Object Inspector

Those who try to manage OS/2 desktops know the difficulties of finding an object's "low-level" settings. Object Desktop provides the Object Inspector to help you set up workstations so they are easy to use and comply with corporate standards.

To discover any object's "under-the-cover" properties, simply load the Object Inspector. Workplace Shell objects are instantly displayed in a readable and easy-to-edit format. You can even create REXX or RC scripts to regenerate objects across an enterprise.

To view an object's settings in the Object Inspector, drag and drop an object on the Inspector icon in the Object Desktop folder. The Inspector's editor is opened.

Alternatively, you can open the Inspector by double-clicking the Inspector icon in the Object Desktop folder. Mark the checkbox beside Auto-selection Mode. When you subsequently left-click any object, its settings are displayed in the Inspector's editor.

Introduction
Using the Inspector

In the top right of the dialog, the allowed operations are marked by a checkbox. For example, if Rename is checked, the object can be renamed. To disable an operation, unmark the checkbox.

In the Properties area of the editor, you can add an object to the Templates folder by marking the Template checkbox. To make the object invisible, unmark the Visible checkbox.

To specify the name of a Rexx file, click the Rexx button. To specify the name of an INI.RC file, click the RC button.

To save all changes, click the Change button.

When you close the Inspector window, a summary of changes is provided in the following dialog.

Workplace Shell Setup Strings

Each Workplace Shell object is created with a setup string describing the object properties. These properties are generally listed as KEY=VALUE pairs, separated by semicolon characters. The Setup section of the Inspector editor lists the Workplace Shell setup strings for the object currently displayed. You can change the properties of each object.

It is beyond the scope of this manual to list all of the Workplace Shell setup strings available for each Workplace Shell class. There are many references on this subject. One excellent reference for OS/2 Warp Workplace Shell setup strings is OS/2 Warp Uncensored, Peter G. Magid, et. al., (The IBM Press), published by IDC Books Worldwide, Inc (ISBN 1-56884-474-3).

Each Workplace Shell object is managed by an OS/2 System Object Model (SOM) class which is responsible for providing the behavior of the object as it is seen on the OS/2 Desktop. Each of these classes is registered with the Workplace Shell, which maintains a list of classes that are called upon to provide the entire Workplace Shell Desktop. Each class is invoked by the Workplace Shell via a class name and files containing executable code that provides the class behavior resides in one or dynamic link libraries (DLLs).

The Workplace Shell contains an advanced object-oriented capability called class replacement. This feature allows an application developer to add functionality to objects that are already exist on a system, such as Folders and Program objects. A good example of class replacement is the Enhanced Folder provided by Object Desktop.

Using the Class Editor

The class replacement mechanism is not immediate, however. Class replacement requires the Workplace Shell to be restarted once a replacement is made. The best way to restart the Workplace Shell is to simply reboot or shutdown your computer.

You can edit or replace a class using the Object Desktop Class Editor, which is available from the Object Inspector and the Object Package.

To open the Class Editor, choose Open, Class Editor View.

When you highlight a class name on the list displayed on the left side of the dialog, information about the class is displayed in the Class Name, Module Name, Location fields.

To remove a class, highlight it on the list and then click the Remove button.

The previous figure shows the class MMSound replaces the class WPSouind.

To replace a class:

1. Highlight the replacement class.

2. Mark the checkbox beside Replaces Class.

3. In the Replaces Class field, enter the class name that is being replaced.

To add a new class:

1. Click the Add button.

2. Enter the name of the new class, then click the Add button.

3. Complete the Class Register Advisor screen and then click the Register button. Please refer to the Workplace Shell Class Registration section in the Object Package chapter for details.