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The C++Builder IDE Explored: Projects and Forms
typical Windows program, your main window would have a menu. It might also have
decorations such as a toolbar or a status bar. Just about anything goes when you’re creating
the main window of your application. Each application is unique, and each has different
requirements.
Dialog Box Forms
Forms are also used where traditional Windows programs use dialog boxes. In fact, to the user
there is no difference between a C++Builder form acting as a dialog box and a true dialog box.
Dialog boxes usually have several traits that distinguish them from ordinary windows:
■ Dialog boxes are not usually sizable. They usually perform a specific function, and
sizing of the dialog box is neither useful nor desirable.
■ Dialog boxes almost always have an OK button. Some dialog boxes have a button
labeled Close that accomplishes the same thing. Simple dialog boxes like an About
dialog box typically have only the OK button.
■ Dialog boxes may also have a Cancel button and a Help button.
■ Dialog boxes typically have only the system close button on the title bar. They do
not usually have minimize and maximize buttons.
■ Some dialog boxes are tabbed dialog boxes that display several tabs from which the
user can choose. When a tab is clicked on, a different page of the dialog box is
displayed.
■ The Tab key can be used to move from one control to the next in most dialog
boxes.
There are certainly exceptions to every rule. Most dialog boxes have the usual characteristics,
but some perform specialty tasks and therefore depart from the norm in one way or another.
Dialog boxes in C++Builder are slightly different than in other programming environments.
First, let’s take a look at how other programming environments handle dialog boxes; then
we’ll look at how they are implemented in C++Builder.
Dialog Boxes in Traditional Windows Programs
In a traditional Windows program (one written in C or with one of the frameworks), a dialog
box is created with a dialog box editor. In most cases, the dialog box editor is a visual tool that
works somewhat like the C++Builder Form Editor. When the user is done designing the
dialog box, the visual representation of the dialog box is converted into a dialog box definition
in a resource script. (A resource script is a text file that is later compiled into a binary resource
file by the resource compiler.) To illustrate, take a look at the dialog box in Figure 6.10.
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