Teach Yourself Borland C++ in 14 Days - portal

NOTE
Working with the Form Designer and the Menu Designer
Item Description
View as Text Shows the form description as text in the Code Editor. You
may edit the text version of the form if you like. Choose
View as Form from the Code Editor speed menu to go back
to the form. You can also use Alt+F12 to switch from the
View As Text and View As Form options.
C++Builder creates a form file (DFM) for every form you create and
places it in your project’s directory. The form file is a binary resource
file that can’t be read by mere humans. When you choose the View As
Text speed menu item, C++Builder converts the binary resource to
readable form. When you switch back to the View as Form option,
C++Builder recompiles the form file to implement any changes you
have made.
Most of the speed menu options are discussed in the following sections. Others are discussed
in later chapters when we discuss the particular aspect of C++Builder that they pertain to.
Placing Components
The act of placing a component on a form is trivial. You simply select the component you
want from the Component Palette and click on the form to place the component. When you
click on the form, the component’s upper-left corner is placed at the location you clicked.
Notice that when you click a button on the Component Palette, the button appears as
pressed. When you click on the form to place the component, the button on the Component
Palette pops up again to indicate that the action is completed.
TIP
As you learned in the last chapter, to place a component on a form
multiple times, press and hold Shift when you first select the
component’s button on the Component Palette. Each time you click
on the form, a new component will be added. Click the Arrow button
on the Component Palette to stop placing components.
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