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.You can also set local options and perform a variety of other tasks by usingthe pop-up menu available for each file or project.The Project Manager will be covered in more detail later in this chapter.Arranging Windows in the IDEMany of the IDE windows can be docked to each other.This enables you tocustomize the user interface layout to your own needs.If it weren t for the need to have separate form windows, you might dock all thewindows into a tiled user interface.However, some experimentation will show youwhat works best docked while still allowing access to the form.As you drag windows onto each other for docking, you will see the outline that tellswhere the docked window will go.Figure 2.1 shows an example of the Object TreeView at the bottom of the Object Inspector Window, before starting docking.Figure2.2 shows the outline that indicates where the dragged window will fall, and Figure2.3 shows the window after.FIGURE 2.1 The two windows to participate in the drag and drop. 04 0672324806 CH02 12/12/02 2:42 PM Page 35C++Builder IDE Features 35FIGURE 2.2 The drop outline on the Object Inspector window shows where thedropped window will go.FIGURE 2.3 The window after the drop has occurred.There are several places you can dock a window (called dock sites), though not everywindow supports every dock site possibility." Bottom, Top, Left, Right Fills the bottom, top, left, or right of the destinationwindow with the dropped window. 04 0672324806 CH02 12/12/02 2:42 PM Page 3636 CHAPTER 2 C++Builder Projects and More on the IDE" Center Adds the newly dropped window as a tabbed page to the drop-sitewindow.One of the most useful arrangements is to dock the Project Manager, the ObjectInspector, and the Object Tree View window into a single window.After windows are docked, you can resize the proportion of each using the flat partof the bar that separates them.Look for the cursor to turn into a double-headedarrow when it s over the splitter bar.Object InspectorAs you ve seen, the Object Inspector displays the properties for the currently selectedcomponent or form.You can also use the instance drop-down list at the top of theObject Inspector to pick a specific component.Figure 2.4 shows the Object Inspector window.FIGURE 2.4 Object Inspector.This view of the Object Inspector shows its features.In this case, the properties arefor a TclientDataSet component, but similar properties exist for every class ofcomponent.You can see that some properties have a plus sign (+) next to them.Some of thoseare enumerated properties with true/false flags next to each enumeration, such asFilterOptions.Others, such as MasterSource, are references to another component onthe form, and the Object Inspector displays the properties of that component whenthe + has been clicked. 04 0672324806 CH02 12/12/02 2:42 PM Page 37C++Builder IDE Features 37In addition to the plus sign, the Object Inspector uses color to show the nature ofthe property.Red property names indicate references to other components.Greenproperty names indicate the properties of those referenced components brought overinto the current object s inspector for convenience (making it easy to change relatedcomponents properties).Finally, the plus sign can also be used for instances that are contained within thecurrent instance being examined.Font is an example of this type of property.The colors for various elements of the Object Inspector can be set from the ObjectInspector tab of the IDE Tools, Environment dialog.Property Categories in the Object InspectorIn Chapter 1 we described how the IDE s Object Inspector can be used to display andedit component properties and event handler functions.C++Builder 5 introduced theidea of property categories.All properties (including events that are also properties)can be arranged by category in the Object Inspector, as well as the normal alphabeti-cal listing.The purpose of categories is to allow the logical grouping of related prop-erties.A property might belong to more than one category, if appropriate.Additionally, it is possible to hide a property from the Object Inspector by hiding itscategory.This is referred to as filtering.Filtering works on properties in the Object Inspector window, and also applies to theentries on the Events tab.Using Property CategoriesBy default the Object Inspector displays properties alphabetically.To view by cate-gory, right-click the working area of the Object Inspector and select Arrange, ByCategory from the pop-up menu.The property categories will now be displayed inthe Object Inspector
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