Legacy Document

Inside Macintosh: Apple Guide Complete / Part 4 - Scripting Guide Files

Chapter 10 - Guide Script Command Reference / Guide Script Command Descriptions

/ Specifying Default Settings

<Default Format>

You can use the <Default Format> command to specify a defined format or transparent format that Guide Maker uses by default when placing text and objects in a panel.

<Default Format> formatName

formatName

A text string specifying the name of the format or transparent format to use as the default format.

DESCRIPTION

A <Default Format> command specifies the default format that Guide Maker applies when placing text and objects in a panel. You can override the default format on a panel-by-panel basis by using a <Format> command in the panel's panel definition.

Any panel text or objects that appear before a <Default Format> command are aligned according to Guide Maker's default full-width panel format.

When Guide Maker encounters a <Default Format> command, it uses the format defined by formatName as the default format. Guide Maker uses the default format in a panel until encountering a <Format> command for that panel. It then uses the specified format to place all following text and objects in that panel until another <Format> command is encountered or until an <End Panel> command is encountered. Guide Maker resets the format to the default format upon encountering an <End Panel> command.

Panel objects aligned according to the default format specified in a <Default Format> command are placed inline within the bounds specified by the format's column coordinates. Any text attributes specified by the format are applied to panel text, and any prompts are aligned according to the specified format.

You define formats that can be used by a <Default Format> command using the
<Define Format> or <Define Transparent Format> commands.

The file Standard Setup is provided with Guide Maker. This file defines four formats:

• Tag. A format that provides a left column that you can use to format tags, that is, text such as "Do This" or "Oops".
• Body. A format that provides a right column and that is designed for use with the Tag format. Use the Body format to provide the information that goes in the right column of a panel that also has a tag in it.
• Full. A format that provides a full column. Use this format if your panel text requires a full-column width.
• ResetPen. A format that resets the format to a default format.

If you include the Standard Setup file in your build file, you can automatically use these formats as needed in your source files.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

The <Default Format> command should appear once at most in your source files.

EXAMPLES

#use the format with format name "Full" as the default format
# (the "Full" format is defined in the Standard Setup file)
# the "Full" format specifies a format with column coordinates of
# top = 6, left = 11, and right = 330
# and text attributes of Espy Serif, 10 point,
# plain text style, black text color, left aligned,
# and does not override the default alignment of the prompt.
<Define Format> "Full", Column(6, 11, 330), "Espy Serif", 10, \xAC
                  PLAIN, , LEFT, FALSE
<Default Format> "Full"

SEE ALSO

For information on the <Define Format> and <Define Transparent Format> commands, see page 10-85 and page 10-91. For information on the <Format> command, see page 10-93.