FarPoint Technologies
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Tab Pro is the easiest, and most flexible way to preset your interface. This
section offers a brief overview of some of Tab Pro's many features. They will
be further explained later in the tour. Choose a link listed below to learn
more:
Tabs | Modes
| Pages | Pictures
| AutoStyles |
Client Area | Child Controls
| Data Binding | Imprint
Control
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By default, the Tab control appears as a set of file folders, or
tabs, with labels on the top. You can provide special effects for the tab, such
as changing its border size and making its font bold.
Each tab has a label, or tab header, which is designed to contain text and
graphics that identify the tab. You can specify the size and shape of the tab
headers. You can also change where the tab headers are displayed by changing
the control's orientation. You can rotate the text and graphics as necessary
when the orientation of the Tab control changes. The text can display a
three-dimensional appearance, and text fonts, size, and colors can change to
further customize your control.
| In the figure to the right, the headers are oriented to the right and square,
the text and graphics have been rotated, and the text's font and style have
been changed from the default font and style. |
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| To facilitate your work, you can access pop-up menus at design time in Visual
Basic that let you add, delete, move, swap, or clear tabs. To access the pop-up
menu for a tab in the ActiveX control, click the tab using the right mouse
button. |
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The Tab control can appear in one of three modes: tab mode,
one-page book mode, or two-page book mode.
| The default mode for the Tab control is tab mode. When the Tab control is in
tab mode, the control looks like a file folder with tab headers arranged along
the top. |
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| In one-page book mode, the Tab control looks like a notebook or a flipchart
with a metal ring binder. |
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| When the Tab control is in two-page book mode, the control resembles an open
notebook with two pages showing and tab headers arranged along both sides.
Clicking on each tab header brings up the pages available for that tab. The
following figure illustrates a Tab control in two-page book mode with the
Orientation property set to 1 (Right). |
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You can add pages to any tab, just as you would store sheets of paper in
a file folder. Adding pages creates extra working space in a tab; if you fill a
tab with controls, graphics, or other information, you can add pages to that
tab.
When a tab has extra pages, you can display page earmarks (turned-down corners)
to indicate that additional pages are available. You can customize earmarks by
specifying their color, size, and alignment, or you can display custom pictures
for the earmarks.
| The first tab in this control has more than one page, as shown by the page
earmarks in the upper left- and right-hand corners of the page. |
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You can have the Tab control display pictures within the tabs, including
a different picture in the active tab or in specific tabs. The picture can be
displayed in the tab headers, and if the picture is smaller than the area in
which it is displayed, it is tiled.
| This Tab control displays a picture tiled in all tabs. In all tabs except the
active tab, the picture is also tiled in the tab header. |
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| Pages can also display pictures. You can display different pictures for each
set of pages in tabs. The following figure illustrates pages that display a
picture; as you can see from the figure, if the picture is smaller than the
area in which it is displayed, it is tiled. |
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Tab Pro comes with predesigned AutoStyles for designing your Tab
controls. Designed to help you create commonly used layouts, the available
AutoStyles can be modified as you please. When using the ActiveX Tab control,
you can preview the available AutoStyles on the AutoStyle property page.
| The Traditional AutoStyle creates a Tab control with centered header text. |
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| The Property Pages AutoStyle creates a Tab control that looks and provides
interaction similar to ActiveX control property pages. |
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| The Notecards AutoStyle creates a Tab control with multicolored tab headers
resembling tabbed cards. |
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| The Notched AutoStyle creates a Tab control that has tab headers with notched
left corners and square right corners. |
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| The Worksheet AutoStyle creates a Tab control that resembles worksheet tabs in
a spreadsheet application. |
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| The Notebook AutoStyle creates a notebook Tab control. |
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| The Personal Organizer AutoStyle creates a Tab control that resembles an
organizer notebook. |
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| The Navigation Bar AutoStyle creates a navigation bar appearance for the Tab
control. |
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Each tab has a client area, the blank space on which you put controls. The
client area does not include the tab header. You can obtain the coordinates of
the client area to perform tasks such as sizing child windows or centering
controls in the tab.
| The client area is outlined by the dark grey rectangle. The control does not
display a rectangle around the client area; it is shown here for illustrative
purposes. |
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The Tab control can contain child controls. You can work with the child
controls by having them autosize when the Tab control automatically sizes,
return the names or tags of the child control, and optimize the Tab control
when it has child controls by sharing controls between tabs and deleting and
creating child controls.
| The following image illustrates a Tab control that contains four child controls
on the first tab. |
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You can bind the Tab control to display database field information within the
tab header. The Tab DAO ActiveX control (TAB32X30.OCX) supports DAO and RDO
data binding. The Tab ADO ActiveX control (FPTAB30.OCX) supports ADO data
binding.
| An example of a Tab control bound to a database of patients' names and
addresses. Patient names are displayed in the tab headers; patient information
is displayed in the Tab's child controls. |
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The Imprint control offer you the capability to create frames and borders
and to provide text describing the contents of the control. You can create
three-dimensional frames that have customized colors. Borders can outline the
Imprint control, and you can choose colors to highlight the contents. Text can
be placed on any side of the imprint border, and you can customize the text
appearance.
| Frames, such as in this Imprint control, can be added to complement custom
borders. |
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| Have a question? |
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