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<H2>5.4. Designing Forms</H2>
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<p>
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</p>
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<a name="basics"></a>
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<H3>5.4.1. Most important terms</H2>
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<p>
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<ul>
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<li><b>Form</b> - a window provided for easy data entry and presentation on the computer screen.
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</li>
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<li><b>Form's data source</b> - database table or query providing data displayed in the form. The data source is needed because forms itself are only <b>tools</b> for displaying and entering data, while tables and queries are the source of data. New, empty forms have no data source assigned, so they are not displaying any data from your database unless you assign a data source to them.</li>
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<li><b>Form field</b> - direct equivalent of column in a table or query. Most frequently used are fields for displaying text and numbers. Entering a new value or changing the existing value of such a field causes a change in <em>bound</em> table or query column (after accepting the change).</li>
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<li><b>Form design</b> - tasks you are performing to define appearance and functions of the form. To do this, you need to provide data source, insert form fields of various types and place them at the appropriate location.</li>
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<li><b>Form widget</b> - form's element. Main widget types are:
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<ul>
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<li>Widgets displaying information, e.g. text box or image box. Each widget of this type can be <em>bound</em> to a data source field (a table or a query column). Therefore, such widgets are called in short <em>form fields</em>.</li>
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<li>Widgets able to perform a specified action, e.g. a push button that can close the current form. Within other applications this widget type is sometimes called <em>form control</em> because it can perform previously defined action of <b>controlling</b> your database application's behavior.</li>
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<li>Other widgets allowing to enrich form's appearance, e.g. "line widget" can visually separate two form areas.</li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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<li><p>
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<a name="widget_containers"></a>
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<b>Container widget</b> - a widget that can <b>contain</b> other widgets within its area. For example, frame widget or tab widget are containers. Form's surface itself is a container as well. Command button cannot be called as container because it is not possible to insert a widget inside it. In more complex cases, container widget can be inserted inside a container, so nesting is possible.
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<br><img src="img/05_04_01_widget_containers.png">
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<br>Example container widgets<br><br>
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</p>
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</li>
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</ul>
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</p>
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<a name="forms_and_tables"></a>
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<H3>5.4.2. Forms versus tables</H3>
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<p>
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In chapter <a href="05_02_00_entering_data_into_tables.html">5.2</a> you learned about how to enter data directly into tables using their data sheet view. However, in many cases forms are better suited for data entry:
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<ul>
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<li>Table can contain too many columns to display them on your screen. Form can display such a data using multiple rows.</li>
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<li>Form allows to visually split data fields into logical groups, thus increasing readability.
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Labels with additional information can be inserted to give users more hints on how to use the form or what given data fields mean.</li>
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<li>Command buttons can be used within forms for commonly used commands so users can use forms in a similar way as a standalone applications they know.</li>
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<li>In data sheet view displaying multi-row data text fields or images is as easy as within forms.</li>
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</ul>
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</p>
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<a name="design"></a>
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<H3>5.4.3. Working with form design</H3>
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<p>
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As with table or query design, you are able to use <em>Data View</em> and <em>Design View</em>. Form designing is performed in <em>Design View</em>. We will ofter refer to form design window as to <em>Form Designer</em>.
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</p>
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<ol>
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<li>
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To create a new empty form, select <em>Insert</em> -> <nobr><img src="icons/form_newobj.png" class="icon"> <em>Form</em></nobr> from the Menubar. Optionally, you can use <nobr><img src="icons/form_newobj.png" class="icon"> <em>New Form</em></nobr> command from drop-down button on the Project Navigator's toolbar.
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</li>
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<li>
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A new window with empty rectangular from surface will appear. Beyond the form surface outer area is placed, separated from the surface using borders. You can move the borders to resize the form surface.
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The surface is covered with a grid painted using dots which simplifies accurate widgets positioning.<br><br>
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<br><img src="img/05_04_03_new_empty_form.png">
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<br>A window with design of a new form<br><br>
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</p>
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</li>
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</ol>
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<p>
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As with table design, Form Designer provides <b>Property pane</b>. To save some space on the screen, the pane has been splitted with three tabs related to the currently selected form:
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<ol>
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<li><em>Property tab</em> containing a list of properties for the currently selected widgets</li>
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<li><em><nobr><img src="icons/property_pane_datasource_tab.png" class="icon"> Data source</nobr></em> tab containing properties related specifically to <b>data source</b> of the currently selected widget or the form itself.</li>
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<li><em><nobr><img src="icons/property_pane_widget_tab.png" class="icon"> Widgets</nobr></em> tab containing a hierarchy of all widgets of the form. The list simplifies widgets lookup by name and navigation between them.</li>
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</ol>
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There is information about currently selected widget's name and type displayed on the first and second tab.
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</p>
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<p>
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Additional toolbars are also available:
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<ul>
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<li><em>Widgets</em> toolbar used for inserting new widgets into the form</li>
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<li><em>Format</em> toolbar used to format form's elements (e.g. adjusting widget's size, grouping). Formatting commands are also available in the <em>Format</em> menu. More about these commands can be found in appendix <a href="aa_05_00_menu.html#menu_format">A.6. Format Menu</a>.</li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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</ol>
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<a name="widgets_tab"></a>
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<H3>5.4.4. Using the "Widgets" tab</H3>
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<p>
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The "Widgets" tab in the Property pane provides a list of form widgets and their hierarchy. Each widget is presented within the hierarchy beside other widgets being on the same level (the same parent container). Child widgets (inside containers) are presented using indented names.
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</p>
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<p>
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On the picture below, the form (a container) contains two widgets: "groupBox2" and "options" command button. In turn, "groupBox2" (being a container itself) contains two check box widgets.<br><br>
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<img src="img/05_04_04_widgets_tab.png">
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<br>Using the "Widgets" tab<br><br>
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Each widget has displayed its name and type. The type has also an icon displayed - the same as the one displayed on the toolbar used while form designing is performed.
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</p>
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|
<H4>Notes</H4>
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<ul>
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<li>Changing the current selection on the list causes appropriate selection on the designed form. This allows for easier widget lookup by name and easier navigation. For example, it is possible to select a widget by name, and then switch to the "Properties" tab to change the widget's properties.</li>
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<li>Keeping the <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> key pressed while an item on the widgets list is being selected allows to select multiple widgets at a time. Keeping the <kbd>Shift</kbd> key allows to select entire lists of widgets</li>
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<li>When widget is inserted, it is recommended to give it a reasonable name. For example, "green" check box widget has been named specifically for its meaning, using the "Properties" tab (<em>Name</em> property has been used to do that). Such change can make it easier to find a widget within the list.<br><br>
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<img src="img/05_04_04_renaming_widgets.png">
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<br>Naming the widget as "green"<br><br>
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Giving widgets reasonable names can be useful but is not mandatory. Note that widget's name is a property that is not visible to the user of your form. Users will can only see a widget text, provided by <em>Text</em> property or similar.
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</li>
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</ul>
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<a name="fields_inserting"></a>
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<H3>5.4.5. Inserting widgets - text fields</H3>
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<p>Let's create a form providing information about persons, i.e. a form connected it with <em>Persons</em> table.
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</p>
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<p>
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If the form being designed should present data obtained from the database, you need to place appropriate <em>fields</em> on it. To do this, use <em>Widgets</em> toolbar containing a set of togglable buttons. Each button corresponds with a single widget type.
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</p>
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<p>
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<ol>
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<li>
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Click <nobr><img src="icons/lineedit.png" class="icon"> <em>Text Box</em></nobr> button on the <em>Widgets</em> toolbar.</li>
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<li>Click on the form surface with &LMB;. New text box widget will be placed in the point where you clicked. Before you release &LMB; you can drag your mouse to specify a desired size for the widget.</li>
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<li>If needed, move the inserted widget using drag & drop to a desired position. You can resize the widget afterwards by dragging one of the small boxes appearing near its corners. Note that the boxes are only visible when the widget is selected. If you select another widget or the form surface, the boxes disappear.</li>
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<li>Click <em>Text Box</em> toolbar button again and click on the form surface to insert another widget. Repeat this action once again until you get three text boxes inserted in your form. For sake of simplicity we will limit ourselves to three data fields.</li>
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</ol>
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|
</p>
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|
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|
|
<H4>Notes</H4>
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|
<p>
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<ul>
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<li>There is context menu available in form's design mode, activated by &RMB; click on selected widget or form's surface. The menu offers commands like <nobr><img src="icons/editcut.png" class="icon"> <em>Cut</em></nobr>, <nobr><img src="icons/editcopy.png" class="icon"> <em>Copy</em></nobr>, <nobr><img src="icons/editpaste.png" class="icon"> <em>Paste</em></nobr>, <nobr><img src="icons/editdelete.png" class="icon"> <em>Delete</em></nobr> and other, more complex. Many of the commands are also provided in the Menubar, usually <em>Edit</em>. Keyboard shortcuts are also available for these commands. Some of the commands are only available for certain types of widgets.</li>
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<li>Commands <nobr><img src="icons/editcut.png" class="icon"> <em>Cut</em></nobr>, <nobr><img src="icons/editcopy.png" class="icon"> <em>Copy</em></nobr> and <nobr><img src="icons/editpaste.png" class="icon"> <em>Paste</em></nobr> makes it possible to move or copy widgets between forms, even between separate database projects.</li>
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<li>Holding the <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> key down while clicking a widget allows to select multiple widgets.</li>
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<li>Instead of using <nobr><img src="icons/editcopy.png" class="icon"> <em>Copy</em></nobr> and <nobr><img src="icons/editpaste.png" class="icon"> <em>Paste</em></nobr> commands, to duplicate a widget within the same form you can hold down the <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> key while moving the widget. After the <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> key is released, the dragged widget will not be moved but copied in the new location.</li>
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</ul>
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|
|
</p>
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|
<a name="data_sources"></a>
|
|
|
<H3>5.4.6. Assigning data sources</H3>
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|
|
<p>
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|
The fields you inserted have no <em>data source</em> assigned yet, so these are not able to display information from the database. To assign data source, <nobr><img src="icons/database.png" class="icon"> <em>Data Source</em></nobr> tab of the <em>Property pane</em>.
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</p>
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|
|
<p>
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|
The very first step is to specify the <em>form's data source</em>, i.e. a place the displayed data will be fetched from. As mentioned above, you will use table <em>persons</em> as a data source for your new form.
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</p>
|
|
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|
<p>
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|
|
<ol>
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|
<li>Click on the form's surface, as you will alter its properties.</li>
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|
<li>Switch to the <nobr><img src="icons/database.png" class="icon"> <em>Data Source</em></nobr> tab and enter <em>persons</em> table name in the <em>Form's data source</em> drop down list. Alternatively, you can select this name from the drop down list.<br>
|
|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_05_entering_form_data_source.png">
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|
|
<br>Entering form's data source name<br><br>
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</li>
|
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|
</ol>
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|
|
</p>
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|
<p>
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|
You have assigned form's data source. Now you need to do specify field widget's data source.
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|
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</p>
|
|
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|
|
<p>
|
|
|
<ol>
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|
<li>Click the first text field widget at the top of the form.</li>
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|
<li>In the <nobr><img src="icons/database.png" class="icon"> <em>Data Source</em></nobr> tab of the property pane enter field name <em>name</em> in the <em>data source</em> drop down list. Alternatively, you can select this name from the drop down list.<br>
|
|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_05_entering_text_field_data_source.png">
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|
|
<br>Entering field's data source "name"<br><br>
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|
</li>
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|
<li>Click next text field widget and enter <em>surname</em> as the data source.</li>
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|
|
<li>Enter data sources for <em>street</em>, <em>house_number</em> and <em>city</em> text fields in a similar way.</li>
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|
|
</ol>
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|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>
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|
|
You can now save the form's design (this is not mandatory to test the form in action). To save, click the <nobr><img src="icons/filesave.png" class="icon"> <em>Save object changes</em></nobr> toolbar button or use the <nobr><img src="icons/filesave.png" class="icon"> <em>File -> Save</em></nobr> menu command. Upon saving you will be asked for entering the form's name. Enter <em>Persons</em> as caption and click <em>OK</em> button. Form's name will be filled automatically.
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</p>
|
|
|
<p>
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|
|
It is right moment for testing your form. Click the <nobr><img src="icons/state_data.png" class="icon"> <em>Switch to data view</em></nobr> toolbar button. Unless you made a mistake when while entering data sources, you should see form's fields filled with data from the <em>persons</em> table.<br>
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|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_06_form_with_text_fields.png">
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<br>The <em>Persons</em> form in data view after inserting text fields and assigning data sources<br><br>
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|
</p>
|
|
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|
|
<H4>Notes</H4>
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|
|
<p>
|
|
|
<ul>
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|
<li>If you want to remove data source assignment for a form widget, you can use <em><img src="icons/clear_left.png" class="icon"> Clear widget's data source</em> button near the <em>Source field</em> drop down list. Similarly, you can use <em><img src="icons/clear_left.png" class="icon"> Clear data source</em> button near the <em>Form's data source</em> drop down list.<br>
|
|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_05_data_source_actions.png">
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|
|
<br>
|
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
<li>Use <em><nobr><img src="icons/goto.png" class="icon"> Go to selected data source</nobr></em> button to select appropriate table or query in the <em>Project Navigator</em>, so you can quickly open a table or query being the data source of the form.</li>
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|
|
<!-- TODO: mention about creating Auto Fields by using drag & drop -->
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|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
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|
|
<a name="text_labels"></a>
|
|
|
<H3>5.4.7. Inserting text labels</H3>
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|
|
<p>
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|
|
To make it easier for the form's user to identify meaning of every field widget, these should have added text labels with appropriate titles. To create text labels <nobr><img src="icons/label.png" class="icon"> <em>Label</em></nobr> widget is used.
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|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
Insert three text label widgets onto the form, placing them on the left hand of the text fields (or on the right hand if your operating system uses right-to-left layout). On inserting every new label, a text cursor appears inside where you can enter desired title. Enter consecutively: <em>Name</em>, <em>Surname</em> and <em>Street</em>. Additionally, on the top of the form insert another label displaying name of the form, i.e. "Persons". Enlarge this label's size and set larger font using <a href="aa_00_00_menu.html#menu_format_font">Format -> Font</a> menu command.
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|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_06_form_with_labels.png">
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|
|
<br>Ready to use form after adding text labels<br><br>
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|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<!-- TODO: update this topic then we've got auto-labels -->
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|
<a name="actions"></a>
|
|
|
<H3>5.4.8. Actions</H3>
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|
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|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
<b>Action</b> is a single activity isolates in the application, available for user to execute. It can be also executed automatically as an reaction for a given event (e.g. after opening a form).
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<!-- TODO: co to jest zdarzenie -->
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|
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|
<a name="assigning_actions_to_buttons"></a>
|
|
|
<H4>Assigning actions to form buttons</H4>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
Most actions can be assigned to form button. Assigned action is executed after button is clicked.
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
To assign action:
|
|
|
<ol>
|
|
|
<li>Switch to form's design view if you have not done yet.</li>
|
|
|
<li>Select the existing button widget by clicking on it or put a new button widget onto the form. If you inserted a new button, enter its title and press <kbd>Enter</kbd> key.</li>
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|
|
<li>Click the button widget with the &RMB; to display context menu.</li>
|
|
|
<li>From the context menu select <nobr><img src="icons/form_action.png" class="icon"> <em>Assign action...</em> command.</li>
|
|
|
<li>An <em>Assigning Action to Command Button</em> dialog window will appear presenting a list of available actions. One of the actions is selected if the widget already has action assigned. Otherwise the <em>Action type</em> drop down list has <em>No type</em> item selected.</li>
|
|
|
<li>From the <em>Action type</em> drop down list select <em>Application</em> item. Available application-wide actions will be listed.</li>
|
|
|
<li>Select one of the actions on the list (e.g. "Delete Row").</li>
|
|
|
<li>Click <em>OK</em> button or press <kbd>Enter</kbd> key to accept your selection.</li>
|
|
|
</ol>
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
<img src="img/05_04_07_assigning_action_to_button.png">
|
|
|
<br>Assigning "Delete Row" action to a form's button<br><br>
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
After switching to the form's <em>data view</em> you can try whether the action works. For example, if you assigned "Delete Row" action, clicking the button, the current database row will be deleted, similarly to executing <em>Edit > Delete Row</em> menu command (depending on your settings you may be asked to confirm the removal).
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<H4>Notes</H4>
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
<li>To remove action assignment, select <em>No type</em> item from the <em>Action type</em> drop down list of the <em>Assigning Action to Command Button</em> dialog window.</li>
|
|
|
<li>Action only work in the form's <em>data view</em>. Not every action's assignment is reasonable. For example, <em>Font...</em> actions is not available in the form's data view, so having it assigned to the button has no effect.</li>
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<a name="form_layouts"></a>
|
|
|
<H3>5.4.9. Widget layouts</H3>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
In most cases form widgets should be reasonable placed and aligned. Positioning, aligning and resizing widgets by hand is not easy and these parameters are not adjusted when the user resizes the form. In fact the situation is even worse because you cannot assume a given form requires a given space because users have different font sizes and display resolutions.
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
The following example presents a form where text fields and labels were placed by hand. Some of them cannot fit in the form's window.
|
|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_08_form_no_fit.png">
|
|
|
<br>An example form with widgets that cannot not fit in the window<br><br>
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
Using special tool called <em>widget layouts</em> can help to automatically lay out the form widgets. Widget layout is an action of grouping two or more widgets so these are well positioned and have appropriate sizes.
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
Using layout in this form improves alignment. Moreover, its space is better developed. Text fields are closer each other, spacing is constant.
|
|
|
<br>
|
|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_08_form_well_fit.png">
|
|
|
<br>Example form with layout used<br><br>
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>
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There are two methods to create widget layout.
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<ul>
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<li>Select two or more widgets that should be placed in a common layout, and select one of the layout types from the context menu item <a href="aa_00_00_menu.html#menu_format_layout">Layout Widgets</a>.</li>
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<li>Click a <a hrf="widget_containers">container widget</a> (or a form surface itself), where widgets are inserted and select one of the layout types from the context menu item <a href="aa_00_00_menu.html#menu_format_layout">Layout Widgets</a>. All widgets existing within the container or within the form, being on the same level will be put into a single common layout.</li>
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</ul>
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In each of these cases you can also use <em>Format -> Layout Widgets</em> menu.
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</p>
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<p>
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<img src="img/05_04_08_form_layout_selecting.png">
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<br>Selecting widgets that will be put into a layout<br>
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<br><img src="img/05_04_08_form_layout_selected.png">
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<br>Four widgets are selected<br><br>
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<br><img src="img/05_04_08_form_layout_popup.png"><br>
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<br>Using the context menu for putting the widgets into a grid layout<br><br>
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</p>
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<p>
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Widget layout is presented in the design view using a blue, green or red box drawn with broken line. This line is displayed only in the form's design view.
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</p>
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<p>
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<br>
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<br><img src="img/05_04_08_form_layout_grid.png">
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<br>Widgets within a grid layout<br><br>
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</p>
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<p>
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Besides the grid type, there are other widget layout types.
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<ul>
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<li>vertical
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<br>
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<br><img src="img/05_04_08_form_layout_vertical.png">
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<br>Vertical widget layout<br><br>
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</li>
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<li>horizontal
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<br>
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<br><img src="img/05_04_08_form_layout_horizontal.png">
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<br>Horizontal widget layout<br><br>
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</li>
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<!-- TODO podzia<69> poziomy / pionowy
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<br><img src="img/05_04_08_form_layout_vertical_splitter.png">
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<br><br>
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<br><img src="img/05_04_08_form_layout_horizontal_splitter.png">
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<br><br>
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</li> -->
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</ul>
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</p>
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<a name="form_springs"></a>
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<H4>Springs in widget layouts</H4>
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<p>
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A <em>spring</em> in widget layouts is a special, invisible element allowing to adjust widget's position and size within layouts. Such a spring stretches or squeezes a widget on the right, top, bottom or left hand, so it can have desired size and position.
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</p>
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<p>To use a spring:
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<ol>
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<li>Select <img src="icons/spring.png" class="icon"> spring icon on the <em>Widgets</em> toolbar.</li>
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<li>Click on a selected point of the form to insert the spring.</li>
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</ol>
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</p>
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<p>
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For the following example, the spring has been inserted on the left hand of the text label "Persons". The label is thus displayed on the right hand of the form. To make the spring work, it has been put into a common horizontal layout with the label.
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<br><img src="img/05_04_08_form_spring.png">
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<br>Horizontal layout containing a spring and a text label<br><br>
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</p>
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<p>
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To make springs work you need to create a global widget layout i.e. a layout for the form itself. Then, springs can use edges of the form as a boundary for expanding.
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</p>
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|
<a name="advanced_form_layouts"></a>
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|
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<H4>Advanced widget layouts</H4>
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<p>
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Widget layouts can be combined (or nested). On the following example you can identify two nested layouts:
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|
</p>
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|
<p>
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|
<ol>
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<li>horizontal layout with a spring, aligning the "Persons" text label to the right</li>
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<li>grid layout grouping widgets on the whole form</li>
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</ol>
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|
</p>
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|
|
<p>
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<img src="img/05_04_08_form_advanced_layout.png">
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<br>Two widget layouts combined: horizontal layout inside of a grid layout<br><br>
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</p>
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|
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<p>
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The horizontal layout is treat in the example as a single widget by the grid layout - it takes exactly one "cell" of the grid.
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After opening a form designed this way in the data view, you can notice (by resizing the form) that:
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|
|
</p>
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|
|
<ul>
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<li>"Persons" text label thanks to the spring used is constantly aligned to the to the right side of the form</li>
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<li>text fields take all of the available width thanks to putting them into the grid layout</li>
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<li>all the form's widgets are pushed to the top thanks to the spring used at the bottom of the form</li>
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|
</ul>
|
|
|
<p>
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|
|
<img src="img/05_04_08_form_advanced_layout_view.png">
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|
|
<br>The form using the two layouts displayed in data view<br><br>
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|
</p>
|
|
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|
<a name="layout_breaking"></a>
|
|
|
<H4>Removing widget layouts</H4>
|
|
|
<p>
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|
|
To remove widget layout without removing widgets, perform one of these actions:
|
|
|
<ul>
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|
|
<li>click with the &RMB; on the layout's border and select <em>Break Layout</em> command from the context menu</li>
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|
|
<li>click with the &LMB; on the layout's border and select <em>Format -> Break Layout</em> menu command</li>
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<H4>Notes</H4>
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|
|
<p>Removing widget layout using the <em>Break Layout</em> command will not remove widgets contained in the layout. If you want to remove the widgets as well, just select the layout by clicking on its border and press <kbd>Delete</kbd> key or use <nobr><em>Edit -> <img src="icons/editdelete.png" class="icon"> Delete</em></nobr> menu command or context menu command.
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|
</p>
|
|
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|
|
|
<a name="layout_size_types"></a>
|
|
|
<H4>Size policies for widgets within a layout</H4>
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|
|
<p>
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|
|
Instead of setting a fixed size for your widgets, in &kexi; you can choose between various widget's <em>size policies</em>. A size policy is a flexible strategy for controlling how a widget is stretched (or shrunk) depending on other neighbouring widgets and space available within the form.
|
|
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</p>
|
|
|
<p>
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|
|
After putting widgets into a <em>layout</em>, typically each widget gets a proportional (<em>Preferred</em>) size policy. These widgets will be automatically resized with preferred settings, depending on their type and size of the entire layout itself. For example, three buttons put into the horizontal layout will be resized to fit their visible text.
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
For each widget inserted into the form, there are settings for size policy available in the <em>Property Editor</em>. The settings are presented as a group of properties called <em>Size Policy</em>.
|
|
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|
|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_09_size_policy_properties.png">
|
|
|
<br>A group of properties for defining a widget's size policy<br><br>
|
|
|
|
|
|
This group of properties contains:
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
<li><b>Horizontal Size Policy</b> defining horizontal size of the widget,</li>
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|
|
<li><b>Vertical Size Policy</b> defining vertical size of the widget,</li>
|
|
|
<li><b>Horizontal Stretch</b> defining strength of activity of the <em>Horizontal Size Policy</em>,</li>
|
|
|
<li><b>Vertical Stretch</b> defining strength of activity of the <em>Vertical Size Policy</em></li>
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<H5>Values of size policies</H5>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
There are following values available on the drop down list for <em>Horizontal Size Policy</em> and <em>Vertical Size Policy</em> properties visible in the <em>Property Editor</em>:
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
<li><b>Fixed</b> value means that the widget cannot be automatically resized; it should maintain the constant size defined on design time (width or height),</li>
|
|
|
<li><p><b>Minimum</b> value means that the original size of the widget is set as minimal allowed, it is sufficient and there is no need for expanding the widget, but the widget will be expanded if needed. This type of policy can be used to force widget to be expanded to the whole width or height, especially if you set a <em>stretch</em> value greater than 0.
|
|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_09_size_policy_minimum.png">
|
|
|
<br>Text field and two buttons within a grid layout (<em>Minimum</em> horizontal size policy is set for both buttons, so these are slightly wider than needed)<br><br>
|
|
|
</p></li>
|
|
|
<li><b>Maximum</b> value means that the original size of the widget is set as maximum allowed and can be decreased without breaking the widget's usability and readability if other widgets need more space,</li>
|
|
|
<li><p><b>Preferred</b> value means that the original size of the widget is the best and preferred; the widget can be shrunk or expanded however and it will stay readable,
|
|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_09_size_policy_preferred.png">
|
|
|
<br>Text field and two buttons within a grid layout (<em>Preferred</em> horizontal size policy is set for both buttons)<br><br>
|
|
|
</p></li>
|
|
|
<li><b>Expanding</b> value means that the original size of the widget is reasonable but the widget can be also shrunk; it can be expanded as well to take as much space as possible,</li>
|
|
|
<li><b>Minimum Expanding</b> value means that the original size of the widget is allowed; it can be expanded to take as much space as possible,</li>
|
|
|
<li><b>Ignored</b> value means that the original size of the widget is ignored; the widget can be expanded to take as much space as possible but other widgets usually will not allow for that</li>
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
Different widget types have various default size policies; for example, button widgets have default size policy set to <em>Minimum</em> (in both directions), while text field widgets have vertical size policy set to <em>Fixed</em>.
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
The most frequently used size policies are <em>Preferred</em>, <em>Minimum</em> and <em>Maximum</em>.
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<H5>Vertical and horizontal stretch</H5>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
<em>Vertical Stretch</em> and <em>Horizontal Stretch</em> properties accept integer values greater or equal to 0. These properties allow to fine-tune the behavior of size policies. Default value for the properties is 0. Greater value of the stretch means that the widget will be expanded more than other widgets having smaller stretch value set. For example, the following image presents two buttons where the first button has <em>Vertical Stretch</em> set to 0 and the second button has <em>Vertical Stretch</em> set to 1.
|
|
|
|
|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_09_size_policy_vertical_stretch.png">
|
|
|
<br>Size of button widgets affected by setting <em>Vertical Stretch</em> property of the second button to 1<br><br>
|
|
|
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<a name="widget_adjusting"></a>
|
|
|
<H3>5.4.10. Setting widgets size and position by hand</H3>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
In case when your form has no main layout set for auto-positioning and auto-resizing its widgets, you will probably want to align widget's position and size so the form can look cleaner and be easier to use. The &kexi; form designer simplifies this task by offering the following groups of commands:
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
<li><p>Adjusting sizes of selected widgets. The commands are available in the <em>Format -> Adjust Widgets Size</em> submenu of the Menubar and in the <em>Adjust Widgets Size</em> submenu of the context menu. Toolbar's drop down button <nobr><img src="icons/aogrid.png" class="icon"> <em>Adjust Widgets Size</em></nobr> is also available.
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
<li><nobr><img src="icons/aofit.png" class="icon"> <em>To Fit</em></nobr> - sizes of the selected widgets will be altered so each widget will be resized to its preferred size and its contents; for example, text label's size will be changed to fit its text. Position of the widgets will not be changed.</li>
|
|
|
<li><nobr><img src="icons/aogrid.png" class="icon"> <em>To Grid</em></nobr> - sizes of the selected widgets will be altered so each widget's corner will be placed in the form's (or other container's) grid point. Widget's position can be slightly altered.</li>
|
|
|
<li><nobr><img src="icons/aoshortest.png" class="icon"> <em>To Shortest</em></nobr> - height of the selected widgets will be altered so that each of them will have the same height as the shortest one. Position of the widgets will not be changed.</li>
|
|
|
<li><nobr><img src="icons/aotallest.png" class="icon"> <em>To Tallest</em></nobr> - height of the selected widgets will be altered so that each of them will have the same height as the tallest one. Position of the widgets will not be changed.</li>
|
|
|
<li><nobr><img src="icons/aonarrowest.png" class="icon"> <em>To Narrowest</em></nobr> - width of the selected widgets will be altered so that each of them will have the same height as the narrowest one. Position of the widgets will not be changed.</li>
|
|
|
<li><nobr><img src="icons/aowidest.png" class="icon"> <em>To Widest</em></nobr> - width of the selected widgets will be altered so that each of them will have the same height as the widest one. Position of the widgets will not be changed.</li>
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
<li><p>Aligning positions of the selected widgets. The commands are available in the <em>Format -> Align Widgets Position</em> submenu of the Menubar and in the <em>Align Widgets Position</em> submenu of the context menu. Toolbar's drop down button <nobr><img src="icons/aoleft.png" class="icon"> <em>Align Widgets Position</em></nobr> is also available.
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
<li><nobr><img src="icons/aoleft.png" class="icon"> <em>To Left</em></nobr> - all the selected widgets' left positions will be moved to the position of the leftmost widget's left edge.</li>
|
|
|
<li><nobr><img src="icons/aoright.png" class="icon"> <em>To Right</em></nobr> - all the selected widgets' right positions will be moved to the position of the rightmost widget's right edge.</li>
|
|
|
<li><nobr><img src="icons/aotop.png" class="icon"> <em>To Top</em></nobr> - all the selected widgets' top positions will be moved to the position of the uppermost widget's upper edge.</li>
|
|
|
<li><nobr><img src="icons/aobottom.png" class="icon"> <em>To Bottom</em></nobr> - all the selected widgets' bottom positions will be moved to the position of the bottommost widget's bottom edge.</li>
|
|
|
<li><nobr><img src="icons/aopos2grid.png" class="icon"> <em>To Grid</em></nobr> - all the selected widgets' top-left corners will be moved so that it is positioned in the nearest grid point.</li>
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
None of the above commands resizes the widgets.
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
There are also additional commands available:
|
|
|
<nobr><img src="icons/raise.png" class="icon"> <em>Bring Widget to Front</em></nobr> (i.e. above all other widgets) and <nobr><img src="icons/lower.png" class="icon"> <em>Send Widget to Back</em></nobr> (i.e. below all other widgets). These two commands are rarely used, as it is not common to place one widget on top of other (with an exception when a container widget contains other widget inside). Also note that clicking a widget with mouse button is enough to bring the widget to front.
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<a name="tab_order_editing"></a>
|
|
|
<H3>5.4.11. Setting the tab order</H3>
|
|
|
<!-- TODO move this introduction to a special section about properties related to focusing -->
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
<em>Widget's focus</em> determines widget's activity available using keyboard. Focus is related to widgets displayed in form's data view. Exactly one form widget can have focus at the same time. Most frequent use of focus is text entry (when a given text field is active, i.e. it is <em>focused</em>). Other example is a button widget - when focused, it is possible to "press" it using the <kbd>Enter</kbd> or <em>Space</em> key instead of a mouse button.
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>There are a few methods of making the widgets active (moving the focus to the widget): clicking with a mouse button, rotating the mouse wheel over the widget, or using the <em>Tab</em> key. The latter method is often used because of it's speed and convenience for users. Availability of the focusing methods is controlled by <em>Focus Policy</em> property of a given widget.
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
There is relationship between focusing (activating) widgets using <em>Tab</em> key and <b>tab order</b> setting of a form. After pressing the <em>Tab</em> key, the <b>next</b> widget should be focused, so the form should know about the <em>tab order</em>.</p>
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
To alter table order for a form's widget:
|
|
|
<ol>
|
|
|
<li>switch to design view of the form</li>
|
|
|
<li>execute <em>Edit -> Edit Tab Order</em> menu command.
|
|
|
<em>Edit Tab Order</em> will appear with settings for this form.
|
|
|
|
|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_11_tab_stop_dialog.png">
|
|
|
<br>A window for editing tab order for a form<br><br>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
The window contains a list with two columns: the first column displays widget names, the second - types of the widgets. To make it easier to recognize meaning of the names and types for the user, icons related to the types are also displayed. The list contains only widgets having focus policy allowing to use the <kbd>Tab</kbd> key.
|
|
|
The window allows you to change tab order or set the automatic tab order.
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
<li><p>
|
|
|
To change tab order, either:
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
<li>Click a selected widget name on the widgets list and drag it to a desired position (up or down) using the mouse.
|
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
<li>Click a selected widget name on the widgets list and use <em>Move Up</em> or <em>Move Down</em> buttons, to move the widgets to a desired position.</li>
|
|
|
<li>Click the <em>Handle tab stops automatically</em> check box to set the automatic tab order for the form. If this option has been switched on, any changes made to the list of widgets by hand are not taken into account - &kexi; will be handling the tab orders on its own. The automatic ordering means that the top-left widget will be focused first (or the top-right if your operating system uses right-to-left layout), and the order comes from the left to right (from the right to left, appropriately) and from the top to bottom.
|
|
|
<br><img src="img/05_04_11_auto_tab_stop.png">
|
|
|
<br>Automatic tab order for a form<br><br>
|
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
<li>
|
|
|
Click the <em>OK</em> button to accept the changes or <em>Cancel</em> button to dismiss the changes.
|
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
</ol>
|
