About the Layout Editor
The Layout Editor is a graphical design facility for creating and arranging interface items and graphic objects in a form. In the Layout Editor, you work on a single canvas. Canvases are displayed in windows at runtime. You specify the window a canvas will be displayed in by setting the canvas's Window property.
- Layout Editor Context
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- The title bar of the Layout Editor window displays context information,
including the name of the current form, the name of the canvas being edited,
and the name of the current block. When you create an item by drawing it on
a canvas in the Layout Editor, Oracle Forms assigns the item to the current
block, as indicated by Layout Editor block context. You can change Layout
Editor block context using the Block poplist on
the toolbar.
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- Rulers
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- The horizontal and vertical rulers at the top and left side of the workspace
provide a reference for sizing and arranging objects in the Layout Editor.
To hide rulers, deselect the Rulers option on
the View menu.
Layout Editor ruler units can be set to character cells, inches, centimeters,
or points. To display the Ruler Settings dialog, choose View
| Customize Rulers/Grid.
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- Grid
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- There is a grid defined within the workspace that helps you position objects.
The grid is rendered in the current ruler units. To hide the grid lines, deselect
the Grid option in the View
menu.
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- Ruler Guides
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- Ruler guides are horizontal and vertical dotted lines that can be used as
references when aligning objects on a canvas. To create a ruler guide, position
the pointer on either ruler, then click and drag into the workspace. Ruler
guides are not displayed at runtime.
To move a ruler guide, drag it to a different location. To delete a ruler
guide, drag it out of the workspace. To temporarily hide ruler guides without
deleting them, deselect the Ruler Guides option
in the View menu.
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- Status Line
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- The status line at the bottom of the Layout Editor window displays the following
information:
- absolute mouse position
- mouse drag distance (when creating/moving objects)
- rotation angle (when rotating the current selection)
- magnification level
Note: You cannot clear, cut, copy, duplicate, or
export the following objects in the Layout Editor:
- the canvas object (when the View | Show Canvas
option is On)
- the view rectangle (when the View | Show View
option is On)
- a block scroll bar