| Navigation: Window and Report Control Properties >====== Tab Control Properties ====== |    |
The TAB structure declares a group of controls that constitute one of the multiple “pages” of controls contained within a SHEET structure. The multiple TAB controls in the SHEET structure define the “pages” displayed to the user. The SHEET structure's USE attribute receives the text of the TAB control selected by the user.
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 
to view a control's properties by category (the deafult).
Or press the alphabetical button 
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 and Background fields, or press the ellipsis (…) button to select a color from the Color dialog. The Window Designer adds the 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. |
| 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
| 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 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 token in this box. |
| TextFont | Calls the Select 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 attribute for the control. Type a field equate label to reference the control in executable code, or the name of a variable. |
Mode
| Disable | Disables or 'grays-out' the control when your program initially displays it. The Window Designer places the DISABLE attribute on the control. Use the 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 attribute on the control. Use the UNHIDE statement to display the control. |
Help
| Help ID | The Help ID field (the 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 attribute) lets you specify text to display in the first zone of the status bar when the control has focus. |
| Tip | The 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. |
Options:
| Required | Specifies that when selected, your program automatically checks that all entry controls with the REQ attribute are neither blank nor zero.Specify this type of tab when a window also contains an ENTRY or TEXT control field with the REQ attribute (or else use the INCOMPLETE() function to test the ENTRY controls). When the user clicks on a tab with the REQ attribute and an ENTRY field is blank or zero, the first required control which is blank or zero receives the focus. See Also: How to Create a Multi-Page Form . |
Quick Links
| Embeds | Accesses the Embedded Source dialog for points surrounding the event handling for this control only. |