The free-form surface, the working area for visual programming, is the large open area in the Composition Editor. It provides a space in which you can add, manipulate, and connect the parts you are working with.

When you create a new visual part, the free-form surface contains a Window part by default. You can add other visual parts, such as entry fields and push buttons, to this Window part. If you are creating a nonvisual part, the free-form surface does not contain an initial default part.

Although you can add both visual and nonvisual parts to the free-form surface, you typically only add visual parts inside other visual parts such as windows. You can add nonvisual parts only to the free-form surface.

Regardless of the type of part, every part has a pop-up menu that contains options you can use to modify or work with that part. Each part has its own pop-up menu that you can access from any open area on the free-form surface.