Screen Attributes dialog box

Use the Screen Attributes dialog box to configure runtime settings — such as size, location, title bar, security level, and screen logic — for a specific project screen.

Accessing the dialog box

The Screen Attributes dialog box is automatically displayed when you add a new Screen worksheet to your project.

You can also access the dialog box for an existing Screen worksheet (assuming the worksheet is open for editing) by doing one of the following:

• On the Draw tab of the ribbon, in the Screen group, click Attributes; or

• Right-click anywhere in the Screen worksheet, and then click Screen Attributes on the shortcut menu.

Description

This is a brief description of the project screen, for your own convenience. It is not shown anywhere during run time.

Background Picture

Enable Background

Enables the background picture layer and specifies the image format. When this option is selected, a new image file with the same name as the screen is automatically created in the Screen sub-folder your project folder (for example, <project name>\Screen\<screen name>.BMP). You can then edit the file that was created, replace it with another file that has the same name, or configure the Shared Image setting below to specify a file that has a different name.

Shared Image

Specifies the name of an image file to use instead of the image file that has the same name as the screen. The file still must be located in the Screen sub-folder of your project folder. Do not include the file extension with the file name, because it is automatically determined by the image format. This field accepts String expressions, for example {MyBackground}.

For more information, see Modifying a screen's background color or image.

Note: Only BMP, JPG, PNG, and PCX images are supported in projects running on Windows Embedded devices. However, each device's operating system must also be configured to support those image formats, and that configuration is typically done by the device manufacturer. BMP, JPG, and PNG are commonly used image formats, and they should be supported on most devices. PCX is less commonly used, and it might not be supported on some devices. For more information, see the manufacturer's documentation for your device.

Size and Location

Width

The default width (in pixels) of the screen when it is opened.

Height

The default height (in pixels) of the screen when it is opened.

Top

The default distance (in pixels) between the top of the display and the top of the screen when the screen is opened. This is also known as the screen's Y-position.

Left

The default distance (in pixels) between the left side of the display and the left side of the screen when the screen is opened. This is also known as the screen's X-position.

If you use the Layout tool to lay out your project screens, these size and location settings will be automatically updated to reflect any changes you make in that tool.

If you configure the screen to have a border, the user will be able to change the size and location of the screen during run time. For more information, see Border below.

Runtime Properties

Style

The general runtime behavior of the screen:

Border

The type of border around the screen:

Titlebar

Shows the window's title bar with the specified window name. You can type a string expression for this setting (for example, {MyWindow}). It is useful to specify a window name even if the title bar is not shown, because the window name is always included when the screen is printed.

System Menu

Shows a menu of basic window commands at the left end of the title bar.

Maximize Box

Shows the Maximize button at the right end of the title bar.

Minimize Box

Shows the Minimize button at the right end of the title bar.

Don't Redraw

While this tag/expression evaluates as TRUE (that is, not 0), most animations (except Command animations; see Disable Commands below) in the screen are disabled. In other words, basic shapes will not be redrawn when their size, color, position, or visibility change. Active, data, and library objects (except symbols that include these animations) remain enabled, and all other screen graphics will continue to be updated.

Disable Commands

While this tag/expression evaluates as TRUE (that is, not 0), Command animations in the screen are disabled. Typically, this means that clicking/tapping buttons in the screen will have no effect, although other types of objects can also have Command animations applied to them. Active, data, and library objects (except symbols that include Command animations) remain enabled, and all other screen graphics will continue to be updated.

Security

Level

The minimum security level that a user must have in order to access this screen.

Screen Logic

On Open

A list of expressions to be evaluated once when the screen is opened, similar to a Math worksheet.

While Open

A list of expressions to be continuously evaluated while the screen is open, similar to a Math worksheet. If you specify a trigger, however, then the list will be evaluated once each time it is triggered while the screen is open.

On Close

A list of expressions to be evaluated once when the screen is closed, similar to a Math worksheet.

Tip: Because On Open logic runs before the screen is rendered and the While Open logic starts, tags whose values are changed in the On Open logic should not be used in the While Open Trigger field.

Multi-Touch Settings

Customizes the Multi-Touch settings for this screen. For more information, see About the Multi-Touch settings for project screens.

Focus

Receive focus on open

When the screen is opened, the focus will automatically go to the first object in the screen (according to Object ID) that can receive focus, as if the user tabbed into the screen.

Share tab order with other screens

When the user tabs through the last object in the screen, the focus will go to the next open screen (according to Tab Order below) rather than back to the first object in the current screen.

Tab Order

Similar to Object ID for screen objects, this determines the tab order between screens when multiple screens are open. When the user tabs through the last object in a screen, the focus will go to the open screen with the next higher Tab Order number. Each screen should have a unique Tab Order number between 0 and 32767.

Background screen

When the user clicks on the screen, it remains in the background and is not brought in front of the other open screens. If more than one screen has this option selected, then the screens are arranged in tab order with the greatest Tab Order number being the furthest back.

Performance Optimization

Hide screen instead of closing it

Closing the screen (by any user action or system process) in fact only makes it hidden, and reopening the screen makes it visible again. This makes the screen appear to open very quickly.

This option should be selected only for critical screens. If too many screens are kept open, regardless of whether they are visible or hidden, overall runtime performance will be affected.

Keep screen file in memory

When the screen is closed, the screen file is kept in memory so that it does not need to be reloaded from the hard drive when the screen is reopened. The screen still needs to be redrawn, however. This is not as fast as making a hidden screen visible again (see above), but it still makes the screen appear to open quickly.

This option should be selected only for important screens. If too many project files are kept in memory, overall runtime performance will be affected.