Evaluating expressions in the value pane

The value pane of an Inspector is like any description pane in the development environment. Thus, you can type a Smalltalk expression in it, press mouse button two to pop up the Edit menu, and evaluate the expression. (For UNIX, press mouse button three to pop up the menu.)

It can be a time-saver to evaluate expressions from a value pane because, depending on what you are evaluating, some of the text might already exist (saving you from typing it).

Try evaluating an expression from the Inspector on Chooser. For example, evaluate an expression that adds a comment to the definition for Chooser:

1.	From the list of variables, select self.

2.	Type the following after the word Chooser:

comment: 'Add this comment from an inspector.'

3.	Select Chooser and the text you typed in (press Ctrl+A).

4.	Pop up the Edit menu, and select Execute.

If you now open a Class Browser on Chooser and select the source button, you will see the comment.

To open a Class Browser from the value pane, evaluate self browse. Note that because self represents the class Chooser, you can use self instead of Chooser in expressions evaluated in a value pane.

To have self represent any selected variable, place a check mark beside the bind 'self' to selection option.

When you select another variable or close the inspector, a prompter asks if you want to save the changes. Because you are not changing a variable, select No.