Displaying the contents of the auxiliary window

The auxiliary window systematically runs the "initializePropertiesBox" method within the given profile, when "addPropertiesPage" service is called. This method is called on the element selected in the explorer or in a graphic editor, and has the following syntax:

initializePropertiesBox(inout PBoxDescription box)

This method's code is usually the following:

PBoxMatrix matrix;

// the matrix is the equivalent of beginLayoutSection

on JBoxes

sessionBegin("My properties page initialization",

true);

// persistent session

matrix = box.createMatrix("");

// creation of a matrix

initMatrix(box, matrix);

// initialization of the matrix, see further on for

details

box.setItem(matrix);

// affectation of the matrix to the editor

sessionEnd();

// end of a session

In this case, we are going to start by creating a matrix, using the "createMatrix" method.

All the work is delegated to the "initMatrix" method, which will be defined on all the metaclasses for which we require a different display. Its syntax is usually the following:

void initMatrix(inout PBoxDescription box,

inout PBoxMatrix matrix)

The last step is to affect the newly-created matrix to the auxiliary window, using the "setItem" method. Since the auxiliary window itself can only contain one single item, a matrix containing all the elements to be displayed is always affected to it.

Example of the contents of the "initMatrix" method

void Class:initMatrix(inout PBoxDescription box,

inout PBoxMatrix matrix)

{

PBoxItem item; // items to be added to the matrix

// Addition of a label

item = box.createGraphicLabel("My_label");

matrix.pushInto(0, matrix.NbRows(), item);

// Addition of a group of radio buttons

item = box.createGadgetChoice

(this,"Persistence", "label_Persistence");

item.setRadio(true);

// true => radio buttons, false ==> combo box

item.appendLabel("label_Transient");

item.appendLabel("label_Persistent");

item.appendLabel("label_Undefined");

// Addition of the item at the bottom of the matrix

matrix.pushInto(0, matrix.NbRows(), item);

// Addition of the management of a tagged value type

item = box.createEditTag

(this,"sqlName","label_SQL_Name");

matrix.pushInto(0, matrix.NbRows(), item);

// Addition of a tickbox

item = box.createGadgetToggle(this,"Null","Not null");

matrix.pushInto(0, matrix.NbRows(), item);

// Addition of a simple text field

item = box.createEditField

(this,"TypeConstraint","String_size");

matrix.pushInto(0, matrix.NbRows(), item);

// Addition of a multi-line text field

item = box.createEditText

(this,"Check","Check_constraint");

matrix.pushInto(0, matrix.NbRows(), item);

}