Creating a New Dialog

Summary: From the File menu, select New.

You're now ready to design your first dialog. Start the Dialog Editor and select New from the File menu. You'll see the following (Figure 1.2):

NOTE:

The term “dialog box” refers to a finished dialog box. When dialog boxes are uncompiled and exist only in resource script form, they are called “dialogs.”

You've just created a new blank dialog. The small solid rectangles called “resize handles” around its border show that it is currently selected.

You can resize the dialog by grabbing its resize handles, and you can move it with the arrow keys or with the mouse. To move the dialog with the mouse, click its title bar and drag it. You'll notice that the coordinates in the fields on the left side of the Properties Bar change as you move the dialog.

You can even move the dialog outside the confines of the editor. This means that you can start your new application to provide a full-screen backdrop; then start the Dialog Editor, reduce it in size and move it to an inconspicuous corner of the display; and finally design the dialog right on the screen where it will eventually appear.