How to Change a Field Color Based on the Field's Contents

• Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5, 2.5a, 2.5b, 2.6
• Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.0, 2.5, 2.5a, 2.5b, 2.6

SUMMARY

This article describes how to change the color of a field based on its contents. Changing the color of a field based on what it contains may be useful to users who are scrolling through the records in an input screen.

MORE INFORMATION

To create the screen, do the following:

1. Open the CUSTOMER.DBF database located in the TUTORIAL subdirectory.

2. Create a screen and choose Quick Screen from the Screen menu.

3. Add two push buttons to the screen with the variable name M.CHOICE. Give the push button two prompts called PRIOR and NEXT. Enter the following code in the VALID clause:

         DO CASE
            CASE m.choice = 1
               SKIP - 1
            CASE m.choice = 2
               SKIP
         ENDCASE
         SHOW GETS
   
   

4. If you are using FoxPro for Windows, choose Layout from the Screen menu. Choose the Code push button and add the following code in the On Refresh (Show Gets) box:

         IF customer.lat > 35
            SHOW GET customer.lat COLOR ,RGB(255,255,255,255,0,0)
         ELSE
            SHOW GET customer.lat COLOR ,RGB(0,0,0,192,192,192)
         ENDIF
   
         NOTE: To change the numbers used in the RGB() clause, double-click
         the Color icon in the Windows Control Panel. Choose the Color Palette
         button, select the color you want to know the numbers of, and then
         choose the Define Custom Colors button. The numbers in the Red,
         Green, and Blue boxes are the ones you use with RGB(). The first
         three numbers in the RGB() clause are the foreground and the last
         three numbers are the background.
   
      If you are using FoxPro for MS-DOS, choose Screen Layout from the Screen
      menu. In the SHOW clause, add the following code:
   
         IF customer.lat > 35
            SHOW GET customer.lat COLOR +W/R
         ELSE
            SHOW GET customer.lat COLOR +W/BG
         ENDIF