Use the Location and Size options on the Properties dialog box to position and size controls precisely using dialog units. You can also click and drag to size and position controls manually.
Use the options on the Align menu to position and space controls inside the dialog and in relation to each other. The last control you click is the "anchor control," which appears with black squares around it.
To align and space controls
To edit controls
To add controls
To delete controls
To align and space controls,
1 Press Shift while clicking the control(s) you want to align with each other, then click Align Left, Right, Top, or Bottom to move the control to that side of the anchor control.
2 Press Shift while clicking the control(s) you want to align with each other, then click Align Center Vertical or Horizontal to center a control in relation to the anchor control.
3 Press Shift while clicking the control(s) you want to make the same size as the anchor control, then click Align Make Same Size Vertical, Horizontal, or Both.
4 Press Shift while clicking the controls you want to space in relation to each other, then click Align Space Evenly Vertical or Horizontal.
Tips
¿ The anchor control is the last control you select.
About Bitmap
Display a bitmap as a control. The bitmap appears on the background of the dialog without a border. You can use horizontal and vertical lines to outline it for clarity.
A bitmap control looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Buttons
There are several different kinds of buttons you can add to a dialog box.
Pop-up buttons display a list of options when clicked. The button itself shows the selected option. A pop-up button looks like this when it is closed, and like this when you click it.
A push button activates a specific action when clicked, such as OK, Cancel, Help, and so on. A push button looks like this:
Radio buttons represent mutually exclusive options. Selecting one radio button deselects another. A radio button looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for each control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Center
Use Center to center a control in relation to the anchor control. Press Shift to select multiple controls. The last control you select is the anchor control, and all the selected controls will be centered in relation to it. You can also press Ctrl while selecting a control to center a copy of it.
To align and space controls
About Check Box
Check boxes represent compatible options. Clicking an empty check box selects the option; clicking a marked check box deselects the option. You can also define check boxes as "Three State" to give a third value, where a box is checked and grayed to be unavailable.
A check box looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Color Wheel
Color wheels allow users to select colors based on values of hue, lightness, and saturation.
A color wheel looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
A keyboard interface has been added to the date controls. The arrow keys may be used to move the color selection. Hold down the CTRL key while using the arrows to change the value of the color saturation bar.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Combo Box
Combo boxes display an edit box and a list box. Enter text in the edit box, or double-click a list item to insert it.
A combo box looks like this when it is closed and like this when you click it.
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Control Groups
Use Control Groups to group controls together. Defining a group box around a set of controls does not group them, and you must set the control order before grouping controls.
To set up dialogs
About Control Order
Use Control Order to specify the sequence in which you want to tab through the controls. You must set the control order before grouping the controls.
To set up dialogs
About the Control Toolbar
Use the Control toolbar to choose controls and actions in the PerfectScript Dialog Editor.
To add controls
To copy controls
To delete controls
To edit controls
To position multiple controls
To position single controls
To add controls,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click the name of an existing dialog, or click File New to create a dialog.
4 Click Control, then click the control you want to add.
5 Position the "x" above the control symbol where you want the top-left corner of the control to appear, then click.
6 Double-click the control, set its properties, then click OK.
7 Repeat steps 4-6 for the rest of the controls you want to add.
Tips
¿ You can also add controls using the icons on the toolbar.
To copy controls,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click or create a dialog with controls on it.
4 Select the control(s) you want to copy.
5 Right-click, then click Copy from the QuickMenu.
6 Drag the copy to position it.
Tips
¿ The copy has all the properties of the original control. Double-click the new control to change them.
¿ You can also press Ctrl while selecting to copy a control.
To delete controls,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click or create a dialog with controls on it.
4 Select the control you want to delete, then press Del.
To edit controls,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click the name of an existing dialog, or click File New to create a dialog.
4 Select the control you want to edit.
5 Double-click the control, make the changes you want to its properties, then click OK.
6 Click and drag each control to position and size it.
To position multiple controls,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click or create a dialog with controls in it.
4 Click the top-left corner of the top control in the group you want to select.
5 Drag the selection area down and right to select all the controls you want in the group.
6 Drag the grouped controls to position them.
Tips
¿ You can also hold down Shift while clicking controls to select multiple controls.
To position single controls,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click or create a dialog with controls in it.
4 Double-click a control, specify a left and top value to position it on the dialog, specify a width and height value to change its size, then click OK.
Tips
¿ You can also click and drag each control to position and size it.
About PerfectScript Dialog Editor
Use the PerfectScript Dialog Editor to quickly and easily create, design, set properties for, and edit the dialogs you use in your macros. Using the Dialog Editor takes the place of the DialogDefine and DialogAdd sections in your macros.
The Dialog Editor also lets you add, edit, position, size, move, and assign values to controls, lines, and other elements of a dialog. You can use it to give each control a control name, variable name, values, and other properties, as well as define the control order, set the initial focus, set tab stops, and group controls.
Most dialogs that are part of the macro system (not user-defined macro dialogs) now allow the static text message part of the dialog to be copied to the clipboard.
For information about controls on any dialog box, click, then click a control.
To copy dialogs
To create new dialogs
To delete dialogs
To dismiss a dialog if you are using a callback
To display a dialog within your macro
To edit dialogs
To open the PerfectScript dialog editor from WordPerfect
To rename dialogs
To save new and edited dialogs in the current macro
To select macros and dialogs for editing
To copy dialogs,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Select the dialog you want to copy.
4 Click Edit Copy.
5 Open the macro file you want to copy the dialog to, then click Edit Paste.
6 Select the copy, click File Rename, then type a new name for the dialog.
Tips
¿ Copy places an exact copy of a dialog in another macro file or in the current macro file.
To create new dialogs,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want to add a dialog to, then click OK.
3 Click File New.
4 Type a name for the new dialog, then click File Open to edit the dialog.
5 Add controls, choose a font, and set the properties for the dialog.
6 Click File Save to save the new dialog in the current macro file, then click File Close to exit the dialog.
Tips
¿ Be sure to use the same names for the dialogs that you used in your macros, with the same case, since dialog and control names are case sensitive.
To delete dialogs,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Select the dialog you want to delete.
4 Click File Delete.
5 Click Yes.
Tips
¿ Delete removes a dialog from a macro file, but you must also delete all references to a deleted dialog from the macro itself using your selected macro editor.
To dismiss a dialog if you are using a callback,
1 In your macro editor, type or insert the DialogDismiss command after a DialogShow command that uses a callback.
2 Specify the name of the dialog and the name of the control used to dismiss the dialog.
Tips
¿ If you use a cancel button, a control other than a push-button, or a non-existent control to dismiss the dialog, your changes will not take effect. If you use a push-button other than a cancel button, the variable values are set and your changes take effect when you dismiss the dialog.
To display a dialog within your macro,
1 In your macro editor, type or insert the DialogShow command where you want the dialog to appear in your macro.
2 Specify the name of the dialog and the named region for its parent window.
3 Specify a callback parameter if you want the macro to execute while the dialog displays.
4 Type or insert the DialogDismiss command after a DialogShow command that uses callback.
5 Specify the name of the dialog and the name of the control used to dismiss the dialog.
Example of DialogShow and DialogDismiss
The following is an example of the DialogShow command:
DialogShow("DialogName";"WordPerfect";CallBack@)
The first parameter is the name you gave to the dialog when you created it in the PerfectFit Dialog Editor (in this case, DialogName).
The second parameter is a named region specifying the parent window for the macro dialog (in this case, the WordPerfect window will be the parent window for the dialog). Named regions are defined by the application. The region consists of the application name, followed by a period (.), followed by additional words that narrow the named region to the appropriate window. For example, the named region of the document window in WordPerfect is WordPerfect.Document.
The third parameter is a label that identifies a callback function. If you do not specify a callback parameter in the DialogShow command, the macro does not execute until you dismiss the dialog. If you use a callback, the macro executes while the dialog is up. It is up to the callback to prevent the macro from terminating prematurely and to shut down the macro dialog using the DialogDismiss command.
The following is an example of the DialogDismiss command:
DialogDismiss("DialogName";"OKBttn")
The first parameter is the dialog name. The second parameter is the named region of the control used to dismiss the dialog. For more information on the DialogShow and DialogDismiss commands, see Macros Online Help.
To edit dialogs,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro file containing the dialog you want to edit, then click OK.
3 Double-click the dialog you want to edit.
4 Add, edit, or delete controls, change the font, and alter the properties for the dialog.
5 Click File Save to save the edited dialog in the current macro file.
To open the PerfectScript dialog editor from WordPerfect,
1 Click Tools Macro Edit.
2 Select a macro filename, then click Edit to display the Macro toolbar.
3 Click Dialog Editor on the Macro toolbar.
4 Select the dialog you want, then click Edit.
To rename dialogs,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Select the dialog you want to rename.
4 Click File Rename.
5 Type a new name for the dialog.
Tips
¿ Renaming gives a dialog a new name while leaving it in the current macro file, but it does not change the name displayed on the caption bar.
¿ When you rename a dialog, you will need to change all references to it in the macro itself using your selected macro editor.
To save new and edited dialogs in the current macro,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click the name of an existing dialog, or click File New to create a dialog.
4 Add, edit, or delete controls, choose the font, and set the properties for the dialog.
5 Click File Save, then click File Close when you are finished with the dialog.
To select macros and dialogs for editing,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro file(*.wcm) you want to create or edit dialogs for, then click OK.
3 Select the dialog you want to edit, or click File New to add a new dialog to the macro.
Tips
¿ The PerfectScript Dialog Editor works only with macros in WordPerfect format. The Dialog Editor does not allow you to edit the macros themselves, only to define dialogs for them.
About Counter
Counters allow users to enter numeric data in an edit box by typing or by clicking an incrementor/decrementor. Clicking inserts a number in the edit box that is within a specified range.
A counter looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Create/Edit List
Use Create/Edit List to enter and change options for controls that use lists, such as pop-up lists, drop-down lists, list boxes, and so on.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add and edit list items
To create new dialogs
To add and edit list items,
1 Double-click a control that uses a list of options.
2 Click Create/Edit List.
3 Type a name, then choose Add for each option in the list.
4 Select an item in the list, type a new name, then click Replace to edit an item.
5 Select an item in the list, then click Move Up or Move Down to reposition an item.
6 Select an item on the list, then click Delete to remove list items.
7 Select an item in the list, then click Set Initial to have that item selected when the dialog opens.
Tips
¿ You can also select the Sort list check box to sort the list items alphabetically. When Sort list is selected, you can not rearrange items in the list.
About Custom
Custom controls let you specify your own options for text, class, and attributes.
A custom control looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To choose control properties
To edit controls
About Date
Date controls display an edit box and a calendar icon. Users can enter dates by typing or by clicking the calendar icon to open a calendar and selecting a date to display in the edit box.
A date control looks like this when you click the calendar icon:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
You can use the following key combinations to change the date quicker:
arrow + ctrl - Increases the tens column.
arrow + alt - Increases the hundreds column.
A keyboard interface has been added to the date controls. Pressing the ALT key and the arrow keys will change the month by 1 month. The PageUp/PageDown keys are used to change the years. Using the ALT key will change the year by 1 year. With ALT and CTRL, change the year by 10 years, and with ALT and SHFT, change the year by 100 years.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Default Button
Use Default Button to specify the button you want to be activated when the user presses Enter on the control.
To set up dialogs
To add controls
About Edit Box
Edit boxes allow users to type text or allow the macro to type text for them. They can have one line or multiple lines.
An edit box looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Filename Box
Filename boxes display an edit box and a folder icon list button. Users can enter filenames or directories by typing them in or by clicking the list button to display a Browse dialog.
A filename box looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Font
Use Font to choose a typeface and point size for all text on your dialog. The caption font remains constant for all dialogs. Changes in font size and style do affect the size of the dialog.
To choose fonts for dialogs
To choose fonts for dialogs,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click the name of an existing dialog, or click File New to create a dialog.
4 Click Dialog Font.
5 Select a font and point size.
Tips
¿ The font size you choose will affect the size of your dialog--larger font means larger dialog area.
About Frame
Frames can visually group items in a dialog, or act as design elements.
A frame looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Group Box
Group boxes visually group controls in a dialog with a titled frame. Group boxes do not automatically group the controls, however. Use Control Groups and Control Order to group controls.
A group box looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Initial Focus
Use Initial Focus to specify the control that has the focus when the dialog opens.
To set up dialogs
About Lines
Horizontal and vertical lines visually separate items in a dialog.
A horizontal line looks like this:
A vertical line looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About List Box
List boxes display lists of options to choose from.
A list box looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Make Same Size
Use Make Same Size to make a selected control the same size as the anchor control. Press Shift to select multiple controls. The last control you select is the anchor control, and all the selected controls will be made the same size as it is.
To add controls
To choose control properties
About Progress Indicator
Progress indicators display the progress of a process as it runs.
A progress indicator looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To create new dialogs
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Properties
Use Properties to specify the location and size of the dialog, its caption, class, dialog type, frame type, and attributes.
Use the Properties dialogs associated with each control to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for each control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To choose control properties
To choose dialog properties
To create new dialogs
To choose control properties,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click or create a dialog with controls in it.
4 Double-click a control, then make the changes you want to its properties.
Tips
¿ You can also click and drag controls to position and size them.
To choose dialog properties,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click the name of an existing dialog, or click File New to create a dialog.
4 Right-click the dialog, then click Properties from the QuickMenu.
5 Specify the location, size, caption, help file and help key, attributes, dialog type, and frame for the dialog.
About Scroll Bars
Scroll bars allow users to scroll from left to right and top to bottom.
A vertical scroll bar looks like this:
A horizontal scroll bar looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Setting Up Dialogs
Use the options on the Dialog menu to group dialog controls, to specify the default focus and buttons, and to define tab stops. You must set the control order before grouping the controls; defining a group box around a set of controls does not automatically group them.
For information about controls on any dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To set up dialogs
To set up dialogs,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click or create a dialog with controls in it.
4 Click Dialog Control Order, click the controls in the order you want to tab through them, then click OK.
5 Click Dialog Control Groups, click each control to select its group, then click OK.
6 Click Dialog Default Button, click a control, click the button you want to be activated when the user presses Enter on the control, then click OK.
7 Click Dialog Initial Focus, click the control you want to have as the focus when the dialog displays, then click OK.
8 Click Dialog Tab Stops, click to highlight the controls you want to tab to, then click OK.
About Space Evenly
Use Space Evenly to space controls horizontally or vertically inside the dialog and in relation to each other.
To align and space controls
About Static Text
Static text on a dialog gives instructions or information to users. Static text can consist of one line or many lines, and is read only.
Static text looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.
To add controls
To edit controls
To delete controls
About Tab Stops
Use Tab Stops to select the controls you want to tab to.
To set up dialogs
About Testing a Dialog
Use Test to check your dialogs before closing the PerfectScript Dialog Editor. Testing a dialog lets you check its controls to make sure they appear and function correctly before you close the Dialog Editor. When you are finished testing, click an OK or Cancel button, or click the Close button on the dialog's title bar.
To save new and edited dialogs in the current macro
To create new dialogs
To test dialogs before closing the Dialog Editor,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click the name of an existing dialog, or click File New to create a dialog.
4 Add, edit, or delete controls, choose the font, and set the properties for the dialog.
5 Click Dialog Test.
6 Use each control on the dialog, and make changes as needed.
7 When you are finished testing, click File Save, then click File Close.
About Using the Grid to Design Dialogs
Use the options on the View menu to align controls with precision. By displaying a grid of dotted lines on your dialog, you can neatly position and line up controls. You can also force controls to stick to grid lines with Snap to Grid and select grid spacing intervals for even greater precision placement.
To align and space controls
To position controls with a grid
To position controls with a grid,
1 Click Tools Dialog Editor.
2 Select the macro you want, then click OK.
3 Double-click or create a dialog with controls in it.
4 Click View Show Grid.
5 Click View Snap to Grid to force controls to align with grid points.
6 Click View Grid Options, specify the amount of space you want between grid points on each axis, then click OK.
7 Add controls to the dialog using the grid as a guide.
About Viewer
Viewers display read-only, scrollable text files.
A viewer looks like this:
Use the Properties dialog to set the location, size, named regions, variables, and other properties for the control.
For information about controls on the dialog box, click, then click a control.