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The next step is to modify the form's window properties. Perform the following:
You should now save and run the form. This can be done by pressing the Save button on the tool palette and then the Run button.
Figure 13.48 illustrates the executed form containing these changes.
FIG. 13.48
The Employee Update
form after resizing,
adding a window title,
and changing the canvas
color.
TIP |
When you develop a form, remember to generate and run your form often. If you make a change you don't like, it is easier to identify the change if you haven't made a lot of changes since the last application run. |
Looking at the executed form, notice that the fill color of the text items is "cyan." Make the Text item fill color white.
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FIG. 13.49
The Layout Editor after
the text items have
been selected.
Because the text items are selected, change the font, by using these steps:
NOTE |
I prefer to use the MS Sans Serif font, style bold, size 8 for regular use. I use one of the Small Fonts when I need a smaller font. |
The next step is to eliminate the block border. When Forms creates a default block, it places a frame around the block. The name of the block is also displayed within the frame.
Figure 13.50 shows the executed form with the changes. You might compare this figure to Figure 13.51 to see the effect of the formatting procedures.
The finished Employee Update form is to be a master-detail form, with a block containing tool records and a block containing eyeglass records. The form will also have a button palette, which means that the items on the form need to be moved and arranged to give room for these blocks. In addition, Forms placed the text items when the default form was created. The placement of the items does not make sense to the user, which makes the rearrangement of the text items a mandatory task.
To rearrange the text items, do the following:
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FIG. 13.50
The executed Employee
Update form after the
fonts were changed and
the block frame was
deleted.
Figure 13.51 shows the Employee Update after the objects have been moved by using the "Eyeball" technique.
FIG. 13.51
The Employee Update
after the objects have
been moved to their
approximate location.
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The next move is to place the objects by using the Arrange/Alignment menu option. To do so, perform the following:
The final task is to perform the justification. Do so by performing the following:
This completes the arrangement of the first data column. Perform the same procedure on the remainder of the data columns, which completes the formatting of the master block. Figure 13.52 illustrates the final format. The form EMPCH14.FMB located on the CD contains the Employee Update form and the modifications discussed in this chapter. This form will be used in subsequent chapters.
FIG. 13.52
The final format of the
Employee Update
master block.
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The Layout Editor formats the Form canvas and has several different sections. The Layout menu has three special pull-down menus: View, Format, and Arrange.
The View menu changes the amount of the layout area that can be seen at one time. Showing less area is called Zooming In and showing more area is Zooming Out. The menu also has options to turn on or off some of the design aids. Some of these aids are the rulers, ruler guides, grid, page break, tool palette, or status bar. Finally, this menu has options to let you view stacked views.
The Format menu contains options to change fonts, item spacing, and text alignment. It is also used to change the weight of a line. The line can be changed to a dashed line or an arrow pointer.
The Arrange menu has options to rearrange overlapping objects. It also has a dialog box used to align or resize objects. Objects can also be placed into groups by using this menu.
The canvas-view has a number of properties. Some of the more common ones are the height, width, and background color of the canvas. The window object also has three important properties: height, width, and title.
In the next chapter, you complete the Employee Update form first created in Chapter 11. The next chapter also covers form, block, and item properties, as well as the steps necessary to create a detail block.