Select Open Settings to display the settings for the selected parts. The Settings view displays the attributes and their initial values for the part. If multiple parts are selected when you select Open Settings, a settings notebook for each selected part opens in a different window. You can use the Settings view to change the values of the attributes that set up the initial appearance or behavior you need for the part.

Select Edit Part to open the editing view that is appropriate for the selected parts or the part whose pop-up menu you displayed. If the part is a visual part built with VA Smalltalk, the Composition Editor for that part opens. Otherwise, the Script Editor for that part opens.

Select Promote Part Feature to make the private data about the part publicly accessible to other parts. Promoting part features, or adding attributes, actions, or events to the interface, enables data to be shared between two parts.

Select View Parts List to open a window listing all parts that are components of the selected part. This menu option is useful if parts have been overlaid so they are not visible in the Composition Editor.

Select Change Name to change the name of a part placed on the free-form surface. When you change the name of any part, you are changing the internal name of the part. This internal name appears in the status area at the bottom of the Composition Editor when you select the part. For a nonvisual part, the name also appears as a label beneath the icon for the part on the free-form surface. This menu option does not change the class name of a part.

Select Delete to remove the selected parts.

Select Layout to help you place parts in your views.

Distribute

Spaces visual parts evenly within a specified window

Snap To Grid

Aligns visual parts with the nearest grid intersections

Match Size

Sizes all selected parts to match the size of the anchor part (the part selected last)

Select Become Primary Part to specify the primary part for your composite part. The primary part is the subpart with which most interaction will take place. It is the part whose interface is transparently exposed through the interface of the composite part. By default, the primary part of a composite part is the part that was added to the free-form surface first. For a visual composite part, this is always the Window part that VA Smalltalk provides by default. If the pop-up menu for a part does not include Become Primary Part, then the part is already the primary part.

To make a connection between two parts, select Connect from the pop-up menu for the part or for the free-form surface. The displayed menu contains the attributes, events, and actions for the part or the application. You select the source of the connection from this menu and, after you select the target part for the connection, another menu displays for you to select the target feature. To see all attributes, events, and actions for the part or application, select Connect > All Features. The features in the Connect menu vary depending on the part selected.

Select Browse Connections to show or hide connections to or from the part.

Show To

Displays the connections for which the part is the target

Show From

Displays the connections for which the part is the source

Show To/From

Displays the connections for which the part is either the target or source

Show All

Displays all the connections among parts in the Composition Editor

Hide To

Conceals the connections for which the part is the target

Hide From

Conceals the connections for which the part is the source

Hide To/From

Conceals the connections for which the part is either the target or source

Hide All

Conceals all the connections among parts in the Composition Editor

Select Reorder Connections From to order the connections. Connections fire in the order in which they are made. However, this is not always the correct order for the connections to occur for a valid GUI application. Reorder Connections From enables you to order the connections in the way that works best.

Select Quick Form to create a visual part that is appropriate for displaying the value of an attribute. Quick Form is available for most attributes of both visual and nonvisual parts. After selecting Quick Form, do the following:

VA Smalltalk automatically makes an attribute-to-attribute connection between the new part and the part from which you requested Quick Form. Open the settings view for the quick form to determine what other defaults were also set for you.

Select Tear-Off Attribute to work with an attribute as if it were a standalone part. After you select Tear-Off Attribute, select an attribute from the displayed list and drop the tear-off attribute on the free-form surface. You can then form other connections to or from the tear-off attribute.

Select Create Deferred Update Part to add a part that holds changes to data to the free-form surface. You can then make connections to the deferred update part. The Create Deferred Update Part part holds changes to data until you indicate, through its apply action, that the changes are to be saved.