Setting object display properties

Each object in a form has properties to set its appearance as well as how it is displayed and resized in the Application environment. These properties are available using the Property List (see the Form editor).

Specific properties related to dynamic objects are covered in the following chapters: Working with active objects, List boxes and Subforms and widgets.

To set the size of an object in the Form editor, you can:

• Drag one of its resizing handles.
• Resize it one pixel at a time by using the Ctrl key (Windows) or the Command key (Mac OS) and the arrow keys.
• Resize it by steps (by default, 20 pixels at a time).
• Manually enter its dimensions in the Property List.

You can resize an object using its handles in the standard way. If you press Shift and then drag the handle, the movement is constrained. Lines can then be only vertical, 45°, or horizontal, rectangles can only be square, and ovals can only be circular. If the magnetic grid is on, manual resizing will be carried out in 5-pixel increments. For more information about the magnetic grid, refer to Using the magnetic grid.

To resize an object one pixel at a time, you select it and then hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or Command key (Mac OS) while using the arrow keys. Pressing the up or down arrow keys resizes the object’s height while pressing the left or right arrow keys resizes the object’s width. Holding down the Shift key at the same time causes the resizing to proceed in steps (by default, these steps are 20 pixels). You can change the default step value on the Forms Page of the Preferences.

To move or resize an object by entering coordinates manually, select it then expand the “Coordinates & Sizing” theme in the Property List. The coordinates are displayed in pixels, centimeters, or inches (depending on the ruler). The upper-left coordinates of the form area are 0,0. Enter new values in the coordinate entry areas.

4D moves the boundaries of the object to the positions you entered. Depending on the values you use, the object may be resized or moved (or both).

Note: In a multi-platform context, applying style sheets can cause the object height to vary since this height is adjusted automatically so that it is a multiple of the height for the font set in the current platform. For more information about style sheets, refer to the Style sheets chapter.

You can resize static text areas and pictures automatically for optimal display based on their current graphic characteristics (font size, style, etc.):

1. Right-click on the object and choose the Automatic Size command from the context menu.
   OR
   Hold down the Ctrl key (under Windows) or Command key (under Mac OS) and click on the lower right corner of the object.
   

This command produces the following effects:

• Static text areas, check boxes, radio buttons and buttons will be resized so that their contents correspond exactly to their boundaries.
• Fields and variables will be resized so that their height is at least equivalent to that of the current font and their width is 100 points — if the size of the object is greater than these minimum sizes, the command will have no effect. 
• Pictures or picture buttons will be displayed using the original size of the source picture. 
• Scrollable areas and hierarchical lists will be displayed with a height in keeping with that of the current font. 
• Combo boxes, pop-up/drop-down lists and hierarchical pop-up menus will be displayed with their default minimum height if the current height is insufficient.

In Application mode, when a user resizes the window displaying a form, the objects it contains are either resized or moved.

Automatic resizing works when a user resizes a window that displays a form. Automatic resizing causes an object to grow as the form is enlarged (or become smaller as the window is reduced). For example, if you use a rectangle that encloses the fields on an entry form, automatic resizing causes the rectangle to grow to the edges of the window as the user enlarges the window.

You can also enable automatic repositioning. Automatic repositioning moves an object either horizontally or vertically as the form is resized. When automatic repositioning is on, 4D tries to keep the object in view as the user reduces the size of the window. For example, if the user resizes a row of buttons so that some of the buttons become obscured, automatic repositioning tries to move the buttons either horizontally or vertically, so that they remain in view.

You enable automatic resizing or repositioning in the Property List. There are two lines, Horizontal Sizing and Vertical Sizing, for which you can assign three properties (None, Grow, and Move).

The repositioning options enable the object to move in the specified direction to try to remain visible. 

When the None option is used, the object remains stationary when the form is resized.

In 4D, the right side and bottom of windows have become “pusher” splitters by default. This means that objects found to the right or below the limits of a window on screen are automatically pushed to the right or toward the bottom if the window is enlarged:

Note: This does not work with windows that have scroll bars.

You can associate the Invisible by Default property with most form objects.

This property, available in the "Display" theme of the Property List, simplifies dynamic interface development. In this context, it is often necessary to hide objects programatically during the On load event of the form then to display certain objects afterwards. 

The Invisible by Default property allows inverting this logic by making certain objects invisible by default. The developer can then program their display using the OBJECT SET VISIBLE command depending on the context. For more information about this command, refer to the 4D Language Reference manual. 

Note: Do not confuse this property with the Invisible property in pop-up menus, which allows not drawing the object while still leaving it active.

You can set the platform interface on an object-by-object basis, in the "Appearance" theme of the Property List. To do this, you have the following choices:

• Inherited from Form: The platform interface for the object is the same as the platform interface of the form. The platform interface of the form is set in the Form properties.
• System: Regardless of the platform set at the form level, the object is drawn according to the platform where the application is running.
• Printing: Regardless of the platform set at the form level, the object is drawn so as to be suitable for printing.

Note: If the database was converted from an earlier version of 4D, additional platform interface properties are available. For more information about platform interface properties, refer to Form properties.

You can use the Background and Border properties to modify the border lines and graphic appearance of objects.

The Transparent attribute is available in the "Background and Border" theme for objects that can be opaque or transparent: fields, variables, list boxes, buttons, pictures or static text, etc. You can change the object's background to Transparent so that it takes the form’s background color or pattern.

The following examples shows a static picture without and with the Transparent attribute:

You can set the border line style for most objects using the "Background and Border" theme of the Property List or the Border Line Style submenu of the context menu. To do this, you have the following choices available:

• Transparent: Objects appear with no border.
• Normal: Objects appear framed with a continuous 1-pt. border line.
• Dotted: Les objets apparaissent dans un cadre pointillé de 1 pt.
• Raised: Objects appear framed with a 3D effect (raised).
• Sunken: Objects appear framed with a sunken 3D effect.
• Double: Objects appear framed with a double line, i.e., two continuous 1-pt. lines separated by a pixel.
• System: Under Windows, objects appear with a blue 1-pt. line. Under Mac OS, the equivalent of the Sunken option is used. 

The following example compares these styles under Windows with the “System” platform interface: 

For more information about the effects of these options on various form objects, refer to Buttons and Check Boxes.

4D lets you specify different widths for lines and objects that have lines such as ovals, grids, and rectangles.

You can specify line widths using either the Line Width menu item of the Object menu or in the Property List:

Choose one of the line widths. The first choice is the hairline, i.e., the thinnest line that can be printed by the printer, followed by 1, 2, 3 or 4 point lines. If you choose Other..., 4D displays a dialog box in which you can specify any line width up to 20 points.

You can apply a fill pattern to any two-dimensional graphic object in the form such as an oval, a rectangle, a line, a grid object, and the enclosed area of a text object. 

You can choose the fill pattern using either the Fill menu item in the Object menu or in the Property List.

You can set patterns for the borders of any object in the form that has a border — such as an oval, a rectangle, or a grid object. The border patterns available are the same as the fill patterns. The appearance of the border also depends on the line width you have specified for the border.

You can set the border pattern using either the Border item of the Object menu or the Property List.

4D lets you add colors to objects for display on a color monitor or (if your printer supports color) for color printing. By combining colors and patterns your possibilities are virtually endless.

You can specify different colors for foreground pixels and background pixels. On a color display, the mixing of foreground and background colors allows you to create custom tints and shades. 

In the Property List, the background color is called Fill Color and the foreground color is called Line Color. In the case of text objects, the Font Color corresponds to the foreground color. 

You can set foreground and background colors using either the Color item in the Object or context menu, or using the Property List.

If you select the Automatic option for foreground and background colors, the colors used will be the colors set in your OS. You can set the Automatic option by selecting Foreground or Background in the Color submenu of the Object menu or in the context menu.

The Property List allows you to use the system color chooser to set a custom color by selecting Other...

You can set text attributes for text objects in the object properties of the "Text" theme of the Property List or using the Font, Style and Color submenus of the Object menu.

You can set the following attributes:

• Font: Name of font used in the object
• Style: Style used in the object (bold, italic, underline)
• Style Sheet (Property List only): Associates a style sheet with the object. For more information about style sheets, refer to Style sheets.
• Font Size: Font size in points.
• Alignment: Location of text within the area that contains it
• Color: Font color is equivalent to the foreground color (see the Foreground and background colors).