Shape
- Last UpdatedFeb 08, 2024
- 4 minute read
The Shape control is typically used for adding simple graphics to a report.

In the Property Grid, the Shape control's properties are divided into the following groups:
Appearance
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Background Color
Specifies the background color for the control. This option is also available on the Formatting Toolbar (
).
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Borders, Border Color and Border Width
Specifies border settings for the control.
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Fill Color
Specifies the color to fill the contour of a Shape, if applicable. They are transparent by default.
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Foreground Color
Determines the color of a Shape's contour. This option is also available on the Formatting Toolbar (
).
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Formatting Rules
Displays the Formatting Rules Editor used to choose which rules should be applied to the control during report generation, and define the precedence of the applied rules. Refer to Conditionally Change a Control's Appearance for further information.
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Line Width
Used to set the width of the line used to draw a Shape, expressed in the measure units defined by the report's Measure Units property. Refer to Change Measurement Units for a Report for further information.
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Padding
Specifies indent values which are used to render the contents of the control.
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Style Priority
Used to define the priority of various style elements (such as background color, border color, ). Refer to Styles Concepts for further information on style inheritance.
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Styles
This property is used to define odd and even styles for the control, as well as to assign an existing style to the control (or a newly created one). Refer to Styles Concepts for further information on style inheritance.
Behavior
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Anchor Vertically
Specifies the vertical anchoring style of the control, so that after page rendering it stays attached to the top control, bottom control, or both.
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Angle
The value in degrees specifies the rotation angle of a Shape. Rotation is anticlockwise.

A user can hold CTRL while pressing the left mouse button to rotate a Shape within the control's borders.
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Scripts
This property contains events, which can be handled with the scripts. Refer to Handle Events via Scripts for further information on scripting.
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Shape
Determines which of the various built-in shapes to use within the control.
A certain shape has its own unique set of properties. The following list is intended to give a brief overview of these special properties specific to a certain shape:

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Stretch
If a Shape is rotated to some degree (that is, its Angle property is not zero), the Stretch property may also be used. The Shape image will be stretched to cover maximum space within the control's borders.
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Visible
Specifies whether or not the control should be printed on report generation.
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(Data Bindings)
If the current report is bound to data, this property enables users to bind some of the control's properties (Bookmark, Navigation URL and Tag) to a data field obtained from the report's data source, and to apply a format string to it. Refer to Display Values from a Database (Bind Report Elements to Data) for further information.
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Tag
This property enables users to add additional information to the control; for example its Id, by which it can then be accessed by scripts.
If the current report has a data source, the Tag property can be bound to a data field obtained from the data source. To do this, expand the (Data Bindings) property and from the Tag.Binding dropdown list, select the required data field.
Design
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(Name)
Determines a control's name, by which it can be accessed in the Property Grid and by scripts.
Layout
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Location
Specifies the control's location, in report measurement units.
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Size
Specifies the control's size, in report measurement units.
Navigation
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Bookmark and Parent Bookmark
These properties are used to create a hierarchical structure within a report called a document map. Refer to Add Bookmarks for an explanation and help.
If the current report has a data source, the Bookmark property can be bound to a data field obtained from the data source. To do this, expand the (Data Bindings) property and from the Bookmark.Binding dropdown list, select the required data field.
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Navigation URL and Navigation Target
Use the Navigation URL property to specify a URL for web browser navigation when a user clicks the control. The web browser displays a page in a window or a frame as specified by the Navigation Target property.
Note: A URL should have an appropriate prefix (for example, 'http://').
Cross references can be created within the report by assigning the name of the target control to the Navigation URL property, and setting the Navigation Target property to _self. Refer to Create Hyperlinks for further information.
If the current report has a data source, the Navigation URL property can be bound to a data field obtained from the data source. To do this, expand the (Data Bindings) property and from the Navigation URL.Binding dropdown menu, select the required data field.