Using the individual controls

Table 11-2 lists basic types of controls by the purpose that they serve in typical applications.

**Table 11-2: Summary of basic control types by function**
Function	Controls include
Invoke actions	CommandButtons, PictureButtons, PictureHyperLinks, StaticHyperLinks, Tabs, Toolbars, User Objects
Display and/or accept data	ListBoxes, DropDownListBoxes, DataWindow controls, StaticText, ListViews, TreeViews, Graphs, Pictures, ProgressBars, ScrollBars, SingleLineEdits, MultiLineEdits, EditMasks, Tabs, Signature controls, User Objects
Indicate choices	RadioButtons (you can group these controls in a GroupBox), CheckBoxes, TrackBars
Enhance presentation	Line, Rectangle, RoundRectangle, Oval

Table 11-2: Summary of basic control types by function

Function

Controls include

Invoke actions

CommandButtons, PictureButtons, PictureHyperLinks, StaticHyperLinks, Tabs, Toolbars, User Objects

Display and/or accept data

ListBoxes, DropDownListBoxes, DataWindow controls, StaticText, ListViews, TreeViews, Graphs, Pictures, ProgressBars, ScrollBars, SingleLineEdits, MultiLineEdits, EditMasks, Tabs, Signature controls, User Objects

Indicate choices

RadioButtons (you can group these controls in a GroupBox), CheckBoxes, TrackBars

Enhance presentation

Line, Rectangle, RoundRectangle, Oval

Smartphone platform Several control types are not fully supported on Smartphone platforms. These include Tabs, Toolbars, RadioButtons, and Signature controls. ListBoxes and DropDownListBoxes are converted automatically to Spinner controls on the Smartphone platform.

How to use the controls

Generally you should use the controls only for the purposes shown in the preceding table. For example, users expect to use radio buttons to select an option. Do not also have them use a RadioButton to invoke an action, such as opening a window or printing. Use a CommandButton for that purpose.

There are, however, several exceptions: user objects can be created for any purpose, and ListBoxes, ListViews, TreeViews, and Tabs are often used both to display data and to invoke actions. For example, double-clicking a ListBox item often causes some action to occur.

The rest of this chapter describes features that are unique to individual controls:

Objects and controls described elsewhere

For controls that are not described here, see the following chapters of this User’s Guide: