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The **Structure** **(Window) Designer** helps you visually design Window elements--windows and controls--on screen. The **Window Designer** automatically generates and places the language structures and source code that describe these elements in your application (.APP) file or source code document. **See Also:** [[how to customize your window.htm|How to Customize Your Window]]

The Window Designer IDE is comprised of several elements. Each of these is described in the following links:

[[using the window formatter   controls toolbox.htm|Control Toolbox]]

[[window properties.htm|Property Window]]

[[using the window formatter   align toolbox.htm|Alignment Toolbar]]

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**Popup (right-click) Menu**

The popup menu provides quick and easy access to a subset of the **Edit** menu commands.

|  |  |
| **Bring to Front** | For overlapping controls, select this item to move the active control to the top. |
| **Send to Back** | For overlapping controls, select this item to move the active control to the back. |
| **Format** | Calls a sub-menu with all of the supported alignment functions |
| **Show Tab Order** | This option lets you visually specify the tab-stop order of the controls in the window. A small box with a number inside appears on each control, indicating the current order. CLICK on the controls to change the order to the order you wish. To cancel the tab order change, simply right-click outside of the window area and toggle this item off.Parent/Child controls are marked with the following convention:parent control.child control.grand-child controlFor example, a STRING that is populated on a SHEET/TAB control may show //1.0.2//. The second SHEET on the window, first TAB in that sheet, and the third control populated on that tab.This feature uses the Microsoft Forms standard, where controls are number starting at control zero (0) as the first control. |
| **Lock Controls** | This option locks all controls to their current position. A "locked" icon appears in the upper left area of the control. When a control is locked, it may not be moved or resized. |
| **Select Template** | In the Application Generator Designer, this option selects the control and any other controls associated with this template. |
| **Actions** | In the Application Generator Designer, this option selects the control's template Actions dialog, if applicable. |
| **Embeds** | In the Application Generator Designer, this option selects the control's template Embeds dialog, if applicable. |
|  |  |
| **Key** | Opens the **Input Key** dialog for the selected control. Establish a hot key, or key combination, that gives immediate focus to the control, or for buttons, initiates the button's action. |
| **Alert** | Opens the **Alert Keys** dialog for the selected control. Add or delete one or more keys, or key combinations, that will generate an event:ALERT when the control has focus. |
| **Edit Text** | If the control selected supports additional formatting, an extra menu item will appear here. Edit Text allows you to change the Text property of any control (if applicable). |
| **Cut** | Deletes the selected control from the work area and places it in the clipboard. |
| **Copy** | Places a copy of the selected control from the work area into the clipboard. |
| **Paste** | Pastes a control from the clipboard into the work area, at the cursor position. |
| **Duplicate** | Copies the selected control to the window. You can also duplicate by pressing the F2 Key, or CTRL+DRAG and already selected control. |
| **Delete** | Deletes the selected control. Alternatively, press the DELETE key. |
| **Properties** | Open and gives focus to the selected item's **Properties Pad**. |

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**Edit Menu**

Many IDE menu items are not directly applicable to the Structure Designer.

The following items are applicable to the Structure (Window) Designer.

| **Undo** | Reverses the most recent editing action. |
| **Redo** | Reverses the most recent undo action. |
| **Exit Structure Designer** | Exits and saves the active structure. |

**View Menu**

The following items are applicable to the Structure (Window) Designer.

| **Properties** | Opens the **Properties** View. While in the Designer, all control and window properties may be inspected and modified in this window. |
| **Toolbox** | In the Report and Window Designers, this option opens the Clarion Window Controls Toolbox |

**Project, Build, Debug, Search and Tools Menus**

These menu items contained in these menus are not directly applicable to the Structure Designer.

**Window Designer Menu**

The Window Designer menu is visible during any Designer session, and provides populating controls options and alignment commands for spacing and sizing the controls within the window. You may place two or more controls so that their 'edges' match up with each other. You may also spread the controls out, or make all of them the same size.

To do so, first select two or more controls. Select the first by clicking on it. Select the second and subsequent controls by pressing the CTRL key, then clicking on the second control while the shift key remains pressed.

Lasso multiple controls by CTRL+CLICK+DRAGGING to form a box around the controls.

**Populate Menu:**

The menu options here allow you to quickly "populate" a window with entry controls and prompts** **for columns in your data dictionary table. Choose the Column Option for a single column population, or Multiple to recusively use this dialog.

**Format Menu: Align**

| **Lefts** | Aligns the left borders of the selected controls with the left border of the last control selected (black handles). |
| **Centers** | Aligns the center of the selected controls with the horizontal center axis of the last control selected (black handles). |
| **Rights** | Aligns the right borders of the selected controls with the right border of the last control selected (black handles). |
| **Tops** | Aligns the top borders of the selected controls with the top border of the last control selected (black handles). |
| **Middles** | Aligns the center of the selected controls with the vertical center axis of the last control selected (black handles). |
| **Bottoms** | Aligns the bottom borders of the selected controls with the bottom border of the last control selected (black handles). |
| **To Grid** | Snaps the selected controls to the nearest grid coordinate. |
| **Make Same Size** | Makes all selected controls the same height and width. |
| **Width** | Makes all selected controls the same width as the last control selected (black handles). |
| **Size To Grid** | Makes all selected controls the same height and width as the size of the grid coordinate. |
| **Height** | Makes all selected controls the same height as the last control selected (black handles). |
| **Both** | Makes all selected controls the same height and width as the last control selected (black handles). |

**Horizontal Spacing**

| **Make Equal** | Equalizes the horizontal spaces between the selected controls. |
| **Increase** | Increases the horizontal spaces between the selected controls. |
| **Decrease** | Decreases the horizontal spaces between the selected controls. |
| **Remove** | Removes all horizontal spaces between the selected controls. |

**Vertical Spacing**

| **Make Equal** | Equalizes the vertical spaces between the selected controls. |
| **Increase** | Increases the vertical spaces between the selected controls. |
| **Decrease** | Decreases the vertical spaces between the selected controls. |
| **Remove** | Removes the vertical spaces between the selected controls. |

**Center in Form**

| **Horizontally** | As a group (relative positions of selected controls don't change), centers the selected controls vertically within the window. |
| **Vertically** | As a group (relative positions of selected controls don't change), centers the selected controls horizontally within the window. |

**Order**

| **Bring to Front** | For overlapping controls, select this item to move the active control to the top. |
| **Send to Back** | For overlapping controls, select this item to move the active control to the back. |

**Lock Controls**

| **Lock Controls** | This option locks all controls to their current position. A "locked" icon appears in the upper left area of the control. When a control is locked, it may not be moved or resized. |