### Working with Dialog Boxes

The Integrated Resource Editor makes it easy to create and edit dialog boxes.

A dialog box allows the user to interact with your application. A dialog box is a pop-up window that lets the user specify information (files to open, colors to display, text to search for, and so on).

When a dialog box is displayed in an application, it displays as a window. The dialog box usually contains a number of controls, such as buttons, text boxes, and scroll bars. Controls let the user specify information, but can also be used to display static text and graphics in a dialog box.

From the perspective of the programmer, the dialog box is the parent window and each control is a child window acting as an input device. To create a dialog box, you fill an empty dialog box with the controls you want.

Working with dialog boxes involves the following steps:

1. Start the Dialog Box Editor.
2. Create a new dialog box or edit an existing one.
3. Test the dialog box.
4. Save the dialog box.

Creating a New Dialog Box

To create a new dialog box, do the following:

1. Choose File|New Design to start a new resource project or File|Open to load an existing resource project.

2. In the New Design dialog box, define your design name and target environment. Click Start.

3. In the New Dialogue/Window dialog box, choose a dialog type by clicking on the preferred icon. Then click Create.

4. The Dialog/Window Styles box pops up. Select your preferred styles, distribution, font and color, etc. Then click Enter.

5. The Dialog Box Editor opens displaying a template dialog of the type you chose in step 3.

You're now in the Dialog Box Editor, where you can customize your dialog box using the tools in the toolbar.

The Integrated Resource Editor

Create Controls Using the IRE
Cutting, Copying and Pasting
Creating Application Windows

Short-cut Keys for the Integrated Resource Editor