Save and display icons

ICON

With this function, you can save and display icons, and compile icon libraries.

Icons are snapshots of the display that don’t contain actual objects, but only their display information. Most common use for them is to create icon menus.

When displaying an icon, it will scale itself according to the current view, and will be erased as you execute a redraw.

When you save an icon the saved area, whether a view or a selected area, will all be saved in the icon, including empty margins. If you want to save an area as an icon that displays only the objects in it, you must save it using the window option and define the area so that it includes only the area containing the objects.

The program will automatically add the .VIF extension to the file name.

You can open a dialog by entering * or ’ as the file name. You can also use wildcards to list only certain files. For example, entering S* as the file name will open a dialog listing only files that start with an S.

Icon libraries provide a way to save several icons into a single file. Icon library files have a .VLB extension. You can add icons into an icon library with the ICON Save option or with the ICON Library Add option (existing VIF-files).

Functions:

  • Show – Show a previously saved icon in the current view by entering the icon name.

    • If the icon is in an icon library (a VLB file), you must include the library file name (with possible path) in parentheses. For example, to display an icon named button1 from the icon library USER.

    (user)button1

  • Save – Save objects as an icon.

    • View Save the current view as an icon by entering the name of the icon file.

    • Window Save a defined area as an icon: Enter the 1st and 2nd corner points and the name of the icon file.

    If the icon is in an icon library (a VLB file), you must include the library file name (with possible path) in parentheses. For example, to display an icon named button1 from the icon library USER.

    • (user)button1

  • Library – Save a single icon into an icon library, list the icons in a library or remove an icon from the library.

    Do the following:

    1. Enter the name of the icon library.

    2. Specify what you want to do with the icon library.

      • ? – List all the icons in a library. You can use wildcards in the icon name.

      • Add – Add a previously saved icon file (a VIF file) to the library.

      • Delete – Delete an icon from the icon library.

      • Rename – Rename an existing icon.

      • Ready – Accept the changes.

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