[NTLK] Rearrange buttons in backdrop app?

[Matthias Melcher]

> On 9. Oct 2025, at 18:22, mark audacity romberg <mark.romberg at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Is it possible to rearrange the buttons that various apps put on the backdrop app?

I am not entirely sure to which buttons you refer. If you have an app that comes in the Package format (.pkg), and the buttons are generated by that app (not the default buttons like the clock in the bottom left), you can rearrange them with some effort.

Package files are an unencrypted binary format, containing the layout of all user interface elements in the app. If you open Einstein(FLTK), you can open the Toolkit app inside Einstein. In the top right corner of the Toolkit window, there is a little recessed drop area. Just drag you .pkg file from teh finder/explorer onto that box, and the Toolkit window will show you the content of the package as Newton Objects in text format. 

If you are a little bit into programming, you may be able to find the code that generates the button that you want to move. For example, the code snippet:

ref007bc341 := {
	viewBounds: {
		left: 34, 
		top: 24, 
		right: 123, 
		bottom: 51
	}, 
	label: "Code", 
	...
}

creates som user interface element with the label "Code" at coordinates 34, 24, spanning to coordinates 123, 51. You can change those coordinates simply by typing different ones. Press Apple-B (or Ctrl-B on Linux and Windows) to build a new package (this does not work for every package, but I am working on it. Delete lines above the "// This NewtonScript..." text), the press Apple-2 to install the package, and Apple-R to run it. Did your button move?

There is a ton more to this, but maybe this already solves some of your items.

 - Matthias