spd - Options menu¶
With the exception of Positioning, options on this menu are applied to the current project only.
See invisible items¶
This is a toggle-type option causing all non-visible items to be shown or hidden. If the option is ticked, non-visible items are shown; if it is not ticked, they are hidden. An invisible item may be selected, moved, resized, copied and pasted, but it is recommended that these operations only be performed when they are visible.
Tooltips active¶
If this option is ticked, then tooltips appear to help the user. Whenever the mouse is moved over a window or window object, its type and identifier appear in a tooltip, and moving the mouse over a toolbar icon opens a tooltip explaining its function.
Play animations¶
Turns the playing of animations on or off. An animation is a .avi file assigned to a graphic of the type GT_ANIMATE.
If the option is ticked, animation graphics play continuously. If not, the first frame of the animation is displayed.
Backup changed files¶
If this option is ticked, the main source file and any associated include files are backed up when a program is saved, provided that changes have been made since the last save. Read-only files are not saved.
Positioning¶
This option allows the user to specify whether a character or pixel grid is to be used for the display, and to upgrade a program from character to pixel. Pixel positioning was introduced in Sculptor 5. See See Pixel and character positioning for further details.
When the program designer is first loaded, or when the File->New option is selected, the positioning method reverts to the default (see below). When a program is loaded, the presence or absence of a !chargrid statement determines the method used.
Pixel |
Display the current screen using pixel positioning. A dialog opens asking whether or not to convert the program to pixel positioning. Answering Yes causes all window and object sizes and positions in the main program file to be changed from the character value to the corresponding pixel value. Windows and objects in !include files are only converted if the contain the line !ctp. Only values in window and control definitions can be converted. Values that are coded into the program logic, and defined values, must be converted by hand. If the program is not converted, the redisplay proceeds, but windows and controls will appear to shrink greatly in size and will be squeezed into the top left corner of the screen. Switching back to character display will restore the screen. See Converting to pixel positioning for further details of the conversion process. |
Character |
Display the current screen using a character grid. There is no conversion facility from pixels to characters; the program must be edited by hand in order to reposition and size the windows and controls correctly. |
The default positioning method for a new program created by the program designer is determined as follows:
If the file default.r, which contains files and code to be automatically included in any new program created by the program designer, contains a !chargrid ON | OFF declaration, this defines the method to be used. See External configuration.
Otherwise, the program refers to the file local.h, which is included in $SCULPTOR/include/sculptor.h, and contains local manifest constant definitions. By default, local.h contains a !chargrid ON statement. Remove this statement to set pixel positioning as the default. Note, however, that this change can affect existing programs when they are recompiled. To maintain a character grid in such programs, load them, change to character positioning and save. This adds the !chargrid ON statement to the main source file.
Save window settings as default¶
Saves the current size and position of the object tree, property and edit windows as the default for this project.
Change selection border¶
This option enables the user to change the appearance of the selection border that appears around selected items. A new window is opened for this purpose. The current border is displayed as a rectangle near the bottom of the window, and is dynamically updated to show the effect of the user’s choices.
Any of the seven main colours displayed in the Colours section can be chosen as the main colour for selection borders. Click on a colour to select it. If no pattern is required, click the Solid Colour box. The border now displays as a solid line.
The Patterns section is only displayed if Solid Colour is unchecked. The pattern is displayed using the selected colour as the foreground, on a white background. Click on Invert Pattern and the pattern is displayed in black, using the selected colour as the background. If white is the selected colour, it is therefore necessary to invert the pattern to see it.
Click OK to confirm, or Cancel to keep the previously selected border.
Template configuration¶
Templates may be set up for buttons and textboxes, storing their default properties. Buttons and textboxes in the same project or program usually have their style, format and other features in common. Judicious use of templates can therefore minimise the amount of work needed when defining the state of newly created buttons and textboxes.
If a box_id or button_id is provided, it is used as the default identifier for newly created boxes or buttons, with numerical suffixes added to ensure uniqueness. The box_id is also used when textbox names are generated automatically by the Create Multiple textboxes option.
Template properties can be entered in the Property window or by editing the source code in the Edit window.
RELATED TOPICS |