Palette Editor

The DesignGuide Studio Palette Editor is a tool that enables you to dynamically create palettes with many different actions. Content that you've created can now be easily placed as actions to any palette item and any palette.

Palette Controls

The palette controls are used to create, delete, or load palettes in the three window types.

Palette Types

There are three palette types:

• Schematic Analog/RF
• Schematic DSP
• Layout

All studio projects start with a default palette, MyPalette_StudioName, where StudioName is the name of the current studio project. The palette type is Analog/RF .

Note There is no default palette item, only a palette.

Creating, Deleting, Changing Palettes

The following sections provide details on creating and modifying palettes.

Creating Palettes

Palettes can be created by clicking Create Palette . This will bring up a dialog box asking for the palette name. After pressing ENTER or clicking OK, a new palette will be created with no palette items.

Note Duplicate palette names are not permitted. However, duplicate palette names in different window types (Analog/RF, DSP, Layout) are permitted. For example, a palette named MyPalette with an Analog/RF window type and a palette named MyPalette with a DSP window type may both exist. A palette named MyPalette with an Analog/RF window type and another palette named MyPalette with an Analog/RF window type may not exist. Blank palette names are not permitted.

Deleting Palettes

A palette may be deleted by clicking Delete Palette . A dialog box will ask if you are sure you want to delete the palette. Once a palette has been deleted, all information is lost. After all palettes in a window type are deleted, Delete Palette will be grayed out and the only option will be to select another window type or create a palette.

Change Palette Names

A palette name may be changed by clicking Change Palette Name . A dialog box will prompt you to enter the new name. Type the name and either press ENTER or click OK . The palette name will change to the new name.

Note Duplicate and blank names are not permitted. For more information refer to Creating Palettes.

Palette Item Controls

The palette item controls allow you to control the number and order of palette items as well as edit palette item bitmaps.

Inserting, Deleting, Editing Palette Items

The following sections provide information on making changes in palette items.

Inserting Palette Items

To insert a palette item click Insert Palette Item . This will bring up the bitmap selection window. After selecting the bitmap to use, the bitmap will appear in the Current Palette Layout window. The palette item bitmap name will appear in the Palette Item Bitmap drop-down combo box. The default selection choices are "My Content" for the Object Group , "none" for the Quick Help and "No help available" for the Balloon Help Text . As the number of palette items grows a scroll bar will appear enabling you to scroll and view all palette items.

Deleting Palette Items

To delete a palette item, click the item to select it. A gray box outlines the item selected. Click Delete Palette Item . A dialog box asks if you want to continue. To delete the palette click Yes . If the palette item is deleted, the corresponding bitmap will be also be deleted.

Note It is strongly recommended that the same bitmap is not used for multiple palette items, since deleting one of the palette items will delete the bitmap both palette items were sharing. Also, be aware that once a palette item is deleted, the information is lost. When you want to delete multiple palette items, start with the palette items on the bottom. On large palettes deleting palette items near the top of the list results in an increase of time needed to update the Current Palette Layout window.

Changing Bitmaps

A palette item bitmap can be changed be using the drop-down combo list labeled Palette Item Bitmap . The list shows all bitmaps found in the bitmap directory. To change the bitmap, move the pointer to the bitmap name that you want to change the palette item to and left-click on the name. The bitmap will change in the Current Palette Layout window to reflect the new palette item bitmap.

Note Although it is possible to have two palette items share the same bitmap, it is not recommended. For more information refer to Deleting Palette Items.

Moving a Palette Item

A palette item can be moved using the four directional arrows located below the lock checkbox. The palette item list is in a linear order starting at the top left-hand item and going across the row, then down the rows. Moving an item up or down will move the item up or down one row, and will cause the two items in the middle to slide down. Moving an item right or left will swap the position of the two items. Look at the following example. From left to right, we see the original palette, the palette moved up, and the palette moved down.

In the next example, we first see the palette moved right, then the palette moved left.

Note All screen shots were taken after moving the palette item from the original position.

Palette Function Controls

The palette function controls allow you to change the bitmap, actions, objects, quickhelps, and balloon text help for any palette item.

Assigning Actions, Objects, and Object Groups

The following sections provide details on making assignments.

Assigning an Action

For the palette item to do something an action, object group, and object need to be assigned. To assign an action click on the palette item. Click on the drop-down list labeled Action and select the action you want the palette item to perform. Once an action has been assigned, any palette item without an action that has been selected will automatically have the same action as the first palette item with the exception of Execute AEL Function .
For example, Five palette items exist: A, B, C, D, and E. Suppose A has an action already assigned, Place Template . All other palette items have no action assigned. You select palette item B and assign it the action Place Subnetwork . Next you click on palette item C. Since palette item C had no previous action, the action Place Subnetwork gets assigned. Next you select palette item A. Since palette item A has an action already assigned nothing is changed. Palette item D is selected. Its action changes to Place Subnetwork . You want palette item D to execute an AEL function so you change the action to Execute AEL Function . Finally you click on palette item E . Execute AEL Function will not be the selected action. Instead it will be the previous action, or Place Subnetwork .

Execute AEL Function

The Execute AEL Function is different from other actions and needs more explanation. If Execute AEL Function is selected, a dialog box will appear with an editable text field. Type in the AEL code you wish to execute and click OK .

Note The button labeled Edit AEL Code will only be active if the current palette item selected has the action Execute AEL Function . Clicking this button will bring up the Execute AEL Function dialog window with the AEL code to edit. The object of an Execute AEL Function action is your defined AEL code.

Assigning an Object Group

When a palette item is inserted, the default object group assigned is My Content , or the first Object Group defined in the Content Editor. To change the object group. use the drop-down list labeled Object Group . Left-click the name of the new object group you wish to use.

Assigning an Object

To assign an object, both an action and an object group need to be assigned. Click the drop-down list labeled Object and left-click the desired object. The only exception is the object associated with the Place Component action. When the action assigned is Place Component, an edit line is used to show the object, not a drop-down list. Type in the component you wish to place, without the extension.

Assigning the QuickHelp

The Quickhelp is assigned for palette items using the drop-down list labeled Quick Help . Select the quickhelp name you wish to call when the palette button is pushed.

Note To select a QuickHelp topic, you must first use the Quickhelp Editor to register Quickhelp names with corresponding Quickhelp dialog boxes.

Assigning Balloon Help Text

The balloon help is the text that pops up in a little balloon when the pointer is left on a palette item for a few seconds. To assign a balloon help to a palette item, remove the current text in the edit field labeled Balloon Help Text and insert the new balloon help text.

Lock Feature

To lock the palette item, check the box labeled Locked. To unlock, uncheck the box. The lock feature will check to see if a valid license exists before the action is performed. If the palette item is locked and a valid license exists, the button will work. If a valid license does not exist, the button will not work. If the palette item is not locked, the button will work regardless of the license status.

Note The license code number is found in the File > Preferences menu item.

Bitmap Selection Window

Note The Changing Palette Item Name capability is on Windows version of DesignGuide Developer Studio only.

The bitmap selection window provides a way to quickly browse the contents of the bitmap directory to find a suitable bitmap. Once a bitmap is found there are two ways to insert it in the palette. The first is as a template and the second is a copy.

Note When the Bitmap Selection Window first opens, it searches the $HOME\studio_files\ProjectName\bitmaps\palette directory, where ProjectName is the current project, and removes all bitmaps that are not 32 x 32 with 16 colors. It places the bitmaps in the $HOME\studio_files\ProjectName\bitmaps directory

Template vs. Copy

The main difference between a template and a copy is that a copy is an exact copy of the bitmap, while the template inserts a user-defined text as a caption. In both a copy and a template. a copy of the bitmap is created so even though the bitmaps look the same, they are different bitmaps. This can be seen in the palette item bitmap.

Inserting a Template

Any bitmap image may be inserted as a template. To insert a bitmap:

1. Left-click on a bitmap.
2. Type in the template text in the Palette Item Name edit box.
3. Left-click the Insert button.
4. A copy of the bitmap with a new caption is created and inserted as a palette item.

   Note By default, when a project is first created, only the bitmaps in the template directory will show in the bitmap selection window. To add custom bitmaps that get added to all studio projects place them in the $HPEESOF_DIR\designguides\projects\dgDeveloperStudio\ui\bitmaps\templates directory. To add custom bitmaps that only get added in the current studio project add the bitmaps to the $HOME\studio_files\ProjectName\bitmaps\palette directory, where the ProjectName is the current project. Keep template names to about six characters since any more will not fit on the bitmap.

Inserting a Copy

Any bitmap may be inserted as a copy. To insert a bitmap as a copy:

1. Left-click on a bitmap.
2. Left-click the Insert button.
3. This will create an exact copy of the bitmap.

   Note The maximum number of copies of bitmaps that can exist is 99. This is true for both template and copies, however inserting as a template will rename the bitmap to the template name. Also, the first palette item inserted as a copy will not be a copy, instead it will be the original bitmap. No copy will be made.

Import Button

Note Importing bitmaps only works on the PC version of DesignGuide Developer Studio. In UNIX, bitmaps must be copied by hand into the $HOME/studio_files/<current project>/bitmaps/palette directory.

The import button opens a dialog box that can be used to search for a bitmap to insert. When Open is chosen, the bitmap is copied into the bitmap directory. Since only bitmaps from the bitmap directory can be added as a palette item, it is necessary to make a copy. The import window will remember which directory you last imported a bitmap and will open to that directory. If you haven't imported a bitmap yet, the default directory is the bitmap directory for the current studio project.

Note Only bitmaps that are 32 x 32 with 16 colors may be imported.