Dragging, Dropping and Resizing Objects
Dragging and Dropping Objects
Objects are created in the Visual Designer by using the DDO Explorer’s Table/Column Selector or the Class Palette. Both of these support a drag-and-drop interface. Select the object or objects you wish to create by holding down the mouse button, dragging the mouse pointer to the desired location, and releasing the mouse. The control or controls will be dropped into your component.
If you resize an object with the mouse, then the Designer will apply the peAnchors of any nested child objects. To prevent child object anchoring, hold the Ctrl key down while dragging with the mouse.
A Splitter Container (cSplitterContainer) object's splitter location can also be changed by clicking on it and dragging. For more information, see Splitters and Scrolling Containers.
It may take a little practice to get used to where objects will be dropped, but once understood, it provides an easy way to set up your components.
Sizing and Moving Objects
A series of handles consisting of small black squares located at the center and corners of the control signify it as the currently selected object. You may click and drag these handles to resize an object. An object may be moved by clicking on it and dragging.
The up, down, left, and right arrow keys may be used to move selected objects. When used with the Ctrl key, they can be used to resize objects. This works with single-selected and multi-selected objects, providing a more accurate way to control the exact location and size of your objects.
When resizing an object with the arrow keys, the Designer does not apply the peAnchors of any nested child objects. This is the same effect as resizing by dragging an object with the mouse with the Ctrl key held down (see above).
The arrow key movement and sizing operations only work when the Visual Designer actually has focus. If one of the other Studio panels (e.g., Code Editor, Object Properties) has focus, the arrow keys are processed by that panel and not by the designer. You must navigate to the Visual Designer before using the arrow keys.