ScreenBuilder Application

 

ScreenBuilder allows you to visually design a GUI (Graphical User Interface) using drag and drop elements including dialog and widget controls. This can be for creating virtual instruments or simply a more visually pleasing and interactive user experience. One of the most valuable features of ScreenBuilder is interactively setting the attributes of the widget controls used to build the GUI screen. This significantly reduces the effort of setting the initial attributes of widgets with BuilderPlus CONTROL statements in an HTBasic program.

 

The output of ScreenBuilder is a text file describing a complete screen hierarchy, including the names of widgets and their attributes. The text file is loaded by the SYSTEM widget which responds programmatically to events for those widgets.

 

You can start ScreenBuilder from the tools menu or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+B. This opens a design window titled "ScreenBuilder" which has a palette of available widgets on the left, an empty panel in the middle for placing widget controls, and a properties panel on the right which populates according to the current widget you're working with. Note you can right-click on a widget to display the context help file topic for it.

 

 Also, if you attempt to close or exit the ScreenBuilder without saving, you will be prompted to do so.

 

 

To add a control widget such as METER, click and drag it from the toolbox palette to the "working" panel. Once placed, you can adjust it's position and size by clicking and dragging it's position handle "cross-hair" in the upper left comer or any of the size handles on it's corners and edges. You can also set it's X, Y, WIDTH, or HEIGHT attributes in the attributes window.

 

It is possible to monitor the widget editing process by bringing up the "Status" window accessible through the "Options" menu. This window, which consists of two panels, reports current information about the screen being built, and about the widget currently under the cursor. (see ScreenBuilder Menu).