Teach Yourself Borland C++ in 14 Days - portal

NOTE
The C++Builder IDE Explored: Projects and Forms
When doing a technical book, a nasty situation often arises. I want to
use meaningful examples to reinforce the presentation of information.
In order to complete those examples, I have to use techniques or
methods that I haven’t talked about yet. But I can’t talk about those
methods until I’ve given you some good, meaningful examples. But I
can’t… well, you see my dilemma. So I’m going to digress a little here
and talk about the main menu, toolbar, and Component Palette. As
you read this section, remember that we’re off on a tangent.
The C++Builder Main Menu and Toolbar
The C++Builder main menu has all the choices necessary to make C++Builder work. Because
programming in C++Builder is a highly visual operation, you may not use the main menu
as much as you might in other programming environments. Still, just about anything you
need is available from the main menu if you prefer to work that way. I’m not going to go over
every item on the main menu here because you will encounter each item as you work through
the next several chapters.
The C++Builder toolbar is a convenient way of accomplishing often-repeated tasks. A button
is easier to locate than a menu item, not to mention that it requires less mouse movement.
The C++Builder toolbar’s default configuration is illustrated in Figure 6.3.
Figure 6.3.
The C++Builder
toolbar.
Add to Project
Save All
Open Project
Open File
Save
File
Remove
from
Project
Select Unit Select Form Run
Toggle
Unit/Form
New
Form
Trace
Into
Pause
Step
Over
If you are like me, you often forget to use the toolbar. But I’m telling you: Don’t forget to
learn to use the toolbar. As the old saying goes, “Do as I say, not as I do.” If you take the time
to learn the toolbar, it will save you time and make you more efficient in the long run. One
of the reasons you bought C++Builder was to produce Windows applications quickly, so you
might as well make the most of it.
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