Visual Basic Concepts

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Grouping Properties by Category

The Properties window has two tabs, one showing all of a control's properties in alphabetical order, and one which organizes the properties into categories.

You can assign each of your control's properties to one of the existing categories, or create new categories. Assigning categories is highly recommended, because Visual Basic places all unassigned properties in the Misc category.

To assign a property to a property category

  1. In the UserControl code window, place the cursor in one of the property procedures for the property you want to assign to a category.

  2. On the Tools menu, click Procedure Attributes to open the Procedure Attributes dialog box.

  3. The property should be shown in the Name box. If not, use the Name box to select it.

  4. Click the Advanced button to show advanced features. Select the desired category in the Property Category box, then click OK or Apply.

You can create a new category by typing a category name in the Property Category box. The category will be created only for this control. You can use the same category name for other controls, but it must be entered separately for each control.

Tip   To reduce user confusion, assign properties to the same categories they appear in for other controls. If possible, use existing categories. Create new categories only when you have a group of related properties that will clearly be easier to use if grouped in a new category.