1.3 Changing the Properties of an application page
In this exercise, you will use the Configuration Toolbox and the Library tool to change the properties of the Booster Station page.
While not readily apparent, given that its screen is still empty, your application is fundamentally in operation mode. Whenever the Configuration Toolbox is not open, your application is automatically placed in operation mode. Opening the Configuration Toolbox immediately places the application into design mode. The differences between these two modes will become more apparent later when the tutorial application has been further developed.
1. Click the Configure button that appears in the Display Manager's title bar. The Configuration Toolbox opens. The application is now placed in design mode. Note that as you rest your mouse pointer over each of the buttons, the name of the corresponding tool is displayed.
Figure 9
2. Click the Libraries button (as indicated by Figure 9).
The Library dialog opens as shown in Figure 10. (the title will be “Configure”)
Figure 10
3. Click the Plus sign beside “Pages” to expand the page menu.
Figure 11
Note that there are two pages: the one you named when creating the application (Booster Station) and one named Call-Out List. The Call-Out List page is created automatically by VTS in every application that has Dial-Out capabilities. You can ignore it for now.
The next step will be to examine and change the properties of the Booster Station page. For this, you will need to learn about VTS’s right-click or “context sensitive” menus.
4. Point at “Booster Station” and click once with the right-most button of your mouse.
A context sensitive menu will open as shown in Figure 12.
Figure 12
5. Left-Click on the word “Properties”, at the bottom of the context menu.
The Page Properties dialog opens and initially displays the parameters for the Booster Station application page. (Figure 13)
Figure 13
6. Click on the Properties tab as shown by the arrow in Figure 13.
The dialog box should now look like Figure 14.
Figure 14
Note the various properties that can be changed. The page title is modifiable, but this will not change the page file name. In the next series of steps, you'll add a background color to the Booster Station page.
7. Select the Use Color checkbox.
The Set Color button becomes enabled.
8. Click the Set Color button.
9. The Select Color palette opens. (Figure 15)
Figure 15
Move the mouse pointer across the palette and around the entire Display Manager and observe how the color changes in the sample color window. VTS enables you to pick up any color displayed on the page. This is known as "free color mode".
Place the mouse pointer over the any color in the palette and click the mouse button. Note how the color you've selected is now set in the sample color window. The sample color window no longer changes as the mouse pointer moves; however, you may still change the selected color by clicking any of the color squares in the palette.
10. Select pale gray as the background color for the Booster Station application page by clicking a pale gray square from the lower right-hand corner of the color palette. The selected color is displayed in the sample color window.
11. Click the OK button.
The Page Properties dialog remains open and displays the selected background color.
12. Click the OK button in the Page Properties dialog.
Note: do not close this dialog by clicking on the X! While this will close the dialog, it is the same as clicking the Cancel button – your changes will be lost.
The Library dialog (“Configure”) remains open. We have no further modifications to the Booster Station page properties at this time so we will close it.
13. Click the X in the upper right corner of the Configure dialog to close it.
As you've just seen, VTS allows you to change the background color of any application page. This feature can be used to make it easier for the operator to differentiate between pages, it can reflect your company's colors, or it can make your application pages more aesthetically pleasing.
When changing the background color of an application page, it is important to remember that neutral colors work best. Bright colors are often difficult to view for extended periods of time.