Designing the Internal Structure

With XVT-Architect, you can visually lay out the basic objects and infrastructure of your application. In the Blueprint module of XVT-Architect, you can lay out the application, documents, and windows (views) that are the basis of your XVT-Power++ application—you can lay out the Application-Document-View foundation. Then, you can establish the inter-object communication, or the fundamental “object hierarchy,” by dragging connections between these objects.

The Blueprint assists you in using the Application-Document-View paradigm, which is the basic structure of all XVT-Power++ applications. This Blueprint allows only appropriate connections, and it will specify the reason why any requested connection is rejected. Consequently, the Blueprint module helps you learn the application framework by giving you a clear picture of the correct usage of object hierarchies.

From the Blueprint window, as from any window in XVT-Architect, you can easily navigate to other, windows—other modules or editors. XVT-Architect provides simple ways to navigate between its windows.

Creating the Interface

With XVT-Architect, you can visually lay out the user interface of each window in your application. In the Drafting Board module of XVT-Architect, you can lay out XVT-Power++ visual objects to create user interfaces. The Drafting Board supplies all of the necessary facilities to quickly produce advanced interfaces. You can take full advantage of XVT-Power++’s application framework. For example, you can nest objects and lay out composite controls.

The attachable tool palettes of the Drafting Board contain buttons for each XVT-Power++ visual object. On the tool palette in the Drafting Board, you can press a button and drag and drop an object, which creates an object of default size. This method of creation is appropriate for laying out objects such as buttons. To create an object of a desired size, you can click a button on the palette and then drag out an area in the sketch region of the window. This method of creation is appropriate for laying out objects such as grids.

To manipulate objects once you have laid them out, the Drafting Board module provides you with a robust set of tools, including alignment, sizing, undo/redo, and cut, copy, and paste.

From the Drafting Board, you can also use XVT-Architect’s Menu Editor to lay out the menubar and menu items for each window in your application.

Viewing and Setting Object Attributes

XVT-Architect gives you quick access to the attributes of both application objects and interface objects. In the Strata module of XVT-Architect, you can use the class browser to view the class hierarchy of an object, and you can use the Notebook control to view and set object attributes.

In the Notebook control for an object, there is a page for each class from which the object is derived, and from which it inherits functionality. Using the Notebook control, you can “page through” these classes to both view and set the data members, or attributes, of the object at each level of the hierarchy.

The class browser and the Notebook control help you learn an object’s class hierarchy. Using the Strata will help you to understand exactly from which classes
in the hierarchy an object derives functionality.