The board layout editor allows the user to select reusable software components (objects) from multiple object palettes and place them on the game window. When the game under development is executed, the user sees and interacts with the runtime (not the design-time) version of the game window. Objects placed on the game window can be modified with the Object Inspector, which displays a list of modifiable properties, as well as a list of events and methods linked to by those events.
Object/Tree Inspector
The upper portion of this window displays up to 3 different tree views of the current project. It is separated from the lower portion by a splitter bar. The user can drag this splitter bar up and down. The lower portion of this window contains the Object Inspector. Below the splitter bar is a combo box containing the name and type (class name) of the current object. Below that is a pair of tabs: Properties and Events. Below that is a list of name/value pairs of available properties/events. Some property values include an ellipsis button (…), which when clicked displays a dialog box corresponding to that property. Under the Events tab, double-clicking on an empty event will add a new event handler (with an empty body) corresponding to the appropriate event, and belonging to the current object.
Object Sizing
The currently selected object on the game window is surrounded by 8 little black squares (one at each corner and one at the center of each edge). The object can be resized by dragging one of these black squares (dragging the object itself, or pressing Ctrl+Shift+Arrow Key to nudge it one grid unit, is how you move it). If more than one object is selected, the color of the black squares at each corner changes to gray, the other 4 black squares disappear, and those gray squares are no longer draggable.
Right-Click Menu
Right-clicking an object on the game window gives the user access to the following commands (which may also be accessed from the menu bar):
· Align to Grid
· Send to Front/Back
· Align with other selected objects, or space equally
· Change size to match other selected objects
· Change tab order