Categoria: UX/UI Objects

Zim supports the creation and manipulation of ActiveX objects and containers. An OLE or ActiveX container is used to embed the COM object into an application. Examples of a container are Visual Basic and Microsoft Word, in addition to Zim itself.

OLE Container Datatype

The OLE or ActiveX Container is a formfield where ft (“fieldtype”) is set to “E”.
An OLE Container can either be borderless or have an OLE Object border. The OLE Object border is a dashed line for embedded objects and a solid line for linked objects. A selection border surrounds OLE Containers when they have focus. They respond to mouse clicks and transmit keys as image widgets do.
OLE Containers can be assigned OLE object filenames or unique class identifiers. These names or identifiers can be placed in the default value of the created object or can be assigned at runtime. Zim checks the file or class identifier for the OLE Container for Zim’s path characters then checks if it is a valid class. If it is not, then Zim assumes it is a filename.

Painter Support for OLE Containers

The Zim Screen Painter provides an OLE Container widget on its menu and gallery. The support in Screen Painter for the OLE Container widget is almost identical to its support for image widgets. The developer does not need to specify an OLE source filename for the OLE Container widget since the OLE container can be empty. If an OLE source filename has been associated with the OLE Container but the file does not exist, the contents of the OLE container widget appear as the OLE source filename centered within hatches; otherwise the OLE object is displayed within the OLE Container.

Support for Linked Objects and Limited Support for Embedded Objects

The Screen Painter creates linked OLE Containers by setting the WdgSubClass of the formfield to 1 when it is first added. Embedded objects have WdgSubClass set to 0. Zim does not support visual editing (also known as in-place activation) of embedded objects and does not store embedded objects as blobs in its data files. The support for embedded objects is limited to enabling assignment, cut, and paste of embedded objects. Linked OLE Containers are stored in Zim’s data files as monikers: filenames with extra information. A moniker of the linked formfield is kept up to date, in case a new object was pasted into the container. OLE Container Widgets that contain embedded objects return $null when they are queried. Activation of OLE Containers occurs in the server application.

FORM SET Command

The OLE objects in the OLE Containers can be manipulated programmatically using the following command:

FORM SET (VERB verbName) | fieldname | formname | (formnum, fieldnum, subscript)|

where verbName is a string or an expression that evaluates to a string
 fieldname is the name of an OLE Container formfield on the form
formname is the name of a form
formnum is the number of the form
fieldnum is the number of a field
subscript is the subscript of a formfield
The following verbNames are supported and available as constants:

• Verbname
• Primary
• Cut
• Copy
• Paste Link
• Paste
• Paste Special

Positive numbers are specific to the object.
You can use the registry information of an OLE object to determine its primary and other supported verbs. This information can also be obtained using the Zim $GetProperty command.

Cut, Copy and Paste, Paste Link, and Paste Special Menu Items

The cut, copy, paste, Paste Link, and Paste Special menu items are grayed appropriately when the OLE Container formfield has the focus. Linked items can paste only links; embedded objects can paste both embedded objects and links. Paste Link and Paste Special are available only for OLE Container formfields.

$GetProperty (‘OleVerbList’, FileOrClassName)

The $GetProperty command returns the list of supported verbnames of a file or OLE class. Semicolons separate the verbs in the returned list.

Default Double-click Action on OLE Container Widgets.

Unguarded OLE containers invoke the OLE objects primary verb when double-clicked if DoubleClick has not been identified as a transmit event.

Default Right-click Action on OLE Container Widgets.

Unguarded OLE containers display their available OLE verbs in a right-click menu when they are right-clicked if RightClick has not been identified as a transmit event. If an action is chosen from the right-click menu, it is performed.

Captures and updates the status of an open window.

Syntax

WINDOW STATUS [window]

Parameters

Comments

WINDOW STATUS gets the current status of an open window and updates the structure ThisWindow. This is particularly useful when the end user moves and/or resizes a window without program control.

Example

window open wContracts

form display input

…

window status

list ThisWindow

After an event has been generated by the FORM INPUT, the size and position (among other information) can be retrieved by the means of the WINDOW STATUS for later usage with the structure ThisWindow.

See Also

ThisWindow

WINDOW DEACTIVATE

WINDOW DISPLAY

WINDOW MOVE

WINDOW SCROLL

WINDOW SET

WINDOW SIZE

Invokes Zim IDE to edit a window.

Syntax

WINDOW DEFINE winname [[IN] dirname]

Parameters

Examples

Invokes Zim IDE to edit the window wAddEmps:

window define wAddEmps

If wAddEmps does not exist in any application directory, it will be created in the ZIM application directory.

Otherwise, it will be selected from the first application directory in which it exists.

window define wAddEmps ZIM

If wAddEmps does not exist in the ZIM application directory, it will be created there.

It will be selected from the ZIM application directory only if it exists there.

window define wAddEmps EMPS

If wAddEmps does not exist in the EMPS application directory, it will be created there.

It will be selected from the EMPS application directory only if it exists there.

Related topics

DISPLAY DEFINE

FORM DEFINE

MENU DEFINE

Establishes the accelerators for the current window.

Syntax

WINDOW SET [ ADD|NOT] ACCELERATOR [ «keyname»]

Parameters

Comments

Each window has its own current list of accelerator keys. Before a WINDOW SET ACCELERATOR command is issued, no accelerator keys are in effect.

Any combinations of key names can be specified as accelerator keys. Mouse button names are valid key names.

If neither ADD nor NOT is specified, then keyname replaces the current list of accelerator keys. If no keyname is specified, then all accelerator keys are disabled.

An accelerator key causes an event that is intercepted by the program. Event.EventType is assigned “Accelerator”, and Event.EventName is assigned the name of the key.

Accelerator keys are ignored if the focus is in a menu.

See Also

FORM INPUT

MENU INPUT

ThisWindow

WINDOW OPEN

Saves the current form or display in its current state for later use in the current Zim window.

Note: This command is invalid in Zim version 5 and above.

Syntax

FORM SAVE

Comments

This command should be used to preserve only dynamic changes to form field attributes (made using FORM SET(Attributes) commands) across FORM OPEN commands in the same window, when the current form or display in its current state is required at some later time.

Many forms and/or displays can be saved. When the FORM SAVE command is executed, the current form or display is pushed onto the stack of previously saved forms. Afterwards, no form or display is considered to be open in the window.

Saved forms or displays can be “popped” off the “stack” one at a time, using the FORM RESTORE command, to become the current form or display.

Note: The FORM SAVE command must only be used with forms that are selected in text windows – never forms in graphical windows. Use of this command in Zim for Windows can cause system termination.

Example

form open fEmployees

form set (protected) fEmployees.Salary  %Salary protected from edit

form display input

… processing commands – error detected…

form save

form open fErrorMsg

form display noclear

… processing commands …

form open fEmployees NoClear           % Salary is still protected

form display

When an input error occurs, the form is saved in its current state, then an error message is displayed over the form on the screen. The form is later restored and displayed as it existed at the time of the FORM SAVE.

See Also

FORM CLEAR

FORM DISPLAY

FORM INPUT

FORM OPEN

FORM REPORT

FORM RESTORE

FORM SCROLL

FORM SET

Establishes a scrolling association between a form and a result set.

Syntax

FORM SET SCROLL [ NOCLEAR] form FROM set [LET clause] [EVALUATE clause]

Parameters

Comments

The current member of set is placed in the first instance of form. Subsequent members of set are placed in subsequent instances of form (if any).

Although many scrolling relationships can exist at one time, one set cannot have a scrolling relationship with more than one form at a time.

The application user scrolls the form through the records in set by moving the focus to the form and pressing a SCROLL key. If the focus is not located in an active scrolling form, but active scrolling forms exist in the display, then pressing a SCROLL key causes all active scrolling forms to scroll over their associated sets.

Example

To establish a scrolling relationship between the fEmps form and the result set EmpSet, enter

find all Employees where Location="New York" sorted by Name -> EmpSet
form open dEmps
form set scroll fEmps from EmpSet

See Also

FORM SCROLL
FORM SET

Controls the display of windows on the screen.

Syntax

WINDOW DISPLAY [window] [EXPOSE|HIDE]

Parameters

Comments

The WINDOW DISPLAY command enables an application program to lift a particular window atop other active windows (using EXPOSE) or to drop the window below all other active windows (using HIDE).

An application user can also lift a window by interacting with it.

Example

To display the window wHelp underneath the other active windows:

window display wHelp hide

See Also

ThisWindow

WINDOW ACTIVATE

WINDOW CLEAR

WINDOW CLOSE

WINDOW DEACTIVATE

WINDOW MOVE

WINDOW OPEN

WINDOW SCROLL

WINDOW SET

WINDOW SIZE

Invokes Zim IDE to edit a form.

Syntax

FORM DEFINE formname [[IN] dirname]

Parameters

Examples

Invokes Zim IDE to edit the form fAddEmps:

form define fAddEmps

If fAddEmps does not exist in any application directory, it will be created in the ZIM application directory.

Otherwise, it will be selected from the first application directory in which it exists.

form define fAddEmps ZIM

If fAddEmps does not exist in the ZIM application directory, it will be created there.

It will be selected from the ZIM application directory only if it exists there.

form define fAddEmps EMPS

If fAddEmps does not exist in the EMPS application directory, it will be created there.

It will be selected from the EMPS application directory only if it exists there.

Related topics

DISPLAY DEFINE

MENU DEFINE

WINDOW DEFINE

Invokes Zim IDE to edit a menu.

Syntax

MENU DEFINE menuname [[IN] dirname]

Parameters

Examples

Invokes Zim IDE to edit the menu mAddEmps:

menu define mAddEmps

If mAddEmps does not exist in any application directory, it will be created in the ZIM application directory.

Otherwise, it will be selected from the first application directory in which it exists.

menu define mAddEmps ZIM

If mAddEmps does not exist in the ZIM application directory, it will be created there.

It will be selected from the ZIM application directory only if it exists there.

menu define mAddEmps EMPS

If mAddEmps does not exist in the EMPS application directory, it will be created there.

It will be selected from the EMPS application directory only if it exists there.

Related topics

DISPLAY DEFINE

FORM DEFINE

WINDOW DEFINE

Invokes Zim IDE to edit a display.

Syntax

DISPLAY DEFINE displayname [[IN] dirname]

Parameters

Examples

Invokes Zim IDE to edit the display dAppEmps:

display define dAppEmps

If dAppEmps does not exist in any application directory, it will be created in the ZIM application directory.

Otherwise, it will be selected from the first application directory in which it exists.

display define dAppEmps ZIM

If dAppEmps does not exist in the ZIM application directory, it will be created there.

It will be selected from the ZIM application directory only if it exists there.

display define dAppEmps EMPS

If dAppEmps does not exist in the EMPS application directory, it will be created there.

It will be selected from the EMPS application directory only if it exists there.

Related topics

FORM DEFINE

MENU DEFINE

WINDOW DEFINE