Using property pages

A property page is a page in a tabbed dialog box you use to set properties associated with an object, painter, or tool by making changes in one or more tabs in the dialog box.

About the Properties view In the Report painter and Form painter, you set object properties in a property page that displays in the Properties view. In other painters and tools, a separate dialog box displays.

Example

For example, for a column in a report, you can set several different kinds of properties (general, pointer, HTML, position, edit style, font, and display format) by clicking appropriate tabs in the Properties view:

The sample shows the General tab in the Properties view. At top is a Name box displaying the column name dept _ i d. Next is the Tag box displaying " The department i d is a 3 digit code. It is the key field dot dot dot." A Hide Snaked check box is cleared. Next is a selected check box labeled Visible. Alignment is displayed as Center ( 2 ), Border as No Border ( 0 ). A Display As Picture check box is cleared, a box labeled Protect is blank. Next are cleared check boxes for Override Edit, Equality Required, and Right to Left.

How property pages work in the Properties view

The Properties view is dynamically updated when you select another object or control. If you select more than one object or control, group selected displays in the title bar, the properties common to them display, and you can set the properties for more than one control at a time.

In the Properties view, you can use a pop-up menu to specify where the labels for the properties display and to get Help on the properties.

The selections you make or the information you type into a box in the Properties view is saved when you tab to another field or open a different property page.

How other property pages work

Properties dialog boxes that do not display in the Properties view have OK, Cancel, Apply, and Help buttons. The Apply button is enabled when you make a change on one tab:

Use this button	To do this
OK	Apply the properties you have set on all tabs and close the property page
Cancel	Close the window and apply no new changes
Apply	Apply the properties you have set on all tabs immediately without closing the property page
Help	Get Help on setting properties for the tab that displays

Displaying property pages

You can display properties dialog boxes in a few ways:

Select View>Properties from the menu bar in some painters that edit objects
If the Properties view is open, select an object or control in the Layout or Control List views to display the properties of the object or control in the Properties view
Select Properties from the pop-up menu of an object, control, library name, or table or column name
Select Object>Properties, Design>Properties, or Entry>Properties from the menu bar (depending on the painter you are working in)
Click the Properties button in the PainterBar