Setting Properties with the Properties Window

   Tasks

Properties are attributes that define the state, behavior, and appearance of a form or control. Most graphical controls expose properties so you can define the visual appearance, such as forecolor, backcolor, size, location, and font to use for displaying text. Controls and forms can also expose properties that specify how the control will interact with the user and the information the control needs to operate at run time.

Use the Properties window in the Forms Designer to view and set the properties that are available for a form or control while the form is being designed. Other properties may be available only at run time and can be accessed by code.

To set the properties of a form or control

1. If the Properties window is not currently visible, on the View menu, click Properties Window.
   
   
2. Click the form or a control on the form that you want to modify.
   
   
3. In the Properties window, select the property that you want to modify.

   For example, select forecolor to change the color of the control.

4. Specify a value for the property.

   Depending on the property, you may be required to type a text or numerical value, select a value from a list of property values, or set the value in a custom editor. For information on the proper value type for the property, see the documentation for the property you are modifying.

Setting Subproperties

A property can contain multiple subproperties that, when combined, define the value for the property. For example, the location property requires that you specify x and y values.

To set the value of a subproperty

1. Click the form or a control on a form that you want to modify.
   
   
2. In the Properties window, click the plus sign (+) next to the property that you want to modify.
   
   
3. Click the subproperty that you want to modify, and specify a value.

Setting a Property for Multiple Controls

While you are designing a form's user interface, you can specify the same property value for a group of controls of the same or similar type. For example, you can clear the value of the text property for all the Edit controls on a form.

Note   If you select multiple controls that are not related, the Properties window displays only the properties that are common among all the selected controls.

To set the value of a property for multiple controls

1. Click the first control in the group of controls that you want to modify.
   
   
2. Hold down the CTRL key while clicking the other controls that you want to modify.
   
   
3. Set the value for the property.

   The value is then set for the property for each control that you selected.

Viewing Properties by Category

Some controls contain a large number of properties in the Properties window. This can make finding the property that you want to set difficult to find. You may also want to specify only certain categories of properties. Use the Properties window to view the properties for a form or control in a categorized view instead of an alphabetic view.

To view properties by category

• In the Properties window, click the Categorized button.

  The properties for the currently selected form or control will be separated into categories defined by the control.

  Clicking the plus sign (+) next to the category name hides the category's properties. To return to the default alphabetic view, click the Alphabetic button in the Properties window.

Setting Complex Properties

Some controls require complex property settings, for example, setting the data bindings in the DataBinder control. These controls provide a custom dialog box called a property page to specify these complex property settings.

To use a control's property page

1. Click the control whose property page you want to access.
   
   
2. In the Properties window, click the Property Pages button.

   The property page for the control is displayed. If this button is disabled, the selected control does not have a property page.