border

Arguments: standard-object

Returns the style of the standard-object's border. Various border styles are listed below. Only some styles are appropriate for a specific object.

The border property may not be changed on an existing window or control, and must instead be specified with the inspector when designing a window or control (using a form) or with the :border initarg of make-window or make-instance. (It can be changed using the inspector when designing a form but not for a running window or control, either in the IDE or in an application.)

Here are the possible values and their effects:

• :black: use a one pixel wide black border. This is the only non-3D-style border. The initial value for picture-button (which has its own 3d border). See :plain below.
• :dialog-box: similar to :frame, but without minimize and maximize buttons. Not applicable to controls.
• :frame: use a thick frame that includes a title bar along the top. The title bar will include buttons for manipulating the window if options to make-window such as :minimize-button are true (as they are by default). Note that the new Windows 95 / NT 4.0 interface style always puts this thick frame-style border on all top-level windows. Not applicable to controls.
• :none: use no border at all.
• :palette: similar to :dialog-box, but with a shorter title bar that has a somewhat shorter font. The title bar also does not have a system menu button at the left. Typically used for "floating toolbar" windows. Not applicable to controls.
• :plain: use a standard 3D border with thick black upper and left edges and white lower and right edges, and no title bar. The initial value for various controls that have a border and accept mouse and keyboard input.
• :static: use a 3-dimensional border intended for static controls, i.e., controls that do not handle mouse clicks or typed input. Note: some clickable controls still have :static as a border option. Users who want to use clickable controls in a non-clickable way (for example, a multi-line-editable-text control whose text can be selected and copied but not modified) might want the :static option.

For group-box controls the border can have the following special properties:

• :2d Border of the group-box is a plain gray line.
• :raised Body of the group-box is raised.
• :raised-edge Border is raised.
• :sunken Body of the group-box is sunken.
• :sunken-edge Border is sunken.

Copyright (c) 1998-2001, Franz Inc. Berkeley, CA., USA. All rights reserved.
Documentation for Allegro CL version 6.1 update # 1. This page was not revised.
Created 2001.12.15.