Working With Buttons
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TPDesign4 Touch Panel Design Software (v2.10 or higher)
With an item selected in a Design View window, hold down the CTRL key while moving the
item with the keyboard arrow keys to move by the grid size instead of a single pixel
(regardless of the grid visibility or snap to grid setting). Holding the CTRL key while resizing
the selected items with the keyboard will resize by the grid size.
Setting Default Parameters for New Buttons
Use the Drawing toolbar (FIG. 36) to set new button parameters. The settings that are specified in this
toolbar become the default settings for all new buttons, until the settings are changed. This way, you can
quickly create sets of buttons that are visually consistent.
To set new button parameters:
1. Select the Button Draw tool from the Button Selection/Draw toolbar. When the Button Draw tool is
selected, the Drawing toolbar becomes activated.
2. Buttons are always drawn in the Off State. The Drawing toolbar (shown above) allows you to
control certain new button creation properties for both the Off and the On state of a button.
3. Click the down-arrow on the first drop-down menu to the right of the State button to select the type
of button you want to create (default = general). This selection becomes the default for all
subsequent buttons, until the Button Type selection is changed.
4. Click the down-arrow on the second drop-down menu (to the right of the Button Type drop-down)
to select a Border Style for the button. This selection becomes the default for all subsequent buttons,
until the Border Style selection is changed.
5. Use the next two drop-down menus to specify a Font and Font Size as the default text attributes for
new buttons. These selections become the default text settings for all subsequent buttons, until the
Font and Font Size specifications are changed.
6. Click the down-arrow on the first palette button to set the Border Color for the button. Again, this
selection becomes the default for all subsequent buttons, until the Border Color setting is changed.
7. Click the down-arrow on the second palette button to set the Fill Color for the button. This selection
becomes the default for all subsequent buttons, until the Fill Color setting is changed.
8. Click the down-arrow on the third palette button to set the Text Color for the button. Of course, this
selection becomes the default for all subsequent buttons, until the Tex t Color setting is changed.
Drawing Tools Toolbar
The Drawing Tools toolbar (FIG. 37) contains shortcuts to several of the main drawing tools. All
toolbars in TPDesign4 are dockable, so they can be arranged within the application window. To undock
any toolbar, double-click anywhere inside the toolbar (but not on a toolbar button). Double-click again to
dock the toolbar.
This toolbar is normally at the top of your screen, and can either be free floating or docked, but cannot be
docked in a vertical fashion, as the drop down lists contained on the toolbar do not support this type of
docking. To move the toolbar, click and drag using the handle (the single vertical bar) at the far-left side
of the toolbar.
FIG. 36 Drawing toolbar