14.5 Performing operations on objects
14.5.3 Rearranging components in an interface
Rearranging the components of an interface in the most appropriate way is an important part of interface design. This might involve rearranging the layouts and window elements in an interface, or it might involve rearranging the menu system. The main way to rearrange the components of an interface (either the layouts or the menu components) is to use the cut, copy and paste functions available, as described below.
To move any object (together with its children, if there are any):
- 1. Select the object in the Layout hierarchy area or the Menu hierarchy area, as appropriate.
- 2. Choose Edit > Cut.
The selected object, and any children, are transferred to the clipboard. The objects are removed from the graph pane in the interface builder, and the interface skeleton.
- 3. Select the object that you want to be the parent of the object you just cut.
You must make sure you select an appropriate object. For instance, in the layouts view you must make sure you do not select a window element such as a button panel or output window, since window elements cannot have children. Instead, you should probably select a layout.
- 4. Choose Edit > Paste.
The objects that you transferred to the clipboard are pasted back into the interface design as the children of the newly selected object. The change is immediately visible in both the graph and the interface skeleton. Note: You can copy whole areas of the design, rather than moving them, by selecting Edit > Copy instead of Edit > Paste. This is useful if you have a number of similar areas in your design.
The menu commands Object > Raise and Object > Lower can be used to raise or lower the position of an element in the interface. This effects the position of the element in the interface skeleton, the layout or menu hierarchy, and the source code definition of the interface.
Common LispWorks User Guide, Liquid Common Lisp Version 5.0 - 18 OCT 1996 Generated with Harlequin WebMaker