Suggestions for Designer Studio

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   This is a re-post of an item originally posted under the following thread: http://forum.codejock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=445
It's been reposted here to provide a more appropriate Subject and hopefully attract more attention to the thread.
The CommandBar Designer Studio is a GREAT tool for building menus and toolbar, but there are some areas which, if improved, would make the tool even better.  Here are my ideas so far:

More control over resource id's 

Delete unassigned id's 
User-defined values for each id instead of being forced to use the system-assigned value.  I would like to use number ranges for certain logical groups of resource id's, but it's impossible with system-defined values. 
Display the value for a resource id without having to create the 'resource.bas' file and lookup the generated value 
Sort resource id's when written to the 'resource.bas' file to find them easier
Ability to load icons from ICO files (not just BMP files) with support for 32-bit alpha icons 
The 'Standard Toolbar' always shows up when I open a XCB file.  I don't have a toolbar called standard, and I always delete it.  But every time I re-open the file in the designer, the standard toolbar returns with all the same controls. 
Just a suggestion, but pressing the 'Insert' key on the keyboard to add a new Accelerator isn't very intuitive since the other aspects of the application (like Icons, Controls, and Toolbars) have toolbar buttons.  It took a while to figure this out when first using the tool. 
Field length limitation on 'New Icon' ID increased.  I believe the current length of the field is 32 characters.  The field length limitation on a 'New Control' ID is also 32 characters (although you can give it a longer ID by changing the value in the properties grid after the control is added).  Since icons with the same ID as a control are automatically associated, it's important to be able to give the icon the same ID as the control.  Since the icon is limited to 32 characters (with no work-around to give it a longer name), this isn't always possible.  There is a work-around to this problem as well, which is to simply create a new ID for the icon and then associate the control with that icon ID.  But this creates an extra resource ID that isn't entirely necessary.  If the field length could be increased, that would prevent the need for the work-around. 
Additional Theme Support for the Editor.  Unless I'm missing something, the editor always uses the Office XP theme for drawing toolbars and menus and they're built.  I prefer using the Office 2003 theme in my application.  While this isn't critical, it would be nice if the editor allowed you to build/preview your menus and toolbars in any of the supported themes.
I would like to encourage others to post their ideas as well.  Like I said, the Designer Studio is great for quickly building your application's menu and toolbars.  Hopefully Codejock will incorporate some of our suggestions to make it even better.

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Boyd Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 08 December 2003 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 285	Post Options Post Reply Quote Boyd Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Suggestions for Designer Studio Posted: 16 February 2004 at 12:09pm
	This is a re-post of an item originally posted under the following thread: http://forum.codejock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=445 It's been reposted here to provide a more appropriate Subject and hopefully attract more attention to the thread. The CommandBar Designer Studio is a GREAT tool for building menus and toolbar, but there are some areas which, if improved, would make the tool even better. Here are my ideas so far: More control over resource id's Delete unassigned id's User-defined values for each id instead of being forced to use the system-assigned value. I would like to use number ranges for certain logical groups of resource id's, but it's impossible with system-defined values. Display the value for a resource id without having to create the 'resource.bas' file and lookup the generated value Sort resource id's when written to the 'resource.bas' file to find them easier Ability to load icons from ICO files (not just BMP files) with support for 32-bit alpha icons The 'Standard Toolbar' always shows up when I open a XCB file. I don't have a toolbar called standard, and I always delete it. But every time I re-open the file in the designer, the standard toolbar returns with all the same controls. Just a suggestion, but pressing the 'Insert' key on the keyboard to add a new Accelerator isn't very intuitive since the other aspects of the application (like Icons, Controls, and Toolbars) have toolbar buttons. It took a while to figure this out when first using the tool. Field length limitation on 'New Icon' ID increased. I believe the current length of the field is 32 characters. The field length limitation on a 'New Control' ID is also 32 characters (although you can give it a longer ID by changing the value in the properties grid after the control is added). Since icons with the same ID as a control are automatically associated, it's important to be able to give the icon the same ID as the control. Since the icon is limited to 32 characters (with no work-around to give it a longer name), this isn't always possible. There is a work-around to this problem as well, which is to simply create a new ID for the icon and then associate the control with that icon ID. But this creates an extra resource ID that isn't entirely necessary. If the field length could be increased, that would prevent the need for the work-around. Additional Theme Support for the Editor. Unless I'm missing something, the editor always uses the Office XP theme for drawing toolbars and menus and they're built. I prefer using the Office 2003 theme in my application. While this isn't critical, it would be nice if the editor allowed you to build/preview your menus and toolbars in any of the supported themes. I would like to encourage others to post their ideas as well. Like I said, the Designer Studio is great for quickly building your application's menu and toolbars. Hopefully Codejock will incorporate some of our suggestions to make it even better.

Boyd Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 08 December 2003 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 285	Post Options Post Reply Quote Boyd Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 02 March 2004 at 2:35pm
	I have two additional bugs to add to the list: The pre-defined Accelerators for the Standard Toolbar are always re-loaded when you open an XCB file. You cannot modify an Accelerator. If you double-click an Accelerator to change the values, you get the 'Accel properties' window. Click the 'OK' button on this window does nothing, so you can't save your changes. The only work-around is to delete the Accelerator and re-add it.

Boyd Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 08 December 2003 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 285	Post Options Post Reply Quote Boyd Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 03 March 2004 at 11:01am
	I found an additional bug in the Designer Studio related to a crash of the PropertyGrid. The details of this bug can be found in the following post: http://forum.codejock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=490&PN =1&TPN=1