Integrated Resource Editor Main Window
The IRE's main window contains an Action Bar
along the top of the screen, a toolbar, a Window/Dialog window,
and a status window at the bottom of the screen.
The Action Bar contains the following pull-down
menus: File, Edit, Find, Control, Resource, Configure, Options,
and Help.
- File Pull-Down
- The menu items contained within the File
pull-down are:
- New creates a new design,
a new bitmap, cursor or icon, or a new font
- Open edits an existing project design file
- Import imports an OS/2, OS/2 Warp Connect (PowerPC
Edition) or Windows 3.1 .RES, .RC file for editing
- Merge merges an existing .RES file with the current
design
- Include new creates a new header file
- Include
open opens an existing
header file
- Save saves the file you
are editing
- Save as saves a new file or saves a file with a
different name, in a different directory, or on a
different disk
- Quick save saves the
design you are currently working on but not the resource
script file or .RES file
- Refresh .RES updates and
refreshes the .RES files for the current design when the
external resources like bitmaps, icons and pointers have
been changed. Note: You can only do this
if you have selected the option to save to an RES file
instead of an RC file in the Define Design dialog box.
- Include
save saves the include
file you are editing
- Include
save as saves a new
file and/or save a file with a different name, in a
different directory, or on a different disk
- Print prints the currently displayed window or
dialog, or prints all of the windows and dialogs.
Print all allows you to print the all windows or
dialogs that are within the design you are working on. Print
displayed allows you to print the currently displayed
window or dialog that you are working on.
- Printer
setup allows you to
select the output device to print to and if required, set
options for the printing device
- Save design saves the current window or dialog as a
pre-designed entity that can be recalled using the
Pre-designed item in the New Dialog/Window dialog
- Delete
design deletes a
pre-designed window or dialog
- Include
view/edit views or
edits include symbols and values
- Information allows you to view information for the current
window or dialog that you are working on
- Edit Pull-Down
- The menu items contained within the Edit
pull-down are:
- Undo undoes the last
operation performed on a control or set of controls
- Redo redoes the last undo
operation performed on a control or set of controls
- Cut deletes a window or
dialog or controls from the file and copies it to the
Clipboard
- Copy copies selected
windows, dialogs or controls to the Clipboard
- Paste inserts the window
or dialog on the Clipboard into the design. If the window
or dialog is being pasted from the Clipboard it will
replace the current window or dialog unless you
specifically tell IRE not to.
- Paste from
file pastes multiple
selections of dialogs, windows, bitmaps, icons, pointers,
strings, message or association table items from another
design into the current design that you are working on
- Delete deletes a window, dialog, control or resource.
A sub-menu will be displayed in which items that you
cannot delete will be shown in a half-tone.
- New
creates a new window/dialog,
popup menu, tab, Workplace Settings page or allows you to
select a window or dialog from the pre-designed library
- Pop-up menu
edits a pop-up menu
- Styles edits the styles
of a window, dialog or control. Note:
Double clicking on a control will also display the
appropriate styles dialog.
- Properties sets the resource properties for a given
resource type. A sub-menu will be displayed allowing you
to set the properties for any Accelerators, Dialogs,
Menus, Messages, and Strings you have.
- Find Pull-Down
- The menu items contained within the Find
pull-down are:
- Search searches for an ID value or text item
- Search next searches for the next occurrence an ID value or
text item. The search will start from the next dialog
after the current dialog being displayed.
- Control Pull-Down
- For each control in the Control pull-down,
the arrow pointer will change into a placement pointer
when selected. The menu items contained within the
Control pull-down are:
- Bitmap adds a bitmap to the dialog or window currently
being designed. You must create the bitmap through an
editor such as the Icon Editor provided in the
OS/2 Programmer's Toolkit.
- Check Box adds a check box to the dialog or window
currently being designed
Circular
slider adds a circular
slider to the dialog or window currently being designed. Note:
This control requires the MMPM/2 or Warp toolkit.
- Combo Box adds a combo box to the dialog or window
currently being designed
Container adds a container to the dialog or window
currently being designed. Note: This control
requires the IBM OS/2 2.0 Toolkit.
- Entry Field adds an entry field to the dialog or window
currently being designed
- Frame adds a frame to the dialog or window currently
being designed
Graphic button adds a graphical button to the dialog or window
currently being designed. Note: This control
requires the MMPM/2 or Warp toolkit.
- Group Box adds a group box to the dialog or window
currently being designed
- Handwriting
control adds a
handwriting control to the dialog or window currently
being designed. Note: This control is only
available for Pen for OS/2 and requires the Pen for OS/2
toolkit.
- Horz.
Scroll adds a
horizontal scroll bar to the dialog or window currently
being designed
- Icon
adds an icon to the dialog or
window currently being designed. You must create the icon
through an editor such as the Icon Editor provided
in the OS/2 Programmer's Toolkit.
- List Box adds a list box to the dialog or window
currently being designed
- Menu adds an action bar or sub-menu item to the
window currently being designed. Note: You can
only add a menu to windows that have had the menu style
option selected in the Dialog/Window Styles
dialog.
- Multi-Line adds a multi-line entry to the dialog or window
currently being designed
Notebook adds a notebook to the dialog or window
currently being designed. Note: This control
requires the IBM OS/2 2.0 Toolkit.
- Push Button adds a push button to the dialog or window
currently being designed
- Radio
Button adds a radio
button to the dialog or window currently being designed
- Rectangle adds a rectangle to the dialog or window
currently being designed
- Sketch adds a sketch control to the dialog or window
currently being designed. Note: This control is
only available for Pen for OS/2 and requires the Pen for
OS/2 toolkit.
Slider adds a slider to the dialog or window currently
being designed. Note: This control requires the
IBM OS/2 2.0 Toolkit.
Spin button adds a spin button to the dialog or window
currently being designed. Note: Valid only for
OS/2 Version 1.3 and above.
- System Icon adds a system icon to the dialog or window
currently being designed. Unlike other controls, you
cannot enter values that are not a System Icon
designation.
- Text adds static text to the dialog or window
currently being designed
- User define allows you to select a custom
control.
Value Set adds a container to the dialog or window
currently being designed. Note: This control
requires the IBM OS/2 2.0 Toolkit.
- Vert.
Scroll adds a vertical
scroll bar to the dialog or window currently being
designed
- Window adds a child window to the dialog or window
currently being designed
- Resource Pull-Down
- The menu items contained within the
Resource pull-down are:
- Accelerator adds an accelerator to the design currently
being worked on. Note: Accelerators can only be
added to windows that have the Accelerator option
selected.
- Association
table adds an
association table item to the design currently being
worked on
- Bitmap adds a bitmap resource to the window or dialog
currently being designed
- Character
table adds a character
table item to the design currently being worked on
- Font adds a font resource to the window or dialog
currently being designed
- Font
directory adds a font
directory to the design currently being worked on
- Help adds a help table to
the window or dialog currently being designed. The
sub-menu associated with the menu item will allow you to
select the type of help you wish to add to the window or
dialog.
- Icon includes an icon within your application
- Key table adds a key table item to the design currently
being worked on
- Message includes a message resource within your
application
- Pointer adds a pointer resource to the window or dialog
currently being designed
- Resource includes a custom resource within your
application.
- String includes a string resource within your
application. A string could be the text within a message
box or the application's title bar.
- Virtual key
table adds a virtual
key table item to the design currently being worked on
- Configure Pull-Down
- The menu items contained within the
configure pull-down are:
- Creation
options defines the
default characteristics for windows or dialogs created
through the New menu item . It also
defines the default characteristics for various types of
controls.
- CUA
compliance sets the
CUA Compliance rules which IRE will use to check
windows, dialogs and controls for compliance. These rules
are checked each time you create or edit a window, dialog
or control.
- Default
usage sets the
configuration of various items that are used within IRE
such as the path where the master source definitions
rules are located and the path where the pre-designed
library is located.
- .DFM
registration allows
you to register Dialog Font Metrics (.DFM) files that can
be used with display types and resolutions to easily
determine if a window or dialog you are designing will be
properly displayed on a given display.
- PMCX and
temporary controls
defines the custom controls that conform to the PMCX
definition or defines a temporary control
- Options Pull-Down
- The menu items contained within the
Options pull-down are:
- Arrange
controls arranges the
display order of controls within a window or dialog
- Arrange
menus arranges the
display order of menus within a window
- Define
design defines the
project basename, include header filename and the .IPF
filename
- Resource
distribution defines
the locations and files under which resource elements are
to be placed
- Help Pull-Down
- The menu items contained within the Help
pull-down are:
- Help Home Page
- Concepts
- Tasks
- Reference
- Tutorial
- Glossary
- Search
- Samples
- Help for Help
- About Integrated Resource Editor
- Toolbar
- The Toolbar contains various button
selections that allow you to easily configure the IRE or
to perform the following commands:
New Design starts a new design
Open Existing
Design opens an
existing design file
Save Design saves the
design file along with the resource file and source code
files
Print Displayed prints
the currently displayed window, dialog or popup menu
Search searches the design for a specified text
string, ID symbol or value
Scan Design turns on or
off the duplicate ID scanning function that is
automatically performed when you save a design. This
function checks your design for errors.
Cut cuts the window,
dialog or selected controls from the design and places
them on the clipboard
Copy copies the window,
dialog or selected controls from the design and places
them on the clipboard
Paste pastes the window,
dialog or selected controls into the design from the
clipboard
Resource
Distribution defines
the resource distribution which is used to enter the name
and location for both .RC and .RES files
New
Window/Dialog creates
a new window or dialog
Alignment used as the alignment mode button
Replace used as the
replace mode button. The selected controls will have
their type changed to the new type selected from the type
shown in the dialog.
Duplicate Control used
to set IRE into duplicate control mode. When you select
this button, the control you have selected will be
duplicated but with a new ID value.
Mouse Align sets the
offset position for the dialog when the dialogs
positioning is relative to the mouse. Note:
this button can only be selected when you set the Relative
option within the Window/Dialogs Styles
dialog to Mouse.
Set Initial Focus sets
which control will receive the initial focus when the
dialog is first displayed
Arrange
Controls arranges the
display order of controls within a window or dialog
Show VGA Template
displays the template of the VGA display when you are
working on a high resolution type monitor. This button is
only selectable when working on a screen that is in a
display mode higher than 640 x 480 (VGA).
Show Tools displays the Tools window. Selecting it when it
is in the down position will cause the Tools window and
Text/ID Symbol Definition window to be hidden.
Save Window Position
records your location such that when you start IRE the
next time, it will be displayed in the same location and
size
Undo undoes the last
action performed with a control or set of controls
Redo redoes the last
action with a control or set of controls that was undone
Test Design switches
from design mode to testing mode. Once in test mode, you
cannot add or delete design elements. To return back from
test mode to design mode, you can select the button
again. Note: If you have designed a
dialog that is linked to a menu or push button and you
have invoked that dialog during the testing AND that
dialog does not possess a system menu or push button with
an ID value of DID_OK or DID_CANCEL, you can cause the
dialog to be dismissed by pressing the Esc key on the
keyboard.
Set Font &
Color sets or removes
the font and colors of the control or the group of
controls
Font sets or removes the font of the control or
group of controls
Pen Options sets various pen options for controls that
support pen data. Note: For this option to be
available, you must be running Pen for OS/2 Version 1.03
or higher.
Set Bidi
Options sets the
various bidirectional options for selected controls
Show Control
Limits allows you to
select display conversions to use
Show Control IDs toggles
the display of the control IDs within each of the
controls
Display Grid displays
the positioning grid
- Windows/Dialog Combination Box
- The Windows/Dialogs combo-box allows you
to select a window or dialog to work with.
-
- Status Window
- The status window at the bottom of the IRE
window displays specific information about the design you
are working on. Measurements within the window are shown
in dialog units. Horizontally, one dialog unit is equal
to one-quarter the width of an average character in the
system font. Vertically, one dialog unit equals
one-eighth the height of a character in the system font.
The status window contains the following
information:
- Mode shows the current
operating mode. Modes include selecting menu items,
creating, editing and deleting controls, viewing,
arranging and saving
- Groups shows the number
of controls contained within the selection group
- Control shows the type of
control currently selected. This may be Push Button, Auto
Check Box, Check Box, etc.
- Relative shows how the
current selected window, dialog, or control is positioned
- [x, y] shows the current
position of the lower left corner of the selected window,
dialog, or control
- Focus displays the ID
symbol or value of the control to receive the initial
focus within a dialog
- Value shows the current
ID symbol (or value if no symbol has been defined) for
the window, dialog, or control selected
- [cx, cy] shows the
current width and height of the selected window, dialog,
or control