This documentation assumes that the IDE currently exists on your computer. Please consult the Installation Guide if this is not the case. To enter the IDE, within New Deal launch the NewBASIC Builder icon.
When you first start up the Builder, it should look something like the picture to the left.
Before we discuss how you can get things done with the Builder, let's take a quick look at its user interface. Once you are familiar with the main window and the palettes, you will be ready to begin.
This contains special window buttons,
some menus, and
some buttons which
you will use when debugging your programs. These are described in more detail in this chapter.
You will use these buttons to control your program's flow of execution when you test and debug it.
The Component Palette contains buttons which allow you to add new "components" to your application. Components are objects which may appear on screen as part of your program, which can respond to user or system input, and which may alert your program to certain events. A button is a simple component--it detects when the user clicks it, and alerts your program.
To add a component to your program, you click on the button with the component's type name on it, then click on your form. There are many component types to choose from, and not all will appear on the component palette at once--the palette would never fit on your screen! There is a special button in the palette captioned Basic UI -, which, when pressed, allows you to make another set of component types appear in the component palette.
If the Palette is ever hidden, you may force it to appear by choosing Toolbox from the Window menu in the main window.
When you first open a new program, you start with just a
form. This is a component which acts as a New Deal primary window. In general, you will add components (such as buttons, text entries, and labels) to this form.
In this documentation, you will often read about adding components to the form, selecting components on the form and such. Your program may contain multiple forms and other windows. Most operations which involve adding components to the form and selecting components on the form, may in fact may be applied to components on any of your program's forms or windows.