Toolbars
BlackAdder possesses an imposing array of
toolbars. I'd certainly advise you to not emulate this example
in your own application!
Most of the toolbars are used when
designing forms, as they represent different widgets and layout
strategies. These widget buttons really belong in a floating
tool palette, but let's gloss over that user interface design
nicety.
Going from left to right and top to bottom
on the previous image, we encounter the following
toolbars:
File toolbar
This toolbar contains buttons that can be
used to create, open and save BlackAdder projects, single
Python scripts and dialog designs. The last two buttons are
used to compile either the current dialog design, or all
dialog designs in the current project. In this case,
compilation means that the XML-based designs are converted to
usable Python code. Running a project also means that all form
designs will be compiled to Python.
Edit toolbar
Undo, redo, cut, copy and paste are all fairly
standard functions, and work on both widgets in dialog design
mode, and on text in the editor.
Execution toolbar
This toolbar contains buttons to start
scripts and projects, debug scripts and projects, restart
debugging, continue running while debugging, single stepping,
clear the breakpoints in the currently edited script, clear all
breakpoints set in the whole project, and cancel or stop
debugging.
Layout manager toolbar
On the next row we find the layout
manager toolbar. Again, from left to right, there are buttons
to resize widgets, insert a horizontal, vertical and grid
layout manager, remove the current layout manager and insert a
spacer object (the spacer is the the curious springy
thing).
Widgets
Next follows a set of buttons that insert
display widgets in your design: a textlabel, a picture label,
and LCD number, a line, a progressbar, and finally, a textview
and a more complex textbrowser (this is a small html browser
in itself). These last two buttons are used to insert rich
text widgets.
Help
The lonely button on the last toolbar of
the second row gives you help if you first click on the
button, and then on the object you want help with. By clicking
it and then subsequently clicking on all toolbar buttons,
you'll discover that I haven't been lying to you in this
section.
Pointer toolbar
The first toolbar on the third row has
three buttons. The first resets your cursor to a pointer. This
is useful if you want to select a widget in your design, but
have previously pressed another button. The second allows you
to graphically connect signals and slots between elements on
screen. The last button helps you put all the components of
your design in the right tab order.
More widget toolbars
The last four toolbars contain more
widgets: pushbutton, toolbutton, radio button and checkbox.
Then we have group box, button group, frame and tab-bar, next
listbox, treeview, iconview and table. Finally you get
line-editor, spin box, multi-line editor, slider and
dial.
You can also add your own widgets to the
palette. If you do so, you will discover BlackAdder has given
you a new, and last, button bar.