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The Cut option removes the selected object from the editor and puts it on the Clipboard for later use. The Copy option puts a copy of the selected object on the Clipboard.
The Paste option puts the object from the Clipboard into the editor. The Clear option removes the object from the editor and doesn't put it on the Clipboard.
The Duplicate and Select All optionsThe Duplicate option puts a copy of the selected object on the editor it was selected from. The Select All option selects all objects in the current editor.
The Search/Replace optionThe Search/Replace option is used to locate and replace text in an opened PL/SQL editor. Selecting this option brings up the Search/Replace dialog box shown in Figure 12.15.
In this example, Designer is searching for the word "failure" in the search field. The word was found and highlighted in the PL/SQL editor.
FIG. 12.15
Using the Search/
Replace dialog box to
locate text in the
PL/SQL editor.
The Search/Replace/Pl/SQL optionThe Search/Replace PL/SQL option differs from the previous option in that you don't search in a particular PL/SQL script. When you select this search option, Designer opens the first PL/SQL object after the selected object and continues searching objects until the phrase is found.
When the phrase is found, pressing the Search, Replace, or Replace All buttons causes Designer to continue scanning scripts for the next occurrence of the phrase.
TIP |
The Search/Replace PL/SQL option is an excellent tool for finding and changing variable names. When you need to change variable names in your code, you can use this tool to find all occurrences of the old variable name in the code. |
The Import optionThe Import option is used to bring external objects into the form. These objects can be a drawing, image, color palette, or text. Figure 12.16 shows the menu and import object selection.
The drawings and images are placed inside an image object on the Layout Editor. You can also import a color palette into the Layout Editor to bring different colors into the editor.
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You can import text into the PL/SQL editor. Importing images is discussed in the next chapter in the context of the Layout Editor.
FIG. 12.16
The Import object edit
options.
The Export option The Export option opens a submenu that allows you to move drawings, images, color palettes, and text to external files. The options on the menu are: Drawing, Image, Color Palette, and Text.
The Export|Image optionWhen you select the Export/Image option, the Export Image dialog box is displayed, as shown in Figure 12.17.
You can save the image to a file or to the database. A variety of formats are available for the image. Click on the Format pick list to see a list of the formats.
You can save the file using a variety of data types and compression types via the picklists in the Export/Image dialog box.
FIG. 12.17
The Export/Image
dialog box.
The Export|Drawing optionThe Export/Drawing option displays the Export dialog box, shown in Figure 12.18. It is used to move line drawings from the Layout Editor. You can also save the drawing in the database or in a file, and in the Oracle format or in CGM format. If the drawing is exported in CGM, only the the object will be exported without the object definition. A variety of compression types are available.
FIG. 12.18
The Export dialog box is
used to export drawings
and color palettes.
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The Export|Color Palette optionThe Export/Color Palette option is used to export color palettes from the Layout Editor. When you select this option, the Export dialog box shown in Figure 12.18 is displayed. The Compression box is removed from the dialog since it's not needed.
The Export|Text optionThe Export/Text option is used to save selected text from the PL/SQL editor to an external file. When you select this option, the standard Windows Save As dialog box is opened. You can type the name of the saved file in this dialog box.
The Tools menu is used to open the various editors available in Designer. You can also use the Tools menu to create a new form block, place Forms Runtime in the debug mode, or create a select statement. Figure 12.19 shows the Tools menu options.
FIG. 12.19
The Tools menu options.
The Properties optionThe Properties option is used to open a property window or sheet for the selected object. You can select the object in the Object Navigator or in the Layout Editor.
As we can see from our discussion of the Object navigator, a form has a variety of objects. Most of the objects in a form have a set of properties that control a feature of the object.
For instance, some of the properties of a block are the number of records displayed, whether the items on the block can be updated, or whether the block has a scroll bar. These properties are contained in the property sheet for the item. The Properties menu option allows you to open the property sheet for a selected object to view or change and of the object's properties. The next several chapters have much discussion on the various properties.
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Figure 12.20 shows a block property sheet.
FIG. 12.20
A block property sheet.
The Layout Editor optionThe next option on the Tools menu is Layout Editor. When you select this option, the Layout Editor appears. This is the Forms tool used to format the canvas or screen. (The Layout Editor is discussed in Chapter 13, "Formatting Your Form.")
The Menu Editor optionThe Menu Editor option is used to initiate or display the Menu Editor. This option is only available when the selected object is a menu object. A menu object will only be available when a menu module has been opened. The Menu Editor, a special screen used to construct pull-down menus, is discussed in Chapter 16, "Calling Other Forms and Using Menus."
The PL/SQL Editor optionThe PL/SQL Editor option displays the PL/SQL Editor. This editor, used to write the PL/SQL code in triggers and procedures, is discussed in Chapter 15, "Using Triggers and Modifying Classes."
The Object Navigator optionThe Object/Navigator option is used to display the Object Navigator. When you're developing Designer applications, it's common to move between the Object Navigator, PL/SQL Editor, Layout Editor, and property sheets. This option allows you to easily navigate among these tools.
The New Block optionThe New Block option opens a dialog box used to create new form blocks. This is the same as selecting a block object on the Object Navigator and clicking the Create icon. At the end of this chapter, you'll learn about creating new blocks using this option.