// Copyright (C) 2026 The Qt Company Ltd.
// SPDX-License-Identifier: LicenseRef-Qt-Commercial OR GFDL-1.3-no-invariants-only

/*!
    \page quick-components-creating.html
    \previouspage creator-how-tos.html

    \ingroup creator-how-to-design-qtquick-components

    \title Create custom components

    You can either use project wizard templates to create custom components and
    controls or move component instances into separate files to turn them into
    new components that you can create instances of. You can then use the
    instances of the new components in other components.

    \image {qtquick-components-custom.png} {Custom components in My Components.}

    Custom components are stored in \uicontrol Components >
    \uicontrol {My Components}. You can create instances of custom components
    by dragging them from \uicontrol Components to the \uicontrol {2D} or
    \uicontrol {Navigator} view.

    \section1 Create components from scratch

    To use wizard templates to create custom components:

    \list 1
        \li Select \uicontrol File > \uicontrol {New File} >
            \uicontrol {Qt Quick Files} > \uicontrol {Qt Quick UI File} >
            \uicontrol Choose to create a new \c .ui.qml file.
            \note Components are listed in \uicontrol Components >
            \uicontrol {My Components} only if the filename begins with a
            capital letter.
        \li Select \uicontrol Design to open the file in the
            \uicontrol {2D} view.
        \li Drag a component from \uicontrol Components to
            \uicontrol Navigator or the \uicontrol {2D} view.
        \li Edit component properties in the \uicontrol Properties view.
            The available properties depend on the component type. You can
            \l{Add custom properties}{add properties for
            components} on the \uicontrol {Properties} tab in the
            \uicontrol Connections view.
        \li To change the appearance and behavior of the component instances
            in ways that are not supported in \QMLD by default, you can define
            custom properties on the \uicontrol {Properties} tab in the
            \uicontrol {Connections} view.

    \endlist

    The following sections contain more information about how to use the
    \uicontrol {2D} view to edit 2D content and examples of how to create UI
    controls using instances of basic components:

    \list
        \li The \l{Design 2D UIs}{2D} view
        \li \l{Create buttons}
        \li \l{Create scalable buttons and borders}
    \endlist

    \section1 Naming conventions

    Establish naming conventions to keep the components in your UI organized.
    Name your components accurately and give them suitable IDs. Particularly,
    check and modify the default names of the components you export from design
    tools to create reliable and self-explanatory names that follow the naming
    conventions you have established.

    For example, a button symbol might have the ID \e myButton_symbol and the
    different layers might have it as a prefix with the states appended, thus
    producing IDs such as \e myButton_symbol_default. To prepare for additional
    mouse areas later in the project, you could use similar IDs for them, such
    as \e myButton_symbol_hotspot. When you use the button as instances in a
    screen, you would give each of these instances a unique ID that relates to
    that screen. For example, \e myButton_myMenu_home, \e myButton_myMenu_profile,
    and \e myButton_myMenu_settings

    \section1 Turn component instances into custom components

    An alternative way of creating reusable components is to turn
    component instances into custom components by moving them into
    separate component files (\c {.ui.qml}). Right-click a component instance
    in \uicontrol Navigator or the \uicontrol {2D} view, and select
    \uicontrol {Create Component} in the context menu.

    \image {qtcreator-move-component-into-separate-file.png} {The Move Component into Separate File dialog.}

    Give the new component a name, and select whether properties are set for
    the new component or for the original one.

    When you select \uicontrol OK, a new component file is created and an
    instance of the component is added to the code in the current component
    file. The look of your UI in the \uicontrol {2D} view does not change.

    To open the new component file for editing the properties that you want
    to change for all instances of the component, right-click the component,
    and then select \uicontrol {Go into Component} in the context menu. For
    additional ways of opening base components, see \l{Move within components}.

    Custom components are listed in \uicontrol Components
    > \uicontrol {My Components}, and you can use instances of them to build
    more components.

    \section1 Merge files with templates

    You can merge the current component file against an existing second
    component file using the second file in a way similar to using a CSS
    stylesheet.

    To use this experimental feature, right-click a component in the
    \uicontrol Navigator or \uicontrol {2D} view and select
    \uicontrol {Merge File with Template} in the context menu.

    \image {qmldesigner-merge-with-template.png} {The Merge with Template dialog.}

    In the \uicontrol Template field, select the file to use as a template.

    \sa {Use UI components}{How to: Use UI components}, {Qt Quick UI design},
    {Designing Qt Quick UIs}
*/
