Use Naming Convention option

Check this button in the Export Button/Image Graphics tool if you want to export additional graphics based on a naming convention.

When To Use This Option

Some developers use OpenScript in conjunction with graphic naming conventions to swap button graphics in response to events (such as a change in completion status). In such cases the button does not always hold all the graphic resources that it might display. The Use Naming Convention option lets you export additional resources, using a button's current graphics to define a base name and then appending various name extensions. This option is not relevant when exporting graphics for image objects.

How It Works

When this option is selected:

• The selected buttons are examined for graphics (including the normalGraphic, checkedGraphic, invertGraphic, and disabledGraphic properties)

• For each button graphic, the graphic is exported and a base name is initialized to the graphic name

• A list of name extensions is read from the platPal.ini file (section name: exportButtonGraphics, item name: nameExtensions)

• If there is no entry in the ini file, a default extension list is used: "hilite, anim, normal, checked"

• Each item in the extensions list is appended to the base name in turn, and the tool checks for a resource type of that name (based on the resource type of the original graphic)

• While the base name consists of more than one word, this process is repeated after removing the last word of the base name

• Whenever a resource of the specified type and name is found, it is exported.

Example

Suppose a selected button has bitmap "menuItem notDone" as its normalGraphic and bitmap "menuItem notDoneInvert" as its invertGraphic. You use OpenScript to change these properties to bitmap "menuItem done" and bitmap "menuItem doneInvert" when the user completes a section. You want to export the entire set of graphics. So you:

1. Enter the following section and item in the platPal.ini file:

[exportButtonGraphics]

nameExtensions=done,doneInvert

2. Open the Export Button/Image Graphics tool.

3. Select the button from the list.

4. Check the Use Naming Convention option.

5. Click the Export button.

 

All four bitmaps would export, as:

• menuItem notDone.bmp

• menuItem notDoneInvert.bmp

• menuItem done.bmp

• menuItem doneInvert.bmp