Control properties

This list identifies all the properties you can set for all the controls in Form Designer (FRD).

Note: Customized colors are not supported for forms and grids.

Action

This property contains all the action types for an action button. The list of action types changes depending on which function you are adding an action button to. Access the list by clicking in the Value column alongside the Action property.

Alt Bg color

Select any system color as an alternative background color for your selected control. You can choose from a wider selection of colors by unchecking the Use Windows System colors box. The default system color depends on the type of control being used.

Alt Fg color

Select any system color as an alternative foreground color for your selected control. You can choose from a wider selection of colors by unchecking the Use Windows System colors box. The default system color depends on the type of control being used.

Alt Negative color

This property refers to a numeric edit control only. It allows you to specify whether to use an alternative color when the numeric value is negative. The default is False.

Alt Positive color

This property refers to a numeric edit control only. It allows you to specify whether to use an alternative color when the numeric value is positive. The default is False.

App Name

This property is associated with an application command button only. The App Name property displays the name of the executable that has been specified in theSpecify Application Button Details dialog.

App Parameters

This property shows the command line arguments for an application. This is the same as the optional parameters you define when you add an application command button to your form.

Auto Copy

Set the Auto Copy property to true if, during run-time, you want the data value of a particular control to be automatically copied to the next new record. It is recommended that Auto Copy is enabled on those data items where the run time value is likely to remain consistent, for example analysis codes. During run-time a user can change the copied value, so that this then becomes the duplicated value when the next new record is created/inserted. Auto Copy does not apply when records are edited using the Amend action. The Auto Copy also overrides the Default Value property, if set.

Note: You should not use Auto Copy on those data items that act as the primary key.

Bg color

Select any system color you want as a background color for your selected control. The Use Windows Systems color box refers to colors specified in your Windows Desktop settings, which are user specific. However, if you wish to select a fixed color from the standard palette, uncheck the Use Windows Systems color check box and select the desired color.

If Parent Bg color is set to True, Bg color is disabled.

Note: Changing the foreground and background color within the frame properties on the Properties bar, only changes the frame caption, not the frame itself.

Business Unit

This is the name of the Business Unit to be returned by the function buttons. This property displays the name of the Business Unit that has been specified in the Specify Function Button Details dialog.

Caption

This property indicates the type of caption associated with a control. The caption types are:

System Text
Language Specific Text
Data Dictionary Text

Case Sensitivity

The options for this property can vary depending on which control you have selected. Controls may be fixed as Upper Case or Installation Dependent, in which case the case setting is disabled and cannot be changed. Installation Dependent means that the system forces Upper Case, or leaves the value as Mixed Case depending on a flag set at serialization time. Other controls appear as User Definable, in which case you may select Mixed Case or Upper Case from the pull down menu.

Checked Value

This property exists for both check boxes and radio buttons. For check boxes the Checked Value property determines what text is displayed against the check box. The values for this property vary depending on the data item. For radio buttons the Checked Value property is read-only.

Column Heading

This property shows the type of column heading associated with the data item that has been added to a grid control. The column heading types are:

System Text
Language Specific Text
Data Dictionary Text

Date Format

This property is the format of the date for display. The options available are:

SunSystems Default
USA (mm/dd/yy)
UK (dd/mm/yy)
Asian (yy/mm/dd).

Decimal Places

This property specifies whether to use a user specified number of decimal places for numerics, or one of the various SunSystems defined values. The options for this property are SunSystems Default (0), Base Currency, Transaction Currency and Report Currency.

Decimal Separator

This property specifies whether to use an alternative decimal separator character as specified by Decimal Separator Char or the SunSystems provided decimal separator character. The options are Specify Below or SunSystems Default.

Decimal Sep Char

This property denotes the alternative character, which should be used to replace the SunSystems decimal separator, if the Decimal Separator property is set to Specify Below.

Default Button

This property specifies whether the action button is to be the default button on the form window at runtime. The default button property can be set to True or False. If set to True, the action button displays a thick black border. Only one action button can have this set to True. The default is False.

Default Value

This property contains the valid values for the selected control. Select which value you want as the default at runtime. It is mandatory for radio button groups and check box controls to have default values.

Note: If you are using Form Designer (FRD) to create a runtime entry form for a filter created in Filter Designer (FLD), and the filter has an operator of In List which is set to runtime entry, your runtime entry form will contain a multiselection list box. Default values for multiselection list boxes are not displayed in the Properties bar and must be edited using the procedure described in Configuring data item values.

Note: To define default values for the function Inventory Inquiry (INQ) you should set them using Security Console or User Manager.

Display As

This property states how a selected data item is to be displayed. The pull down list shows the three options available, you can have the control displayed as its default control type at runtime, a Simple Label or a Label with Border. If you choose to have one of the dynamic label options for the Display As property at runtime, the control will appear as a label on the form.

Drop List Height

This property denotes the drop height in pixels for a combo box at runtime. Therefore, the greater the drop height, the more values will be displayed at a time without the need to scroll down.

Enabled

This property indicates whether the control is editable at runtime. This property is set to False for non-entry items and cannot be changed. This property is initially set to True for entry data items but can be changed to False, if required. When the property is False controls at runtime are always read-only.

Note: If you change the colors for controls which are not enabled, the colors will not be visible at runtime.

Fg color

Select any system color you want as a foreground color for your selected control. The Use Windows Systems Color box refers to colors specified in your Windows Desktop settings, which are user specific. However, if you wish to select a fixed color from the standard palette, deselect the Use Windows Systems color check box and select the desired color.

Note: Changing the foreground and background color within the frame properties on the Properties bar, only changes the frame caption, not the frame itself.

Font Details

This property shows the style and size of the font control. From the Font Details property you can change the size of the font and any combination of Bold, Italic, and Underline. The property displays Normal if no style has been specified. You can change the default font from the View menu by selecting Form Properties.

Form Name

This property is associated with a function button only. The Form Name property displays the name of the form that has been specified in the Specify Function Button Details dialog.

Function ID

This property is associated with a function button only. The Function ID property displays the name of the function ID that has been specified in the Specify Function Button Details dialog.

Header Font Details

This property refers to a grid control only and allows you to change the style and size of the font for column headings. You can change the default font from the View menu by selecting Form Properties.

Height

This is the height of the control, which is specified in pixels.

Hidden

This property indicates whether the control is hidden at runtime. If you set this property to true the selected control is not shown at runtime. This property can be used to limit the permissions of certain controls for various operator groups.

In Session

Set this property to False if you want the function button on your form to open the new function concurrently. Setting the property to True closes the original function and opens the new one.

Justification

This property allows you to change the justification of the text within the control. The options are Near or Far.

Leading Zero

This property specifies if leading zeros should be displayed in the control. There are two available options:

Leave Unchanged - for example, leading zeros remain.
Specify Below - allows you to edit the Leading Zero Char property immediately below, to any alternative character to replace leading zeros.

Leading Zero Char

Providing the Leading Zero property field is set to Specify Below, you can insert any alternative character in this box.

Ledger

This property refers to a function command button only. When you place a function command button on the form window, you are presented with the Specify Function Button Details dialog. Using this dialog you can insert the code of the ledger associated with the function. You can also enter or change the specified ledger by using this property.

Mandatory

If you require a control to be mandatory you can change the value of this property from False to True, but you cannot change a True value to False.

Failure to enter a value in a mandatory field results in a warning message being displayed and you are unable to continue.

Max Chars

This property allows you to specify the maximum number of characters that you can enter into the selected control at run-time. The default for this property varies, according to the data item default set in the Data Dictionary.

Multi Line

This property specifies whether text entered at run-time can be displayed over more than one line in the control. This can be set to True or False. The default is False.

Negative Prefix

Enter any characters in this property that you want to be displayed before a negative number at run-time.

Negative Suffix

Enter any characters in this property that you want to be displayed after a negative number at run-time.

Num Dec Places

This property is dependent upon the Decimal Places property. If the Decimal Places property is set to Specify Below you can set Num Dec Places to any number between 0-9. The default for this property varies, according to the value set for the data item in the Data Dictionary.

Optional Parameters

This property contains optional parameters to be passed to function buttons. The optional parameters can also be set in the Specify Function Button Details dialog.

Parent Bg color

This property enables you to set the background color of the selected element to the background color of the parent control used.

For example, if a form is set to have a green background and the Parent Bg color property of a label on the form is set to true, the background color of the label is set as green also. If you then add a Tab Control to the form, set the property to false and change the color, this new color is the Parent Bg color for any elements contained therein.

Note: If you change the Form Background color in Business Unit Setup the background color of the form and any elements which have the main form background as a parent will be overridden.

Password Field

This specifies whether the control is to behave as a password control, which displays either entered or retrieved values with a replacement character. This can be set to True or False, with the default being False.

Positive Prefix

This property allows you to enter characters that need to be displayed before a positive number within the control.

Positive Suffix

This property allows you to enter characters that need to be displayed after a positive number within the control.

Start Directory

This property refers to an application command button. When you add an application command button to the form window, you are presented with the Specify Application Button Details dialog. Using this dialog you can define, enter or change the start directory where the specified application is located. You can also enter or change the specified start directory by using this property.

Suppress When Negative

If you require negative numbers to be hidden at run-time, change the value of this property from False to True.

Suppress When Positive

If you require positive numbers to be hidden at run-time, change the value of this property from False to True.

Suppress When Zero

If you require zeroes to be hidden at run-time, change the value of this property from False to True.

System Text

Allows you to specify whether the data item label or description should be used on the form. By default a label displays its label and a grid column heading displays its description.

Thousands Separator

This property can be set to True or False. It specifies whether to use the character in the Thousands Sep Char box instead of the default SunSystems thousands separator character.

Thousands Sep Char

You can enter an alternative character to be used as a thousands separator when the Thousands Separator property is set to Specify Below. Alternatively, use SunSystems default value.

Unchecked Value

This property is system generated and is read-only. It specifies the internal value to be returned when the check box is unchecked.

Validation Method

External Developers Only

The Validation Method property is only available when a validation program has been specified. The validation method is a textual reference that can be called by the validation program. This property can be left blank.

Validation Program

External Developers Only

This property allows you to add your own validation to data items, in addition to the built in system validation. Within the property enter the name of your .DLL file. Please note that the external validation program is always executed before the SunSystems internal validation.

Width

This is the width of the control, specified in pixels.

Word Wrap

This property specifies whether text can be wrapped on word boundaries automatically. If the Word Wrap is set to False the Justification property is automatically set to Near.

X Position

This property specifies the x co-ordinate of the control relative to its parent and is specified in pixels.

Y Position

This property specifies the y co-ordinate of the control relative to its parent and is specified in pixels.

Year Size

This property specifies whether the year is displayed with two or four digits.