ACC97: Fixed Width Tab Disappears from Tab Control

• Microsoft Access 97

SYMPTOMS

Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.

When you scroll through the tabs on a tab control that has its TabFixedWidth property set equal to or greater than the width of the tab control itself, the last page on the tab control seems to disappear.

CAUSE

The TabFixedWidth property is set to a value that is greater than the total of the width of the tab control minus the width of the scroll arrows that will be displayed on the control. Whenever you have more tabs on a tab control than can be displayed at one time, the scroll arrows automatically appear on the control.

RESOLUTION

There are two ways you can work around this behavior:

• At a maximum, set the TabFixedWidth property of your tab control to the width of your tab control minus the width of the scroll arrows, which are approximately .375" wide. For example, if the Width property of your tab control is 4", do not set the TabFixedWidth property wider than 3.625":

        Width of tab control         4.000"
        Width of scroll arrows      - .375"
                                   --------
        TabFixedWidth                3.625"
  
     NOTE: The width of the scroll arrows on your computer may be different.
  
  

• If you want to set the TabFixedWidth property equal to the width of the tab control itself, set the MultiRow property of the tab control to Yes. This stacks the tabs on top of one another, instead of side by side, and the scroll arrows do not appear.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

NOTE: If the last, or rightmost, tab on your tab control is the selected tab in Form view, this behavior does not occur.

1. Start Microsoft Access and open the sample database Northwind.mdb.

2. Create a new form in Design view that is not based on any table or query.

3. Click the Tab Control button on the Toolbox toolbar, and then click in the detail section of the form. A tab control containing two pages appears on the form.

4. If the property sheet is not already visible, on the View menu, click Properties.

5. Set the following properties for the tab control:

         Width: 3"
         TabFixedWidth: 3"
   

6. Switch the form to Form view.

7. Click the right scroll arrow on the tab control to view the second tab, and then click the right scroll arrow again. Note that the second tab is not completely visible.

8. Click the left scroll arrow and note that no tab appears. Click the left scroll arrow again, and note that the first tab is displayed.

REFERENCES

For more information about the tab control, search the Help Index for "tab controls," or ask the Microsoft Access 97 Office Assistant.