Managing Projects and Modules
When you use App Builder to create a graphical user interface, you are
working on a project, which is comprised of one or more modules. App Builder,
which was built with itself, was a single project comprising over 30 modules.
Creating, Opening, and Saving Projects
A project file is started when you choose New Project from the File menu of the
App Builder primary window or New from the Project menu of the Project
Organizer, or when you drag and drop a window onto the workspace in a new
session of App Builder. See
for a description
of the Project Organizer. See
for a discussion of drag and drop procedures.
A project file is saved when you choose Save Project from the File menu of the
App Builder primary window or when you select Save from the Project menu
of the Project Organizer. A project file has a .bip (builder interface project)
suffix.
To Create a New Projectprojectscreatingcreatingprojects
Choose New Project from the File menu of the App Builder primary
window or New from the Project menu of the Project Organizer.
The Project Name dialog box will be displayed. By default, an unnamed
project is called Untitled.
If you have made changes to the current project since you last saved it, a
message dialog box will be displayed first, giving you the option to discard
the changes and create the new project or to cancel the New Project
operation.
Click Discard Changes to throw out the changes and close the current
project.
Click Cancel if you want to save the current project. Save the current project
before creating the new project.
Type a name (all lowercase) for the project and click Apply.
The name of the project (with .bip added as a suffix) will be displayed in
the title bar at the top of the App Builder primary window. Every module
you create or import will be part of the current project until you open
another project.
Project names should be all lowercase so that there is no conflict
between the name of the project resource file and the project executable file.
naming
resource files
resource file
naming
The name of the resource file created when you generate code is the same as
the name of the project, minus the .bip suffix, but it is given an initial capital
letter.
naming
projects
projects
naming
To Open an Existing Projectprojectsopening existingopeningexisting projects
Choose Open Project from the File menu of the App Builder primary
window or Open from the Project menu of the Project Organizer.
The Open Project dialog box will be displayed.
If you have made changes to the current project since you last saved it, a
message dialog box will be displayed first, giving you the option to discard
the changes and open the other project or to cancel the Open Project
operation.
Click Discard Changes to throw out the changes and close the current
project.
Click Cancel if you want to save the current project. Save the current project
before opening the other project.
Change folders, if necessary.
You have to press Return or click Update before the folder change is
registered.
Double-click the appropriate project file (.bip suffix) in the Files list
Or, select the file and click Open.
The name of the project will be displayed in the title bar of the App Builder
primary window and the selected project will be displayed in the Project
Organizer.
In the module array of the Project Organizer, select the modules you want to
display and choose Show from the Module menu to display the module
interfaces.
See
for detailed instructions.
To Save a Projectprojectssavingsavingproject
A project is only saved when you explicitly choose to save it, so be sure to save
often and regularly.
Choose Save Project from the File menu of the App Builder primary
window or Save from the Project menu of the Project Organizer.
If you have saved the project before, the project will be saved without
comment.
If this is the first time you have saved the project, the Save Project dialog
box will be displayed.
Change to the appropriate folder.
You will normally want a separate folder for each project you work on. You
are apt to have Makefile problems otherwise.
Type a file name in the Enter file name field.
You do not have to append .bip to the project name; this is done
automatically when you save a project.
Click Save.
The project will be saved.
To Save a Version of a Projectprojectssaving in different foldersavingproject to different folder
Do the following to save a version of the current project in a different folder.
You might want to do this so that you can compare two versions of a project or
put the two versions out for review. If you have made unsaved changes to the
current project those changes will be saved in the new project only.
Choose Save Project As from the File menu of the App Builder primary
window or Save As from the Project menu of the Project Organizer.
The Save Project dialog box will be displayed, with the current project name
in the Enter file name field.
Change to another folder.
Type a name in the Enter file name field.
Click Save.
The project—the project file (.bip suffix) and all of the module files (.bil
suffixes)—has been copied to another folder. The original project and
module files are not affected. The new project will now be the current
project; its name will be displayed in the title bar of the App Builder
primary window.
To Rename a Projectprojectsrenamingrenamingprojects
Do the following to give the current project a different name. The modules that
comprise the current project will become part of a new project with a new
name and the current project will no longer exist. See
above if you want to save a version of the the current project.
Choose Save Project As from the File menu of the App Builder primary
window or Save As from the Project menu of the Project Organizer.
The Save Project dialog box will be displayed, with the current project name
in the Enter file name field.
Modify the name or type in a new name in the Enter file name field.
Click Save.
A message dialog box will be displayed for each module in the project,
telling you that the module exists and giving you the option to overwrite it
or cancel the operation.
Click Overwrite for each module if you want to rename the project and save
the module.
Click Cancel if you do not want to rename the project and overwrite the
current module.
If you click Overwrite for each of the modules the project will be renamed;
the new project name will be displayed in the title bar of the App Builder
primary window. The old project file (.bip suffix) will still be in the folder,
but it will not be the active project file. If you generate code for the project
and run make in the folder, the new project name will be used.
To Save a Project to a File (Encapsulate Project)encapsulated project fileprojectssaving as encapsulated filesavingproject to encapsulated file
A project is comprised of one or more modules. Normally a project file is saved
in a file with a .bip suffix, and each module file is saved in a separate file
with a .bil suffix. To save a project as a single file (for convenience in mailing
the project to someone, for instance):
Open the project, as described in
.
Choose Save Project As from the File menu of the App Builder primary
window or Save As from the Project menu of the Project Organizer.
Change to the appropriate folder, if necessary.
Select Save As Encapsulated Project.
The name of the current project will be displayed in the Enter file name
field, with a .bix (builder interface exchange) suffix.
Click Save or press Return.
When a project is saved as an encapsulated file, the .bip file is not
affected. When an encapsulated project is opened in App Builder, it is opened
just like any other project. When you attempt to save a project that was opened
from an encapsulated file, a message dialog box will be displayed, explaining
that the project will be saved as individual files. Choose Save Project As if you
want to save it as an encapsulated project again.
To Close a Projectprojectsclosingclosing projects
Choose Close Project from the File menu of the App Builder primary
window or Close from the Project menu of the Project Organizer.
If you have made changes since saving the project a message dialog box will
be displayed, giving you the chance to discard the changes or to cancel the
close operation.
Creating, Importing, Exporting, and Saving Modules
A module is a logical unit of a project. Each window and dialog in App Builder
is a module of the App Builder project, for instance. A module is created when
you choose New Module from the File menu of the App Builder primary
window or New from the Module menu of the Project Organizer.
You do not have to create a new module for each window, but in most cases
you will want to: this will make maintaining modules simpler and will allow
you to use a module for various applications.
All module files in a project are saved when the project is saved. You can
explicitly save a particular module by choosing Save from the Module menu of
the Project Organizer. A saved module file has a .bil (builder interface
language) suffix.
To Create a New Modulecreatingmodulesmodulescreating
Do the following to create a new module, which will become part of the
current project.
Choose New Module from the File menu of the App Builder primary
window or New from the Module menu of the Project Organizer.
The Module Name dialog box will be displayed, with Untitled selected as
the default name:
If you drag and drop a window on the workspace after creating a new
project, the Module Name dialog box will be displayed, just as if you had
chosen New Module from the File menu.
In the dialog box, type in the name you want to give the new module.
modules
naming
naming
modules
Click Apply or press Return.
The name of the new module will appear in the Editing Module field at the
bottom of the App Builder primary window. Any windows you drag from
the Windows palette and drop on the workspace will be part of the new
module.
To Import a Module into a Projectmodulesimportingimportingmodules
To import an existing module into the current project:
Choose Import Module from the File menu of the App Builder primary
window or Import from the Module menu of the Project Organizer.
The Import File dialog box will be displayed.
Change to the folder where the module (.bil suffix) file is saved.
Change the Import Format type, if necessary.
By default, BIL format is selected. If the file you are importing is a UIL file,
click the UIL button. The file will be converted to BIL format when it is
imported.
importing
module in UIL format
UIL format
importing modules in
modules
importing in UIL format
Change Import By method, if necessary.
By default, Import By Copy is selected. If you want to import the module
by reference rather than making a copy of it, click the Reference button.
Import By Reference, which causes module files to be shared, can be
dangerous, since the actual module file may be changed or deleted
inadvertantly.
Double-click on the module to be imported in the Files list.
Or, select the file and click Import.
The module will be added to the current project the next time you save the
project.
To Save a Modulemodulessavingsavingmodules
All modules in a project are saved when you save the project. If you want to
save individual modules, you can do so in the Project Organizer.
Display the Project Organizer by choosing Project Organizer from the File
menu of the App Builder primary window.
In the module array of the Project Organizer select the module you want to
save.
Choose Save from the Module menu.
If you have saved the module previously during this App Builder session,
the module will be saved without comment.
If this is the first time you have saved the module, the Save BIL File dialog
box will be displayed, with the name of the selected module (with a .bil
suffix) in the Enter file name field.
Change to the folder where you want to save the module, if necessary.
Click Save or press Return.
To Rename a Modulerenamingmodulesmodulesrenaming
Use Save As from the Module menu of the Project Organizer to rename a
module. When you save the current project, the new module name will replace
the old name in the project (.bip) file. The original module will still be in the
project folder, but it will not be part of the project. To save a module without
affecting the project, see
.
Display the Project Organizer by choosing Project Organizer from the File
menu of the App Builder primary window.
Select the module you want to rename.
Choose Save As from the Module menu.
The Save BIL File dialog box will be displayed, with the name of the
selected module (with a .bil suffix) in the Enter file name field.
Type a file name in the Enter file name field.
Click Save or press Return.
The new module name will replace the old name in the project (.bip) file
the next time you save the project.
To Export a Modulemodulesexportingexportingmodules
Do the following to save a copy of a module in the current project. The current
project is not affected when you export a module. A new module is created,
which is not part of the current project; the original module remains as part of
the project.
From the File menu of the App Builder primary window choose Export
Module and select one of the currently open modules from the submenu
displayed.
Or, in the Project Organizer select the module to be exported in the module
array and choose Export from the Module menu.
The Export File dialog box will be displayed, with the selected module
name in the Enter file name field.
Type a new file name in the Enter file name field
Or, change to the folder where you want to save the module and type a file
name in the Enter file name field.
If you want to save a version of the module in the current folder, do not
change folders. Simply give the module a different name.
Click Export or press Return.
A copy of the selected module has been created.
To Save a Module in UIL Formatexportingmodule in UIL formatUIL formatsaving module inmodulessaving in UIL formatsavingmodule in UIL format
To save a module in UIL (user interface language) format instead of BIL
(builder interface language) format:
Choose Export Module from the File menu of the App Builder primary
window and select the module you want to export from the submenu that is
displayed.
Or, in the Project Organizer select the module to be exported and choose
Export from the Module menu.
The Export File dialog box will be displayed, with the selected module
name in the Enter file name field.
Change to the folder where you want to save the module, if necessary.
Select Save As UIL (above the Enter file name field).
The file name suffix will change from .bil to .uil.
Type a file name in the Enter file name field, if necessary.
If the name in the Enter file name field is OK, leave it as it is.
Click Export or press Return.
The file will be saved with a .uil suffix.
Showing, Hiding, and Removing Modules
For a small project you may always want to show all modules. For a large
project with many modules you may want to show only one or two modules at
a time. Use the Project Organizer to show and hide modules, and to remove
modules from projects. The Project Organizer displays icons for all of the
modules that comprise a project. In the Project Organizer you can display or
hide the interfaces for selected modules and you can remove modules from a
project.
To Show a Hidden Modulemodulesshowingshowing modules
Display the Project Organizer by choosing Project Organizer from the File
menu of the App Builder primary window.
Double-click the module icons in the module array of the Project Organizer
that you want to show.
Or, select the module icons and choose Show from the Module menu.
The user interfaces for the selected modules will be displayed.
If a module you want to show is in a different project, you will first
have to open the other project. See
for
instructions.
To Hide a Shown Modulemoduleshidinghiding modules
To hide a module that is displayed (to clean up the workspace so that you can
more easily work on another module, for instance):
Display the Project Organizer by choosing Project Organizer from the File
menu of the App Builder primary window.
Select the modules in the module array that you want to hide.
Select one module by clicking mouse button 1 on it. To add to the selection
click mouse button 2 on other modules. To select a number of adjacent
modules drag-select with mouse button 1 or mouse button 2, starting above
and to the left of the first module to be selected.
Choose Hide from the Module menu.
The user interfaces for the selected modules will be hidden.
To Remove a Module from a Projectprojectsremoving a module frommodulesremoving from projectremoving module from project
When you remove a module from the current project, the module file will still
exist in the project folder, but it will no longer be part of the project. The
module file name will be removed from the project file (.bip suffix) the next
time the project is saved. With the appropriate project open, do the following
to remove one or more modules from the project.
Display the Project Organizer by choosing Project Organizer from the File
menu of the App Builder primary window.
Select the modules in the module array that you want to remove.
Choose Remove from the Module menu of the Project Organizer.