI files as references and put them in the current design panel.
The XUI previewer simulates the runtime of the current XUI file. Both the appearance and behavior of the file are similar to those in the actual runtime environment.
You can debug the XUI files as preview. If the break points are set in the logic classes, the previewer stops at the break point and the debug information is displayed in the Console view.