Client Processes
The following content has been imported from Legacy Help systems and is in the process of being checked for accuracy.
This section covers the Client (System) processes and their parameters (if any). The Client module is the backbone of Altium Designer.
ArrangeAllWindows process
Description
The ArrangeAllWindows process can arrange opened windows (documents) in Altium Designer horizontally or vertically.
Parameters
Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
How | Horizontally, Vertically | Specifies how opened windows in Altium Designer can be arranged vertically or horizonally. |
Example
Process: Client:ArrangeAllWindows
Parameters : How = Vertically
CascadeAllOpenWindows process
Description
The CascadeAllOpenDocuments process is not implemented
Parameters
N/A
ChangeTransparency process
Description
The ChangeTransparency process controls the transparency of floating windows.
Parameters
Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
Action | Toggle, On | If the Action parameter is set to Toggle, the status of the transparency of floating windows in Altium Designer is toggled. If parameter is set to On, the floating windows become transparent when cursor is hovering near. |
Example
Process: Client:ChangeTransparency
Parameters : Action=Toggle
CustomizeResources process
Description
The CustomizeResources process allocates menus, shortcut keys and toolbar resources for current Editor. You can also toggle the visibility of certain panels, such as New Document, Differences List and Message List panels.
Running the CustomizeResources process with no parameters will invoke the Customizing XXX Editor dialog based on which document editor is active. For example if you run the process on a DelphiScript script, the Customizing EditScriptDS Editor will be invoked.
Parameters
Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
Action | Toggle, Show, None, Hide, ChangeType, New, SubMenu | ... |
ObjectKind | Panel, Window,Tree, None | ... |
Index | Integer | Indexes are based on the Editor's Resource file (*.RCS) |
ID | TNewDocumentForm,TProjectGroupForm,TCompiledProjectForm,TCompiledErrorForm,TMessageListForm,TDifferencesListForm, TLSchematicTools, TLWiringTools,PowerObjects, DigitalObjects, TLAdvSimTools, TLSignalIntegrity, TLSimulationSources, TLSchLibTools, TLSChLibIEEETools, TLSchLibDrawingTools, SchObjectInspector, Filter, SchLibObjectInspector, LibFilter, LibraryBrowser, TSchLibPanel | ... |
Example
Process: Client:CustomizeResources
Parameters: Action = Show | ObjectKind = Window
Favorites
Description
The Favorites process displays the Favorites view in Altium Designer.
Parameters
N/A
Example
Process: Client:Favorites
HelpAbout process
Description
The HelpAbout process displays the About dialog with the version number and copyright of Altium Designer.
Parameters
N/A
Example
Process: Client:HelpAbout
Licensing process
Description
The Licensing process invokes the Licensing dialog where you can setup or modify the license for the current copy of your Altium Designer application.
Example
Process: Client:Licensing
Navigate process
Description
The Navigate process is used to navigate or open documents in the Altium Designer application.
Parameters
Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
Mode | Go, Back, Forward, Stop, Refresh, Home | Specifies how the Navigation of open documents be carried out. |
Address | String | File name or the Universal Resources Locator of the document. |
Opening a PDF based document example
Process: Client : Navigate
Parameters: Mode = Go | Address = c:\dxp\help\AR0125 Honey, I Shrunk the Board.pdf
Opening a web page example
Process: Client : Navigate
Parameters: Mode = Go | Address = http://www.altium.com
QuitFromEDAClient process
Description
The QuitFromEDAClient process closes the current Altium Designer application
Parameters
N/A
Example
Process: Client:QuitFromEDAClient
RestoreLayout process
Description
The RestoreLayout process restores the Altium Designer desktop from a layout configuration file. Also accessed as a View » Desktop Layouts menu item on the menu.
Parameters
Type (Startup, Default)
The Default parameter denotes the Altium Designer default layout. The Startup parameter denotes the current saved layout.
Index (1..n)
Index = 1..n is one of the Altium Designer Workspace layout files.
RunCommonDialog process
Description
The RunCommonDialog process is used to execute a common dialog in Altium Designer such as Color dialog, File Open and File Save dialogs. The dialog when invoked also returns values such as the path of the file selected, whether dialog Ok or Cancel button clicked etc.
Parameters
Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
Dialog | FileOpenSave, Color | Specify the type of dialog. Two types of dialogs are supported. When Dialog = FileOpenSave, you need to specify which type of Open or Save dialog with the mode parameter. |
Mode | 0..4 | 0 = OpenFile dialog, 1 = File Save As dialog, 2 = Open File List, 3 = Open Document dialog, 4 = Open Expand List. |
Path | String | The dialog opens in this specified and valid path. |
Prompt | String | Specifies the prompt string for this dialog |
FileType1..FileTypeN | String | Specify the type of files to open/save. |
Example
SetState_Parameter(Params, 'FileType1', 'Comma Separated Values (*.csv)|*.csv'); | Parameters returned from Altium Designer after running the process
Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
Result | Boolean | If the result returned is false, then all other parameters in this table are not returned. If true, all other parameters can be returned. If the Dialog was set to Color, the Color parmater will be returned. If the Dialog was set to FileOpenSave, the Path, SelectedType, FileX parameters are returned. |
Path | String | The full path to the document selected from the dialog. |
SelectedType | String | When a file is selected, the selected type is returned denoting what type of file it is. For example when a PCB document is selected, PCB files (*.PCBDoc) is returned. This is based on the FileTypeX parameter in the Parameters table above. |
FileX | String | Where X = 1..n for multiple files selected from the dialog. |
Color | String | If the Dialog parameter was set to Color, then the color value will be returned. |
Example
Process: Client:RunCommonDialog
Parameters : Dialog = FileOpenSave | Mode = 1 | Prompt = "Select a document and then click ok"
Example using VB script
Var Path : String; Begin ResetParameters AddStringParameter "Dialog", "FileOpenSave" AddStringParameter "Mode", "1" AddStringParameter "Prompt", "Select a document then click OK" RunProcess "Client:RunCommonDialog" GetStringParameter "Path", Path End; Example using DelphiScript to Run a Color dialog
Procedure RunADialogProcess; Var S : String; Value : Integer; Begin ResetParameters; AddStringParameter('Dialog','Color'); // color dialog AddStringParameter('Color', '0'); // black color RunProcess('Client:RunCommonDialog'); //Result value obtained from the RunCommonDialog's Ok or Cancel buttons. GetStringParameter('Result',S); If (S = 'True') Then Begin GetStringParameter('Color',S); ShowInfo('New color is ' \\+ S); End; End; Example using DelphiScript to run a FileOpenSave dialog
SetState_Parameter(Params, 'Dialog', 'FileOpenSave'); SetState_Parameter(Params, 'Mode', '3'); //Open document dialog. SetState_Parameter(Params, 'Prompt', 'Open Comma Separated File'); SetState_Parameter(Params, 'FileType1', 'Comma Separated Values (*.csv)\|*.csv'); MessageRouter_SendCommandToModule('Client:RunCommonDialog', Params, $FFFF, Nil); GetState_Parameter(Params, 'Path',Filename); Example using Delphi
StrPCopy(Parameter, 'Dialog=FileOpenSave|Mode=0|Prompt=PCAD ASCII File|DocumentType=All|FileType1=PCAD PCB File (*.pcb)|' + 'FileType2=All Files (*.*)|Path='+FileName); MessageRouter_SendCommandToModule('Client:RunCommonDialog',Parameter,4096,Nil); GetState_Parameter(Params, 'Path',Filename); RunProcess process
Description
The RunProcess process invokes the Run Process dialog.
SaveLayout process
Description
The SaveLayout process saves the current Altium Designer workspace layout as a layout file. Also accessed as a View » Desktop Layouts menu item on the DXP menu.
SetupEdaServers process
Description
The SetupEDAServers process invokes the EDA Servers dialog, where you can obtain more information about the installed servers.
Example
Process: Client:SetupEdaServers
SetupPreferences process
Description
The process invokes the EDA Servers dialog, where you can obtain more information about the installed servers.
Example
Process: Client:SetupPreferences
Parameters: Server=SCH
SwitchDocumentAndPanel process
Description
The SwitchDocumentAndPanel process switches the focus between a panel and its associated active document in Altium Designer.
Example
Process: Client:SwitchDocumentAndPanel
SwitchViews process
Description
The SwitchViews process opens the next or previous open (tabbed) window in Altium Designer.
Parameters
Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
ViewKind | Editor | This ViewKind parameter views certain types of documents. In this case, the Editor type denotes the editor documents such as Schematic, PCB documents. |
Direction | Forward, Back | If Direction is specified to be Forward, then the next document is displayed. Otherwise the previously tabbed document (the document behind the current document) is displayed. To tab to the next window, the short cut keys are Shift Ctrl TAB. |
Example
Process: Client:SwitchViews
Parameters : ViewKind=Editor | Direction = Forward
TileAllOpenDocuments process
Description
The TileAllOpenDocuments process tiles all open documents in the Altium Designer depending on which direction the tiling process is.
Parameters
Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
Mode | Horizontal, Vertical | If the parameter is not set, all open documents in Altium Designer are tiled optimally. If parameter is set to horizontal, then all documents are tiled horizontally, otherwise all documents are tiled vertically if the parameter is set to vertical. |
Example
Process: Client:TileAllOpenDocuments
Parameters : Mode = Horizontal
ToggleClientStatusBar process
Description
The ToggleClientStatusBar process toggles the Command Status Bar on or off on the status section of Altium Designer.
Example
Process: Client:ToggleClientStatusbar
ToggleFloatingToolbars process
Description
This ToggleFloatingbars process toggles the visibility of Floating panels in Altium Designer when switching to different applications other than Altium Designer.
Parameters
Kind (Panels)
ToggleProcessStatusBar process
Description
The ToggleProcessStatusBar process toggles the Command Status Bar on or off on the status section of Altium Designer.
Example
Process: Client:ToggleProcessStatusbar