Copyright: Copyright © 1994 Software Interface Solutions Corp


Contents

Software Interface Solutions Button is a program that allows you to create button faces and group them together into files however you see fit. You create button faces by pasting them from the Windows Clipboard or lifting images from the screen. You can further then edit the faces with the built in pixel editor. These button face files are then available to Software Interface Solutions RibbonCB embedded control bar product. You can also use the Button program to lift bitmaps from the screen for more general purposes. In these cases the bitmap can be placed in the Windows Clipboard or saved to a file.

Lifting Bitmaps From The Screen

Overview

Specifying Rectangles

Lifting a Fixed Size Rectangle

Lifting a Freehand Rectangle

The Pixel Editor


Overview

When you lift a bitmap from the screen there are two rectangles that are involved. The source rectangle and the destination rectangle. The source rectangle is the size of the bitmap being lifted from the screen while the destination rectangle is the size the lifted bitmap will be fitted or scaled to. If these two rectangles are the same size, no scaling is performed. These rectangles are specified through the Edit menu Lift or Make selections and the Specify Rectangles Dialog Box.

You select the source rectangle through the Edit menu Lift or Make selections. If you select Lift, a fixed size rectangle appears on the screen. You may move this rectangle anywhere on the screen. When it is over the image you want, press the left mouse button and it will be captured. The size of this fixed size rectangle is specified in the Specify Rectangles Dialog Box.

When the rectangle is up and is 32 pixels by 32 pixels or less, the following


Specify Rectangles Dialog Box

From here you may specify the size of both the source and destination rectangles. You get to this dialog box from the Edit menu Specify Rectangles entry.

Click on a control for information about that control.


Lifting a Fixed Size Rectangle

You use the Edit menu Lift selection to lift a fixed size rectangle off of the screen. By selecting Lift, a rectangle is placed on the screen. The size of this fixed size rectangle is specified in the Specify Rectangles Dialog Box. You may move this rectangle with the mouse anywhere on the screen.

The following mouse and key actions perform these operations:

Left Mouse Click:	Select the source bitmap.

Esc:	Cancel the operation.

Space:	Show a magnified image of the source bitmap if the source bitmap is 32 x 32 or less.

When a magnified image is displayed, the following operations are also available:

Arrows:	Scroll the source bitmap 1 pixel in the specified direction.

Home:	Scroll the source bitmap 16 pixels to the right.

End:	Scroll the source bitmap 16 pixels to the left.

Pg Up:	Scroll the source bitmap 16 pixels up.

Pg Down:	Scroll the source bitmap 16 pixels down.

Enter:	Select the source bitmap.

The source image will then be mapped to the destination rectangle. The destination rectangle is specified in Specify Rectangles Dialog Box. If the final size of the bitmap is the same as a RibbonCB button face, the image will be saved as a button face. Otherwise you are prompted to save the image to a disk file or the clipboard.


Lifting a Freehand Rectangle

Use the Edit menu Make selection to draw freehand a rectangle around an image. When you select Make, the mouse pointer becomes the following [image]. Move the tip of the arrow in the cursor to the upper left corner of the region you would like to lift.  Press and hold the left mouse button down and drag it to the lower right corner of the image. Release the left mouse button. The image will be lifted and scaled to the destination rectangle size. If the final size of the bitmap is the same as a RibbonCB button face, the image will be saved as a button face. Otherwise you are prompted to save the image to a disk file or the clipboard.


Destination Rectangle

The size that a lifted bitmap will be scaled to. You can set the size to any value you wish or you may set its size to be the same as the source rectangle size. You can specify the destination size through the Specify Rectangles Dialog Box.


Source Rectangle Size

The size of the source rectangle. This is the size of the rectangle that is used when selecting from the Edit menu the Lift item. Change this value using the Set button directly below.


Set Source Rectangle Size

Allows you to set the height and width of the source rectangle.


Destination Rectangle Size

This is the size that the source rectangle will be scaled to if the selection to the left is Fixed Size. If the selection to the left is Same As Source, this size value is ignored. You may change this value with the Set button directly below.


Set Destination Rectangle Size

Allows you to set the height and width of the destination rectangle.


Destination Rectangle Style

By selecting Same As Source, the destination rectangle will be made the same size as the source ensuring that there will be no scaling done on the image. When this option selected, the Destination Rectangle Size, shown to the right is ignored

By selecting Fixed Size, the selected image will be scaled to the destination rectangle size show to the right. Use the Set control under the destination size to change the size.


source rectangle

This is a rectangle that defines an area of the screen that is used to be lifted into a bitmap. This bitmap may then be scaled to a second rectangle size, known as the destination rectangle. You can specify the destination size through the Specify Rectangles Dialog Box.


Pixel Editor

The pixel Editor dialog Box allows you to edit a button face at the bitmap level. You get to the Pixel Editor through the Edit menu's

Edit Pixels entry.

Click on a control for more information.


Pixel Editor : Drawing Area

This is a magnified bitmap image of the current button face. You may edits the pixels in this image.


Pixel Editor : Color Palette

Allows one of 16 colors to be used to draw or fill pixels. Click with the Left or Right mouse button to select the desired color.


Pixel Editor : Shift Buttons

Scrolls the bitmap in the respective direction. If you have scrolled part of the bitmap off of the image, use Undo to revert to the pre-scroll image.


Pixel Editor : Left\Right

Pixel Editor : Left/Right

Displays the colors assigned to the left and right mouse buttons.


Pixel Editor : Fill

Specifies that a mouse click, left or right, in the magnified area will fill an entire field with the color assigned to the mouse button.

A field is an area of solid color bounded by other colors. All pixels of the field color that are directly connected to the field are part of the field.


Pixel Editor : Draw

Specifies that a mouse click, left or right,  in the magnified area will fill one pixel with the color assigned to the mouse button.


Pixel Editor : Reload

Erases any editing changes and restores the original button face.


Pixel Editor : Current Bitmap

This is the actual size of the button face that is being edited, reflecting current changes.


Pixel Editor : Undo

Undoes the last command.


Pixel Editor : Make

Allows you to make a rectangle of any size on the screen for use as a source bitmap when creating a Button face. The area captured by this operation is scaled to the size of a Button face (16 x 16 pixels). Note that the larger the size of the source bitmap, the more distortion when scaling the bitmap to the size of a Button face.

Selecting this control turns the pointer into a make cursor.    Position the cursor at the upper left corner of the image you wish to use. Press and hold the left mouse button. Drag the rectangle corner to the lower right of the image and release the left mouse button. The image selected will be scaled to Button face size and displayed in the Pixel Editor dialog box.


Pixel Editor : Lift

Hides the Pixel Editor and displays a rectangle the size of the source bitmap. You may place this rectangle anywhere on the screen.  The following mouse and key actions perform these operations:

Left Mouse Click:	Select the source bitmap.

Esc:	Cancel the operation.

Space:	Show a magnified image of the source bitmap if it is 32 x 32 or less.

When a magnified image is displayed, the following operations are also available:

Arrows:	Scroll the source bitmap 1 pixel in the specified direction.

Home:	Scroll the source bitmap 16 pixels to the right.

End:	Scroll the source bitmap 16 pixels to the left.

Pg Up:	Scroll the source bitmap 16 pixels up.

Pg Down:	Scroll the source bitmap 16 pixels down.

Enter:	Select the source bitmap.


Pixel Editor : Source Bitmap Size (16x16)

This identifies the size of the source rectangle when lifting bitmaps. The source rectangle is the size of the area you are lifting from the screen to use as a button face. This size will then be scaled to the size of the button face (16 x 16 pixels). By selecting  this control you may change the source rectangle size.

Note that the larger the size of the source rectangle the more distortion when scaling the bitmap to the size of a button face.


Pixel Editor : Exit

Exits the dialog box. If the image has changed and has not been saved, you will be prompted to save.


Pixel Editor : Save

Saves the current bitmap as the Button face and exits the Pixel Editor.


Pixel Editor : Cancel

Exits the dialog box, discarding any changes.