Each painter has a View menu that you use for opening views. The views you can open depend on the painter you are working in.

Many views are shared by some painters, but some views are specific to a single painter. For example, the Layout, Properties, and Control List views are shared by the Window, visual User Object, and Application painters, but the Design, Column Specifications, Data, and Preview views are specific to the DataWindow painter and the WYSIWYG Menu and Tree Menu views are specific to the Menu painter.

These are the views that are shared by most painters that edit objects:

Layout view

The Layout view shows a representation of the object and its controls. It is where you place controls on an object and design the layout and appearance of the object.

If the Properties view is displayed and you select a control in the Layout view or the Control List view, the properties for that control display in the Properties view. If you select several controls in the Layout view or the Control list view, the properties common to the selected controls display in the Properties view.

Properties view

The Properties view displays the property sheet for the object itself or for the currently selected controls or nonvisual objects in the object. You can see and change the values of properties in this view.

The Properties view dynamically changes when you change selected objects or controls in the Layout, Control List, and Non-Visual Object List views.

If you select several controls in the Layout view or the Control List view, the Properties view says group selected in the title bar and displays the properties common to the selected controls.

In the Properties view popup menu, you can select Labels On Top or Labels On Left to specify where the labels for the properties display. For help on properties, select Help from the popup menu.

If the Properties view is displayed and you select a nonvisual object in the Non-Visual Object List view, the properties for that nonvisual object display in the Properties view. If you select several nonvisual objects in the Non-Visual Object List view, the properties common to the selected nonvisual objects display in the Properties view.

Script view

The Script view is where you edit the scripts for events and functions, define and modify user events and functions, declare variables and external functions, and view the scripts for ancestor objects.

If you double-click a control or object in the Layout, Control List, or Non-Visual Object List views, the Script view opens (if it's not already open) and displays the script for that control's default event. If you drag a control or object from the Layout, Control List, or Non-Visual Object List views to the Script view (in the Layout view, doing this does not move the control), the Script view displays the script for that control's default event. Dragging from the Layout, Control List, or Non-Visual Object List view to Script view is especially useful if you are using more than one Script view.

If you double-click a function in the Function List view, the function's script displays in the Script view. Dragging a function from the Function List view to the Script view displays the function's script. To override a system-defined function, just type your code in the Script view.

If you double-click an event in the Event List view, its script displays in the Script view. Dragging an event from the Event List view to the Script view displays the script for the event. You use the Prototype window in the Script view (by clicking the button next to the third dropdown listbox) to modify the event prototype for a user defined event.

For information about the Script view, see Writing scripts.

Control List view

The Control List view lists the visual controls on the object. You can click the Control column to sort the controls by control name or by hierarchy.

If you select one or more controls in the Control List view, the controls are also selected in the Layout view. Selecting a control changes the Properties view and double-clicking a control changes the Script view.

Event List view

The Event List view displays the full event prototype of both the default and user-defined events mapped to an object. Icons identify whether an event has a script, is a descendent event with a script, or is a descendent event with an ancestor script and a script of its own.

Non-Visual Object List view

The Non-Visual Object List view is a list of nonvisual objects that have been inserted in an Application object, window, or user object of any type. You can sort controls by control name or ancestor.

Function List view

The Function List view lists the system-defined functions and the object-level functions you defined for the object. Icons identify whether a function has a script, is a descendent of a function with a script, or is a descendent of a function with an ancestor script and script of its own.

Note that while the half-colored icon identifies the myfunc user-defined function as having both an ancestor script and a script of its own, for a function this means that the function is overridden. This is different from the meaning of a half-colored icon in the Event List view.

Structure List view

The Structure List view lists the object-level structures defined for the object.

If you double-click a structure in the Structure List view, the structure's definition displays in the Structure view.

Structure view

The Structure view is where you edit the definition of object-level structures in the Window, Menu, and User Object painters.