Adobe acrobat 7.0.5 sdk User Manual

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Modifying the User Interface
Using the Adobe Dialog Manager (ADM)
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Us i n g   t h e   Ad o b e   D i a l o g   M a n a g e r   (A D M )
The Adobe Dialog Manager (ADM) is a cross-platform API for implementing dialog 
interfaces for Adobe applications such as Acrobat, Adobe Reader, Photoshop, Illustrator, 
and After Effects. This document describes ADM structures and how to access them. You 
should already be familiar with the concept of dialogs and dialog items.
For complete information about ADM, see the Adobe Dialog Manager Programmer’s Guide 
and Reference.
This section covers the following topics:
ADM Controls
ADM enables developers to create and manage cross-platform dialogs. Two types of 
dialogs are supported: modal dialogs and modeless dialogs. The latter dialogs “float” over 
the host application windows, while the former are displayed and disappear upon 
conclusion of the user input. 
With a modal dialog, a user cannot work elsewhere in the application until the dialog is 
closed. In both cases, ADM supports a wide variety of control types, including basic ones 
such as buttons and text, and more complicated types such as lists and hierarchy lists. 
In addition to providing a wide array of custom and standard user interface elements, ADM 
also provides some very useful features, such as tab palettes, docking palettes, and 
automatically tracking and displaying the correct selection in grouped radio buttons. 
Finally, ADM provides a consistent Adobe interface and “look and feel.”
The following types of controls are available using ADM:
Push button
Check box
Radio button
List box
Hierarchical list box
Static text box
Editable text box
Popup control
OK button
OK and Cancel button