Dialog Boxes, Toolboxes, and Toolbars

 

Dialog boxes, toolboxes, and toolbars are closely related resources. All of them organize user-interface controls such as push buttons and edit items in a sub-window. Once you understand how they differ, you will be able to choose the right resources for your needs. Here is a summary:

 

Characteristic	Dialog Box	Toolbox	Toolbar
Modal (takes over the application)	Yes	No	No
Dockable (on top, bottom, left and/or right)	No	Optionally	All sides
Controls that can be used	All dialog box	All dialog box, plus Tool item	Some dialog box, plus Tool item

 

A toolbox can be thought of as a non-modal dialog box that can optionally be docked. Both toolboxes and toolbars are non-modal, so they can be left open while you do other things. A toolbar is a strip of controls that can be resized, while a toolbox retains its shape just like a dialog box. Toolbars can be docked on any side, while for a toolbox you can specify on which sides it can be docked, if any.

 

Toolboxes can have any controls that can be used in a dialog box, plus Tool items. Toolbars can only have these controls:

• Push buttons

• Checkboxes

• Edit items

• Popdown menus

• Spinners

• Text items

• Samples

• Tool Items

To create a dialog box resource, you use the structure:

 

{static} Dbox ...

     <dialog box items go here>

endDbox

 

To create a toolbox resource, you add the Toolbox option to the structure for a dialog box:

 

{static} Dbox ... Toolbox

     <dialog box items go here>

endDbox

 

To create a toolbar resource, you use the structure:

 

{static} Toolbar ...

     <dialog box items go here>

endToolbar

 

If you declare a dialog box, toolbox, or toolbar static it can only be called from resources within the same resource file in which the dialog box, toolbox, or toolbar is defined.

 

You can use the GetInterface() GISDK function to get the name of the UI Database that a specific macro, or the currently running macro, is in.

 

For more information, see...

Dialog Boxes

Toolboxes

Toolbars