Microsoft KB Archive/96174

= FastTips for FoxPro for Windows: Screen Builder Q&A =

ID: Q96174

2.50 WINDOWS kbprg kbtool kbfasttip kbappnote Appnote

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, version 2.5

Microsoft(R) Technical Support Application Note (Text File) FW0933: SCREEN BUILDER QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Revision Date: 10/93 No Disk Included The following information applies to Microsoft FoxPro(R) version 2.5 for Windows(TM).

| INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND ANY SOFTWARE THAT MAY    | 1. Q. I don't own a mouse. How can I use the tools to create a screen
 * ACCOMPANY THIS DOCUMENT (collectively referred to as an Application |
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 * Copyright (C) 1993 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.     |
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 * is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.                           |
 * is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.                           |

using the keyboard?

A. You cannot; a mouse is required to create a screen with the Screen Builder. 2. Q. The Field dialog box in the Screen Design window only allows me

to create either an input field (a GET) or an output field (a      SAY). What happened to the Edit Field option in the Field dialog box?

A. The Edit Field option is now part of the new Edit Region dialog box. To create an edit field, click the Edit Region tool located on the left side of the Screen Design window. Note that as you select the tool, a brief description appears in the status bar at the bottom of the screen.

In the Edit Region dialog box, the Select On Entry and Initially Disable Edit Region options are new. For additional information on these options, see the help topic &quot;Edit Region Dialog.&quot; 3. Q. When I select the Push Button tool, I have a choice of three

button options: Normal, Invisible, and Picture. Were these options available in FoxPro version 2.0?

A. The preexisting Invisible Button and Push Button options were consolidated into a single dialog box in FoxPro for Windows. The Picture type push button is new. You can create push buttons using bitmap (.BMP) picture files to graphically depict actions that will be initiated when particular buttons are selected. Picture files can also be used with option (radio) buttons and check boxes in FoxPro for Windows. 4. Q. I know how to click and drag objects on the screen using the

Selection Pointer tool. Is there an easier way to move objects a small distance?

A. Yes. Select the object to be moved using the Selection Pointer tool. Once the object is selected, use the arrow keys to move the object a pixel at a time. 5. Q. I have created a screen for my application that displays a

number of fields. After creating the application, I used the keyboard to step through the fields in this screen. The order in which the fields were accessed was not what I expected based on the physical arrangement of the fields. How can I change the order in which the fields are accessed without changing their physical position?

A. To accomplish this, return to your original screen. In the Screen Builder, choose Object Order from the Screen menu. This option opens the Object Order dialog box. Screen objects are listed according to their order of accessibility with the keyboard. To change the access order for the objects, click the button to the left of the object and drag the object to its new keyboard access position. When you are finished, rebuild your application to include the new field-access order. 6. Q. When I generated screens in FoxPro version 2.0, I was able to tell

the screen generator exactly what code to generate, such as opening and closing files and defining or releasing windows and modal screens. Is this option still available? I can't seem to find these options.

A. Yes. In the Generate Screen dialog box, note that there is a      More button. Choose this button and the dialog box expands to      display the generate code options. 7. Q. The Color command is no longer on the Screen menu. How can I

specify colors for my screen objects?

A. To specify colors, first select the screen object or a group of      objects. To modify the background color of the object, choose Fill Color from the Object menu. To modify the outline and text of an object, choose Pen Color from the Object menu.

NOTE: The AUTOMATIC setting matches the Windows' color sets.

To change the background of the entire screen, choose Layout from the Screen menu and click the Color option. You may choose a specific color or select a wallpaper pattern by clicking Wallpaper and specifying a .BMP file. 8. Q. I have tried using an @ ... SAY command to display the contents

of a general field. No matter what I do, nothing appears. What am I doing wrong?

A. General fields are used to display OLE objects. Therefore, to      display the contents of a general field, use the Picture tool. The Field tool cannot display pictures. 9. Q. I used the Picture tool to place a picture field on my screen

and specified the appropriate .BMP file. Can you please explain how the Clip Picture, Scale Picture - Retain Shape, and Scale Picture - Fill The Frame options in the If Picture And Frame Different Size group affect the display of the picture?

A. Bear in mind that the following options apply only when the picture and frame are different sizes:

- Choose the Clip Picture option if you want to retain the original dimensions of the picture. If the picture is larger than the frame, only a portion of the image will be displayed, beginning with the top-left portion of the picture. Any portion of the picture that extends beyond the frame will be hidden.

- Choose the Scale Picture - Retain Shape option if you want to         retain the overall shape of the picture but fill as much of the frame as possible. The picture will be protected from vertical or horizontal distortion.

- Choose the Scale Picture - Fill The Frame option if you want to         fill the frame completely. The picture will be horizontally or         vertically distorted as needed to fill the frame.

10. Q. I want to create a screen that allows online editing of OLE objects stored in a general field while a READ command is      active. I have tried including a picture in my screen using the Picture tool, but I am not able to edit the displayed .BMP file. Is there a way to do this?

A. Yes. Use the Field tool to create a general field in your screen. Select the WHEN clause and enter the command MODIFY GENERAL FLDNAME in the code snippet area as a procedure. Save the screen changes and regenerate your screen and/or application. Now you will be able to edit the bi(((TM)))ap within the screen when the application is running.

11. Q. Why can't I type as many characters in an input field as will physically fit?

A. In a proportional font, each character is given as much vertical space as it needs and no more. For example, a      lowercase &quot;f&quot; requires much less space than an uppercase &quot;W.&quot; When an input field is placed on a screen, FoxPro calculates the width of the field by taking the number of characters in      the database field times the average size of a character in the specified font. If the field is filled with wider-than-average characters, the characters will not all fit in the input field, and so the characters scroll. If the field is filled with narrower-than-average characters, the characters will not appear to fill the input field.

12. Q. How do I control the length of a memory variable (or &quot;memvar&quot;) independent of the size of an input field?

A. Use a PICTURE clause to control the memory variable's length in       conjunction with a SIZE clause to control the width of the input field. Additional reference words: FoxWin 2.50 ivrfax fasttips appnote KBCategory: kbprg kbtool kbfasttip kbappnote KBSubcategory: FxinteropOle

Keywords         : FxinteropOle Version          : 2.50 Platform         : WINDOWS Last Reviewed: December 13, 1996