To remove the borders from a TBasicPanel I have to write:

         Border.Bottom.visible := false;
         Border.Left.visible := false;
         Border.Top.visible := false;
         Border.Right.visible := false;

To remove the corners:

         Corners.BottomLeft.HorzRadius := 0;
         Corners.BottomLeft.VertRadius := 0;
         Corners.BottomRight.HorzRadius := 0;
         Corners.BottomRight.VertRadius := 0;
         Corners.TopLeft.HorzRadius := 0;
         Corners.TopLeft.VertRadius := 0;
         Corners.TopRight.HorzRadius := 0;
         Corners.TopRight.VertRadius := 0;

I know that I can change the interface, but IMHO that should be easier.

How about properties like "ShowBorder" and "ShowCorner"?

Uli

Uli,

<< I know that I can change the interface, but IMHO that should be easier.

How about properties like "ShowBorder" and "ShowCorner"? >>

Nope, sorry.  I can't start polluting the properties with similarly-named
properties that do the exact same thing as existing properties.  What I'll
end up with is similar to what Delphi has with many components - so many
properties that you spend most of your time scrolling up and down in the
Object Inspector.

Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

Tim,

> Nope, sorry.  I can't start polluting the properties with
> similarly-named properties that do the exact same thing as existing
> properties.

I understand what you mean and you are certainly right from your view.
But an additional property "visible" as it exists for the form's
property "caption" e.g. wouldn't pollute the properties but make things
much easier.
An no scolling up and down! The property "visible" of a border e.g.
would just enable/disable the Top.Visible, Right.visible, Bottom.visible
and Left.Visible properties with one click.

Another suggestion: how about a kind of repository where you can store a
control with all its current properties and reuse it?
I use that very much in Delphi and it saves a lot of time.

Thanks

Uli

Uli,

<< But an additional property "visible" as it exists for the form's property
"caption" e.g. wouldn't pollute the properties but make things much easier.
An no scolling up and down! The property "visible" of a border e.g. would
just enable/disable the Top.Visible, Right.visible, Bottom.visible and
Left.Visible properties with one click. >>

Yes, but what would "partially-visible" look like ?  You see how this gets
confusing to the user really quick.  I'll see about adding a Clear or Reset
method, or something like that.

<< Another suggestion: how about a kind of repository where you can store a
control with all its current properties and reuse it?  I use that very much
in Delphi and it saves a lot of time. >>

Sure, how about I call it the "Component Library" ?  Actually, there are
a couple of implementation issues with doing this with forms right now (the
streaming functionality isn't part of the runtime), but eventually the idea
is that you will be able to install pre-built forms directly into the
component library.  As for other controls, see the first part of my answer.


Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

Tim,

> Sure, how about I call it the "Component Library" ?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you: you mean, I can create a panel e.g.,
change some properties and save this panel as a template in the
component library?

That's what I am doing in Delphi: focus the component, menu "Components"
| "Create component template".

Uli

Uli Becker wrote:

> Tim,
>
> > Sure, how about I call it the "Component Library" ?
>
> Maybe I'm misunderstanding you: you mean, I can create a panel e.g.,
> change some properties and save this panel as a template in the
> component library?
>
> That's what I am doing in Delphi: focus the component, menu
> "Components" | "Create component template".

It is a nice idea - with the increase in visual settings, it allows you
to tweak a component to how you want it, and then replicate that again
and again across forms and projects. We could manually do it with a
form that contains such components, then copy and paste, but the IDE is
a nicer place. The key here is that the flexibility has gone up a lot,
but therefore also the options to tweak. Maybe though if the components
are getting a way to override the interface (did I read that?) then
this is actually just becoming a way to "save current settings as new
interface".

Uli,

<< Maybe I'm misunderstanding you: you mean, I can create a panel e.g.,
change some properties and save this panel as a template in the component
library? >>

No, I was just messing with you, hence the smiley.

I know what you mean, and it's something that I can do at some point.  It's
basically the equivalent of storing copy'ed controls and simply paste'ing
them in from a template library.

Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

Matthew,

<< Maybe though if the components are getting a way to override the
interface (did I read that?) then this is actually just becoming a way to
"save current settings as new interface". >>

Yes, but the interface changes are a bit different in one significant
aspect:  with a template/fragment type of library, you're *not* saving the
interface, you're saving the design-time properties associated with a
particular control instance.  Therefore, when you create a new instance of
such a control template, the new instance will use *whatever interface is
currently active for that particular control*.

Imagine this sequence:

1) Control template is created.
2) Interface is changed significantly.
3) Control instance is created using control template.

and you get the idea...

Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com