User Interface Objects
Overview
The user interface objects that are described in this section are objects in a Polybench project that do not do anything with signals. They are just helper objects that enables you to interface your analysis design to the end-user.User interface objects are normally used on display pages ("Page"), although some of the objects are also printable and could be used on paper pages.
Details
Here is a small and possibly incomplete overview over the user interface objects:To display pictures or figures, either use the Static Image ("Static Image") or the Picture Viewer ("Picture Viewer"). The main difference between the two is that the Static Image cannot change its image on the fly. The Picture Viewer has more options, but is a little less efficient.
To display text, there are more options: the Static Text ("Static Text") for non-changing texts; Variable Viewer ("Variable Viewer") to display dynamic texts, or texts mixed with variables; Note ("Note"), which is mostly used on design pages, and not in the user interface of an application - although you can of course use them there; and Input Field ("Input Field"), which is there to get text input, but which can also display text that has been put in it by an action.
To display lists and tables of values you use the List Viewer ("List Viewer"), which is a very versatile component. Related to the List Viewer there is the Drop-Down List ("Drop Down List"), which displays a list of values if you click on it.
To receive user input, the most frequently used object is the Action Button ("Action Button"), which is a push button for system control. For text or value input, use the Input Field ("Input Field"). Also, the List Viewer allows to edit values, but if that is possible depends on the list contents that are shown.
To have more control on the user interface layout, you could use the Panel ("Panel"), which is a light weight object to group other objects, or to have some border or different background color for a selected region on screen. The Multi View ("Multi View (alternating panels)") is a special panel object that allows to change the contents of the visible panel.
Put things on top of things
The user interface of a Polybench application allows a hierarchical layered. The base-layer is always the Page ("Page"), which determines the size of the screen. Then a number of objects also allow other objects to be on top of them.Most commonly, things are put on top of a Panel or a Multi View. Of course, panels can be put on top of panels, and the same is true for multi views. Note that also the Static Image allows things to be put on top of it, as well as the Note allows that, although that is a less common practice.