Docking

The docking mechanism permits customization of the EiffelBuild interface through the re-ordering of tools to suit your preferences. You may simply "drag" one of the supported tools to a new location as desired. The Type Selector , Component Selector and Widget Selector all support docking.

Performing a dock

To dock one of the three supported tools, press and hold the left mouse button on the title of the tool, and move the mouse so that it points to the new location for the tool. Upon releasing the mouse button, the dock completes, and based on the mouse location, the following may occur:

• Re-positioning in the main window - If the mouse is held over the three part vertical split area displayed to the left hand side of the EiffelBuild window, the position of the tool within this structure may be modified, providing simple re-ordering. A small grayed area indicates the insertion position of the tool, only displayed if the tools position will be changed upon release. The gray area indicating the new insertion point has the following appearance:

In this case, the tool being docked will be moved to immediately above the component selector. If no feedback is provided regarding the insertion, upon releasing the mouse button to complete the dock, the tool is moved to an external window.

• Docking externally - Completing a dock while not above the left hand area of the main window, or if no insert feedback is provided, causes the tool to be moved from its current location to an external window. A tool that is docked externally has the following appearance:

The tool may now be freely moved to any location on screen, in the same fashion as you would move any standard window. The window in which the tool is contained is always displayed "on top" of the main window. There are two methods of restoring the dialog back to its original location in the main window:

• Docking back - Start a drag from the title of the tool, and point the mouse to the position in which you wish to insert the tool within the main window. If the position is valid, feedback (the gray bar) is displayed, and completing the dock closes the dialog, and re-inserts the tool. If no feedback is provided, the pointed position is not valid, and completing the dock simply moves the window to that position on screen.
• Closing the window - Clicking the cross displayed to the right hand side of the windows title bar causes the window to be destroyed, and the tool contained to be restored back to its original position within the main window.

Note: The position of tools that have been docked, is maintained automatically between EiffelBuild sessions. When a new project is opened, they are restored to the positions that they had during the last use.

Main window with externally docked tools

The following screenshot illustrates the appearance of the main window with all dockable tools external:

See Also:
General interface description