| **Navigation:**  Window and Report Control Properties >====== Option Control Properties ====== | [[ole properties.htm|{{btn_prev_n.gif|Previous page}}]][[coming future.htm|{{btn_home_n.gif|Return to chapter overview}}]][[panel properties.htm|{{btn_next_n.gif|Next page}}]] |
|  ||

The **[[option  declare a set of radio controls .htm|OPTION]]** control declares a group of RADIO controls that offer the user a list of mutually exclusive choices. The multiple RADIO controls in the OPTION structure define the choices offered to the user.

{{notebox.jpg|NoteBox.jpg}}

The Property View presents you with two ways to viewing a control's properties.

At the top of the Property View, press the categorized button {{categorized.jpg|categorized.jpg}} to view a control's properties by category (the deafult).

Or press the alphabetical button {{alphabetical.jpg|alphabetical.jpg}} to view a control's properties in alphabetical order.

This help documents displays the properties in the categorical view.

**Color**

Enter a valid color equate in the **TextColor** or **Background** fields, or press the ellipsis (...) button to select a color from the **Color** dialog. The **Window Designer** adds the [[color  set color .htm|COLOR]] attribute to your control declaration.

See ..\LIBSRC\EQUATES.CLW for a list of valid color equates. See //Windows Design Issues// in the //User's Guide// for a discussion on using color to enhance your application.

**Design**

| **Locked** | "Freezes" the control so that subsequent data dictionary changes are not applied. You can override the #Freeze attribute for all controls or for individual controls. See **[[application options dialog.htm|Application Options]]**. |
| **Suppress Transparency**{{stbut.jpg|STBut.jpg}} | Allows the proper display of special static parent controls when populated "on top of" multiple tab controls. This property is set to TRUE by default, and ensures a proper display regardless of Visual Styles used. No effect on runtime window. |
| **Tab Index** | Determines the index in the TAB order that this control will follow. The first tab in the order is index zero (0).To change the **TabIndex** property //immediately// while in the Designer, use the **Show tab order** interface (i.e. on the right-click menu).If you set the **TabIndex** property using the property page, the z-order is not updated until you save and exit the Window Designer. |

**Extra**

| **Bevel** | Gives a three dimensional look to the control. The control appears raised, depressed, or both. The **Window Designer** adds the [[bevel  set 3 d effect border .htm|BEVEL]] attribute to your control declaration. Fine tune the bevel with the following prompts: |

| **Outer** | A positive value makes the control appear raised above the plane of the window. The higher the value, the further the box is raised. A negative value makes the control appear depressed below the plane of the window. The bevel effect begins at the outer border of the box. |
| **Inner** | A positive value makes the control appear raised above the plane of the window. The higher the value, the further the box is raised. A negative value makes the control appear depressed below the plane of the window. The bevel effect begins immediately inside the outer bevel. |
| **Style** | An integer constant or constant expression that specifies fine control of the bevel, overriding the signs of the outer and inner parameters (PROP:BevelStyle). |

| **Boxed** | The **[[boxed  set controls group border .htm|BOXED]]** attribute specifies a single-track border around the OPTION structure. The parameter text of the OPTION control appears in a gap at the top of the border box. If BOXED is omitted, the //text// parameter is not displayed on screen |
| **Drop ID** | To specify the type of Drag operations this control will accept, type up to 16 //signatures//, separated by commas. The **Window Designer** adds the **[[dropid  set drag and drop target signatures .htm|DROPID]]** attribute to the control, which indicates the control is a valid target for the drag and drop operations identified by the signatures. |

**General**

| **Layout** | Indicates the orientation of the control. **Left to Right** maintains the original layout specified in the Window Designer. **Right to Left** essentially "flips" the controls' display as a mirror image of the layout specified in the Window Designer. Default field navigation moves from right to left. The setting in the Application Frame will cascade its setting to all child windows and controls that have the **default** setting active. |
| **Text** | Specify a string constant by typing it in the **Text **box. If the control is to display a variable, type a [[picture tokens.htm|picture token]] in this box. |
| **TextFont** | Calls the [[select font dialog.htm|Font]] dialog which lets you select the font (typeface), size, style (such as bold or italic), color, and font effects (underline and strikeout) for the selected control or window. As you choose options, the dialog box displays a sample of the selected font. |
| **Use** | This defines the [[use  set field equate label or control update variable .htm|USE]] attribute for the control. Type a field equate label to reference the control in executable code, or the name of a variable |

**Help**

| **Alert** | Press the ellipsis to open a dialog that lets you add the [[alrt  set window  hot  keys .htm|ALRT]] attribute to a window or control. When the attribute is set, the window generates an EVENT:AlertKey if the user presses the key(s) you specify in this dialog, while the window has the focus. |
| **Cursor** | The //Cursor// field (the [[cursor  set mouse cursor type .htm|CURSOR]] attribute) lets you specify an alternate shape for the cursor when the user passes the cursor over the control. The drop-down list provides standard cursor choices such as I-Beam and Crosshair. To select an external cursor file (whose extension must be .CUR), choose **Select File **from the drop-down list, then pick the file using the standard file dialog. |
| **HelpID** | The **HelpID **field (the [[hlp  set on line help identifier .htm|HLP]] attribute) takes a string constant specifying the key for accessing a specific topic in the Help document. This may be either a Help keyword or a context string. |
|  | A Help keyword is a word or phrase indexed so that the user may search for it in the //Help //**Search **dialog. When you fill in the HLP attribute for a button, if the entry box has focus, when the user presses F1, the help file opens to the referenced topic. If more than one topic matches a keyword, the search dialog appears. |
|  | When referencing a context string in the **Help ID****// //**field, you must identify it with a leading tilde (~). |
| **Key** | Press the desired key or key combination (for example, CTRL+H). The keys you pressed will appear in the **Key** field, and will be supplied as parameters to the KEY or ALRT attribute for this control. The ESC, ENTER, and TAB keys //cannot// be specified by pressing them. For these keys, press the ellipsis (...) button and type "esc," "enter," or "tab." |
| **Message** | The **Message** field (the [[msg  set status bar message .htm|MSG]] attribute) lets you specify text to display in the first zone of the status bar when the control has focus. |
| **Tip** | The **[[tip  set  balloon help  text .htm|TIP]]** attribute on a control specifies the text to display in a "balloon help" box when the mouse cursor pauses over the control. Although there is no specific limit on the number of characters, the //string// should not be longer than can be displayed on the screen. |

**Mode**

| **Disable** | Disables or 'grays-out' the control when your program initially displays it. The **Window Designer** places the [[disable  set control dimmed at open .htm|DISABLE]] attribute on the control. Use the [[enable  re activate dimmed control .htm|ENABLE]] statement to allow the user access to the control. |
| **Hide** | Makes the control invisible at the time Windows would initially display it. Windows actually creates the control--it just doesn't display it on screen. The **Window Designer** places the [[hide  set control hidden .htm|HIDE]] attribute on the control. Use the [[unhide  show hidden control .htm|UNHIDE]] statement to display the control. |
| **Scroll** | Specifies whether the control should move with the window when the user scrolls the window. By default (False) the control does not move with the window. Set the **Scroll **property to False to create a control that stays fixed when the user scrolls the window. The **Window Designer** places the [[scroll  set scrolling control .htm|SCROLL]] attribute on the control when checked. |
| **Skip** | Instructs the **Window Designer** to omit the control from the Tab Order. When the user TABS from field to field in the dialog box, Windows will not give the control focus. This is useful for seldom-used data fields. The **Window Designer** will place the [[skip  set tab key skip or conditional print control .htm|SKIP]] attribute on the control. |
| **Transparent** | Specify whether you wish the control background to be **Transparent**. This instructs Windows to suppress the rectangular region around the text--the background. Normally, Windows will paint this the same uniform color as the window below the control. This adds the [[trn  set transparent control .htm|TRN]]__ __attribute. |

**Position**

Lets you set the location and size of the control.

The **Position **properties let you specify the [[at  set position and size .htm|AT]] attribute. Filling in the attribute manually is optional--you may also set the position and size visually by dragging with the mouse in the **Window Designer**.

To set the location of the control's** Top Left Corner**, set an **X** (horizontal) and **Y** (vertical) coordinate in [[what is a dialog unit.htm|Dialog units]]. The coordinate is relative to the top left corner of the structure containing it, that is, the window or the report band.

To set the control's size, choose from the following options for **Width** and **Height**.

| **Default** | The Clarion runtime library determines the size of the control based on the applicable font and picture token. |
| **Full** | The control is the full height or width of the window or report. |
| **Value** | Lets you set a precise width or height in [[what is a dialog unit.htm|Dialog units]] on a window, or in thousandths of inch, points, or millimeters on a report. |

**Quick Links**

|  |  |
| **Embeds** | Accesses the **[[gen72.htm|Embedded Source]]** dialog for points surrounding the event handling for this control only. |