Form Control Properties

Applies To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

This topic describes the properties for form controls and provides recommendations for their use. It is mandatory to set values for some properties. For more information, see Best Practices for Form Control Properties. Please note that not all properties detailed here are present on every control.

Use the automatic property settings for controls (Auto settings) wherever possible. They save time, help to create a uniform application interface, and interact dynamically with other Auto settings. For example, the Auto settings for dimension properties, such as Top, Width, and Left, make allowances for changes to properties, such as Font and FontSize.

For bound controls (those associated with an underlying database field), set the properties on the field in the form data source. The same properties are applied if the same control is used more than once on the form.

Some properties are inherited from the data type that the control is based on (or the data type for the field that is displayed in the control).

The properties set on container controls (ButtonGroup, Group, Tab, and TabPage) can override the settings on the child controls.

The properties for form controls are listed in the following table.

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, W

Property

Description

New in this version of
 Microsoft Dynamics AX

A

N/A

AcquireFocus

Specify whether a button or menu button in an action pane gets focus. Use Yes to have the button temporarily get focus when clicked. Use No when the button should not get focus. The default value is Yes.

Caution

Set the property to Yes when a button or menu button control appears in an action pane.

AX 2012

ActiveBackColor

Sets the background color of the current record in a grid.

ActiveForeColor

Sets the text color of the current record in a grid.

AlignChild

Determines whether a control within a group should follow the AlignChildren property setting for the group or overall form design.

For example, if AlignChildren is set to Yes on the form Design node, you might not want a particular group to be arranged with the other groups. In that case, set AlignChild to No on that group.

AlignChildren

Aligns the child controls within a container.

AlignControl

Defines whether controls should be aligned. The top left corner of the controls are aligned according to the longest label.

Use this property to align a number of edit fields.

To align all the controls within a group, use the AlignChildren property.

Alignment

Changes the alignment of the text in the control (Left, Right, Center).

AllowEdit

Specify whether you can modify the data in the control.

When this property is set on a container control, modifications are disabled or enabled for all controls within the container.

Caution

The fields that appear in a ListView control remain editable after you set AllowEdit to No.

This property is also found on table fields and form data source fields. Settings on the control take priority over settings on the data source field. They take priority over settings on the table field.

AllowNegative

Determines whether integers displayed in IntEdit, Int64Edit, and RealEdit controls can be negative.

AllowUserSetup

Specifies whether users can move controls on a form, and whether they can change control properties.

This property is also found on the design of a form. The property has the following outcomes:

  • No – users cannot customize any controls in this container.

  • Restricted– users can change properties of individual controls, but cannot move controls.

  • Yes – no restrictions on user setup.

Yes is the default value for AllowUserSetup.

Full user setup is not allowed if any of the parent containers for the control have restrictions on the user setup level.

The AllowAdd property on form data sources determines whether a user can add a new field to a form.

AlternateRowShading

Determines whether alternate rows of a Grid control are shaded or not.

AnimateFile

Specifies the name of the .avi file to be used in an Animate control. For a list of the .avi files supplied with Microsoft Dynamics AX, see the AviFiles macro.

Note

The .avi file must not have a soundtrack.

AppendNew

Adds new text to the list of options in a ComboBox control.

This enables users to add new options to the list.

This property can be used only on unbound controls (those not linked to a table field).

ArrangeMethod

Determines how the controls within a container control should be arranged (Vertical, Horizontal flush left, Horizontal flush right).

ArrangeWhen

Determines when the controls in the container should be arranged (Startup, On demand, Never).

ArrayIndex

Specifies the array element to be displayed in the control. If ArrayIndex=0, all elements are displayed.

AssemblyName

Specifies the name of the assembly that contains a ManagedHost control.

AutoArrange

Determines whether the items in a ListView control should be arranged automatically.

AutoDeclaration

Determines whether the system should declare a variable of the same name as the control.

Set to Yes to refer to the control in X++ code on the form.

Note

Each control must have a unique name.

AutoInsSeparator

Determines whether a decimal separator is inserted automatically in a RealEdit control.

AutoPlay

Determines whether the .avi file in an Animate control should play automatically when the form is opened.

AutoRefreshData

Determines whether the .data in the datasource associated with the control is refreshed when the control is clicked.

B

N/A

BackgroundColor

Determines the color used for the background of the control. To set the background to opaque or transparent, use the BackStyle property.

BackStyle

Sets the background of the control to opaque or transparent.

Big

Specifies whether to make the control big.Large buttons should be used to represent the most frequently used tasks in a button group.

AX 2012

Bold

Displays text in another style (for example, Semi-bold, Bold, Heavy).

For more information about styles, see the Font and Underline properties later in this topic.

Border

Determines the border type of the control (None, Single line, 3D).

BottomMargin

Sets the default bottom margin in pixels of the controls within a container.

ButtonDisplay

Determines whether button controls display an image, text only, or both text and the image.

The button's text is set by using the Text property.

The image is set by using the NormalImage and DisabledImage properties.

C

N/A

CacheDataMethod

Specifies whether the DataMethod is cached during the FormDataSource init method call.

AX 2012

CanScroll

Determines whether users can scroll down the list or tree items.

Caption

Specifies the heading for grouped controls. Use a label for this property.

Center

Determines whether the .avi file in an Animate control should be centered in the control.

ChangeCase

Determines whether the system should automatically change the case of any text entered in a StringEdit control. For example, text can be changed to uppercase or sentence-case.

CheckBox

Adds a check box to a ListView or Tree control.

ClassName

Specifies the class ID of an ActiveX control or an HTML control. The class ID is also used during run time.

The ClassName property is automatically set when you create the control and cannot be changed. For HTML controls, ClassName is always HTML Document. For ActiveX controls, ClassName depends on the type of ActiveX data object you select in the ActiveX Browser dialog when you create the control.

ColorScheme

Determines the control's color palette.

To change the color palette for an entire form, set the ColorScheme property for the largest container and keep the default values for the individual controls.

Column

Determines which column is initially active in a Table control.

ColumnHeader

Determines whether the columns in a ListView control should have a heading.

This is only valid when the ViewType property is set to Details.

ColumnHeaderButton

Places a button in the header of a ListView control that allows the sort order to be defined.

The ColumnHeaderButton property is only valid when the ColumnHeader property has also been set, and the ViewType property has been set to Details.

ColumnImages

Determines whether each item in the column of a ListView control includes an image.

Use the SmallIcons property to set the name of the file that contains the icons.

Columns

Sets the number of columns that display the information.

Note

Field groups on the underlying table are never split into more than one column.

ColumnSpace

Sets the amount of space between columns in container controls.

ComboType

Sets the type of box to use in a ComboBox control (Standard or List).

Command

Defines the command to activate when the user presses a CommandButton control.

ConfigurationKey

Specifies the configuration key used to control display of this control.

If a user doesn't have access to the configuration key, the control will not be visible.

ContextFlyout

Specifies whether the context flyout is enabled.

AX 2012

CopyCallerQuery

Specifies whether to copy the query from the calling form to the target form. This enables the target form to show the same data that appeared in the original form. The following list describes the value that you can use. The default value is Auto.

  • Auto – If the value is Auto and the CopyCallerQuery property of the menu item is Auto, the caller query is not copied. If the value is Auto but the CopyCallerQuery property of the menu item is Yes or No, the menu item determines whether the query is copied.

  • No – The caller query is not copied. The menu item properties determine the query that is used.

  • Yes - The caller query is copied. In addition, the query specified by the Query property of the menu item is ignored.

AX 2012

CountryRegionCodes

Specifies the country region codes where the table is applicable or valid. The client framework and application may use this property to enable or disable country or region specific features. This is implemented as a comma-separated list of ISO country codes in a single string. The values must match data that is contained in the global address book.

AX 2012

CountryRegionContextField

Specify the field that sets the country context for the control. Populate this property with a DataAreaId or PartyId field. This property is related to the CountryRegionCodes property.

AX 2012

Custom

Opens the property sheet for an ActiveX control.

Click the button in this property field to access the ActiveX properties for control.

Note

The form must be in Design view, before you select the button. Right-click on the Design node of the form and select Edit. Not all ActiveX controls have a property sheet, and some controls do not allow you to edit it.

For more information, see How to: Add ActiveX Controls to Forms.

D

N/A

DataField

Specifies which field on the underlying table supplies data for the control.

The table is set by using the DataSource property.

Note

If you set the DataSource and DataField properties, any settings made on the DataMethod or ExtendedDataType properties will be overridden.

DataGroup

Specifies the group of fields from the underlying table that is displayed in a Grid or Group control.

DataMethod

Activates a method on the control (instead of data being displayed from an underlying field). The method may be selected from the following:

  • The table that is used as a data source for the form

  • The Methods node within the Data Sources node on the form

  • The Methods node on the form

Note

If you set the DataSource and DataField properties, any settings made on the DataMethod property will be overridden.

DataSource

Determines which table data is displayed from in the control.

To set a particular field within this table, use the DataField property.

If the control opens another form, relations between the data source specified here for the control and the data source on the other form will ensure that records in the second form are dynamically selected.

For example, if a customer is selected in one form, and the control opens up a form showing customer transactions, a range of customer transactions applying to the current customer would be displayed in the second form.

Note

If you set the DataSource and DataField properties, this will override any settings made on the DataMethod or ExtendedDataType properties.

DateDay

Determines how the day (within the date) should be displayed in a DateEdit control. You can also choose not to display the day.

DateFormat

Determines the layout of a date (the order in which day, month, and year are displayed).

If this property is set to Auto, settings are inherited from the extended data type. If this property is also set to Auto on the extended data type, system settings are used.

DateMonth

Determine how the month should be displayed in a DateEdit control (text, digits, or not shown).

If this property is set to Auto, settings are inherited from the extended data type. If this property is also set to Auto on the extended data type, system settings are used.

DateSeparator

Determines the separator between year, month, and day in a DateEdit control.

If this property is set to Auto, settings are inherited from the extended data type. If this property is also set to Auto on the extended data type, system settings are used.

DateTimeValue

Specifies the initial value in a UtcDateTimeEdit control.

AX 2012

DateValue

Enables you to specify a specific date for a DateEdit control instead of using a data source.

Note

This property is not used if the DataSource and DataField properties are set.

DateYear

Determines how the year should be displayed in a DateEdit control (two or four digits, or not shown).

If this property is set to Auto, settings are inherited from the extended data type. If this property is also set to Auto on the extended data type, system settings are used.

DecimalSeparator

Specifies the decimal separator for a RealEdit control ("," or ".").

If this property is set to Auto, settings are inherited from the extended data type. If this property is also set to Auto on the extended data type, system settings are used.

DefaultAction

Determines the default action that is executed when a row in a Grid control is double-clicked or the ENTER key is pressed. Select the name of the action pane button that represents the action to perform.

DefaultActionLabel

Determines the name that displays in the context menu for the default action on a row in a Grid. The action is specified in the DefaultAction property.

DefaultButton

Specifies whether a button control should be the default button.

If this property is set to Yes, the button is selected when the user presses ENTER when the form is open.

Note

The Frame property on the form design must be set to Dialog for this property to have an effect.

Direction

Specifies whether the progress bar should be drawn horizontally or vertically in a Progress control.

Note

Do not use a Progress control in a form. Use the Progress Indicators framework instead. For more information, see How to: Create Progress Indicators.

DisabledImage

Specifies the image to use when the button is disabled. If this property is not set, the system generates a disabled image based on the setting for the NormalImage property.

DisabledImageLocation

Specifies the location of the image to use for a disabled control. You can use images found in a file, the Resources node of the AOT, or an EmbeddedResource.

The selection made in this property determines what values are used to populate the DisabledImage property. If the property is not set, the system generates a disabled image based on the setting of the ImageLocation property.

AX 2012

DisplaceNegative

Indents a negative number to the right.

DisplayHeight

Limits the height of the control.

Use this property in conjunction with the MultiLine property to define a data entry field that can span several lines.

DisplayLength

Limits the number of characters displayed in the control.

This property determines the width of the control in number of characters. The Width property is specified in pixels.

The LimitText property determines how many characters can be entered in the control.

DisplayOption

Specifies whether the DateTimeEdit control should display the date and time, or just the date without the time.

The following list shows the valid values for this property, in the sequence that they are listed in the AOT Property window's drop-down list. The corresponding integer value for each label matches its position in the list, starting from 0:

  • 0 – Auto

  • 1 – Date and Time

  • 2 – Date

Auto defaults to Date and Time. Auto is overridden if the parent (or another parent in the sequence) is specifically set to a value other than Auto.

DragDrop

Enables the field to be moved with a drag-and-drop operation.

Note

Drag-and-drop fields require code to support them. For examples, see the tutorial_FormListControl and tutorial_FormTreeControl forms.

E

N/A

EditLabels

Determines whether the user can change the name of a node in a Tree or ListView control.

Enabled

Disables the control when the property is set to No.

To allow the control to be disabled (depending on licensing rights and system configuration), use the ConfigurationKey property instead.

To allow access control for different user groups, use the NeededAccessLevel property.

EnumType

Gives a control access to the values in an enumerated type. For example, a control listing possible currencies.

ExtendedDataType

Bases the control on an extended data type.

Note

If you set the DataSource and DataField properties, or the DataMethod property, this will override any settings made on the ExtendedDataType property.

F

N/A

FastTabSummary

Specifies whether the value of the control appears in the Fast Tab header as a summary field. Options are Yes, No, Auto. Default is Auto.

AX 2012

Font

Enables you to select another font for the control by opening a font selection dialog.

The FontSize, Bold, Underline, and Italic properties can be set individually or by using the font selection dialog.

FontSize

Changes the size of the text in a control.

ForcedToOverflow

Specifies whether the control will always be forced to overflow.

If you have a rarely used button that has to be available but not visible, add that button to the button group overflow menu. The overflow menu provides access to any buttons that are not displayed on the action pane. To access the button, click the overflow menu indicator on the right side of the button group.

AX 2012

ForegroundColor

Determines the color used for the foreground of the control.

FormatMST

Determines whether the value in a RealEdit control is formatted according to the national currency. Following are the possible values:

  • Auto – The national currency formatting depends on the data type.

  • No – The value is not formatted according to the national currency.

  • Yes – The value is formatted according to the national currency.

FormViewOption

Specifies the form mode to use. Options are Auto, Grid or Details. Default value is Auto.

AX 2012

FrameOptionButton

Allows you to add a button above a Group control. Following are the possible values:

  • None – No button is added.

  • Check – Adds a check box that enables the user to disable all the fields in the group.

  • Radio – Adds radio buttons to a group of Groups. The Group controls must be nested inside another Group control. The user can then select one of the radio buttons, and the other groups of controls are disabled.

  • Hide – Adds a collapse button that enables the user to hide the fields in the group.

FramePosition

Changes the position of the frame for a ButtonGroup, Group, or Window control.

Changes to this property are not visible if the FrameType property is set to Auto or None.

FrameType

Changes the default frame type, which is None.

G

N/A

GridLines

Determines whether grid lines should be displayed in Grid, ListView, or Table controls.

For ListView controls, this property is only valid when the ViewType property is set to Details.

By default, this property is set to Yes.

GridLinesStyle

Determines which grid lines should be drawn in Grid, ListView, or Table controls. Options are Auto, None, Vertical, All

By default, this property is set to Auto.

AX 2012

H

N/A

HasButtons

Determines whether expand/collapse buttons are displayed in a Tree control.

To display an expand/collapse button at the root of the tree, use the LinesAtRoot property.

HasLines

Determines whether connector lines are displayed in a Tree control.

Headerdragdrop

Makes it possible to rearrange the columns in a ListView control.

This property is valid only when the ViewType property is set to Details.

Height

Changes the height of the control. The height is specified in pixels.

Tip

For more information about the Height and Width properties, see the tutorial_arrange form.

HelpText

Determines the Help string for the control. The Help string is shown in the status bar when a user points to the control with a mouse pointer.

If you don't enter a value for this property, it will be inherited from the field or the extended data type that the control is based on.

Note

You must use a label to specify the content for this property.

HideFirstEntry

Emulates the behavior of an enum database field with the Mandatory property set to Yes—the user cannot select an empty value.

HideIfEmpty

Enables you to hide a container control if it is empty.

This property has no affect if the container control has its Width and Height properties set to Auto because the size of the control is then zero.

HierarchyParent

Specifies the parent of the element in the Model.

AX 2012

HighlightActive

Enables you to display the current record in a different color in a grid.

I

N/A

ImageLocation

Specifies the location of the image to use, You can use images found in a file, the Resources node of the AOT, or an EmbeddedResource. The selection made in this property determines what values are used to populate the NormalImage property.

AX 2012

ImageMode

Defines how the bitmap specified by the ImageName property will be displayed in a Window control (Normal, Size to fit, Side by side, Center).

ImageName

Determines which image is displayed for a Window control. You can select only .bmp files.

ImageResource

Specifies the resource ID for the image displayed for a Window control.

AX 2012

IMEMode

Enables you to disable the Input Method Editor (IME) input mode for edit controls.

The IME mode enables the user to input data from non-Latin languages, such as Japanese.

This property is enabled by default.

Italic

Displays the text in italics.

For more information, see the Font property in this topic.

Item

Enables you to specify the label for each item in a ComboBox, ListBox, or RadioButton control.

Type the number of the item in the Item property box, and then set the Text property for that item. Repeat this for the next item(s).

The total number of items in the control must be set in the Items property.

ItemAlign

Aligns the items in a ListView control.

Items

Determines how many items are in a ComboBox, ListBox, or RadioControl control.

To specify the label for each item, type the number of the item in the Item property, and then set the Text property. Repeat this for the next item(s).

K

N/A

KeyTip

Defines the character used for the key tip.

Key tips enable you to click action pane tabs, button groups, and buttons using the keyboard. When you press ALT the action pane displays a letter next to each tab, button group, or button that you can access. To click a button, press the key that represents the button that you want to use.

AX 2012

L

N/A

Label

Sets the text supplied as a label for the control.

If you don't enter a Label, it will be inherited from the field or the extended data type that the control is based on.

To specify the labels for each item in a ComboBox, ListBox or RadioButton control, use the Item and Text properties.

LabelAlignment

Determines the alignment of the label (Left, Right, Center). If there is more than one control in a group, the longest label defines the point of alignment.

LabelBold

Displays the label defined by the Label property in another style (for example, Semi-bold, Bold, Heavy).

For more information, see the LabelFont property in this topic.

LabelFont

Changes the font for the text supplied in the Label property.

LabelFontSize

Changes the size of the text supplied in the Label property.

For more information, see the LabelFont property in this topic.

LabelForegroundColor

Changes the color used for the label foreground.

LabelHeight

Not used.

LabelItalic

Italicizes the text supplied in the Label property.

For more information, see the LabelFont property in this topic.

LabelPosition

Determines whether the label appears to the left of the control or above it.

LabelUnderline

Underlines the text supplied in the Label property.

For more information, see the LabelFont property in this topic.

LabelWidth

Not used.

Left

Changes the position of the uppermost left corner of the control.

There are a number of predefined settings (for example, Auto (left) and Auto (right)). You can also specify an exact position in pixels.

LeftMargin

Changes the default left margin of the controls in a container control. The margin is specified in pixels.

LimitText

Limits the number of characters that can be entered in a control.

The DisplayLength property limits the number of characters displayed in the control.

LinesAtRoot

Determines whether there is an expand/collapse button at the root of the tree.

To display expand/collapse buttons for the remainder of the tree, use the HasButtons property.

LookupButton

Displays a button to look up a value in the database for the control.

The Lookup is set up by using a relation on the database table used as a data source for the field.

Loops

Defines the number of times the .avi file should be played for an Animate control.

If you set Loops to 0 (zero), the .avi file will play indefinitely.

M

N/A

Mandatory

Determines whether users must enter data in the control.

If Mandatory is set to Yes, a red wavy line is displayed on empty fields, and a warning is displayed if the user tries to navigate away from the field without completing it.

MaxDateLabel

Specifies the text to be displayed when the value is the maximum date value.

AX 2012

MenuItemName

Determines which menu item is run for a MenuItemButton control.

You must also set the MenuItemType property.

MenuItemType

Determines which type of menu item is run for a MenuItemButton control (Display, Output, or Action).

MinNoOfDecimals

Determines whether trailing zeros are removed when the data is displayed for a RealEdit control.

For example, if you set the MinNoOfDecimals to 6, a value of 2.1234500000 would be truncated to 2.12450.

If you set MinNoOfDecimals, it must be less than the value given for the NoOfDecimals property.

Model

Specifies the model that includes the control.

A model is a logical grouping of elements in a layer. An element can be located in exactly one model in a layer. Examples of elements are a table or class. The same element can be located in a customized version in a model in a higher layer.

AX 2012

MoreRowsIndicator

Specifies whether an ellipsis indicator row should be displayed in a Grid control when more rows are available but not shown.

MultiLine

Enables text to span several lines in a StringEdit control. If the property is set to Yes, vertical scroll bars are automatically added.

MultiSelect

Determines whether a button is active when the user makes multiple selections, or, on a Grid control, the property determines whether it is possible to make multiple selections.

N

N/A

Name

Determines the name of the control.

Note

Each control name must be unique—it allows the automatic declaration of controls as variables.

NeededPermission

Specifies the minimum permission level needed to allow access to the control.

NeedsRecord

Specifies whether the control will be enabled when no records are present.

AX 2012

NoOfDecimals

Determines the number of decimals shown when a value is displayed in a RealEdit control.

To remove trailing zeros at the end of the value set, the MinNoOfDecimals property.

NormalImage

Specifies the button image to be used when the button is enabled.

To set the image for the button when it is disabled, use the DisabledImage property.

O

N/A

OneClickActivate

Determines whether the items in a ListView control can be activated with a single click.

This property is valid only when the ViewType property is set to Details.

For more information, see TwoClickActivate in this topic.

OpenMode

Specifies the view mode of the target form. The possible values include the following:

  • Auto

  • View

  • Edit

  • New

The default value is Auto.

You use this property to specify whether the target form opens in edit or read-only mode.

AX 2012

OptionalRecordControl

Specifies whether the checkbox state controls the optional record associated with the Datasource property. Default is No.

AX 2012

OptionValue

Enables you to select a button that was added by using the FrameOptionButton property. For example, if the FrameOptionButton property is set to Check, setting the OptionValue property to 1 selects the check box when the form is opened.

P

N/A

Parameters

Specifies one or more values passed to an object. These resemble the parameters passed to method. A parameter supplies a value that is then used to perform the task. There is no default value.

AX 2012

PasswordStyle

Enables you to display asterisks (*) instead of the characters that a user enters when they type data in a StringEdit control.

Because of security considerations, it is not advisable to store credentials in the database. When you want to protect functionality with a password, prompt users to enter it each time, and use the PasswordStyle property to obscure the password as the user types it in.

Pos

Enables you to set a non-default initial value for a Progress control. If you don't set this property, the initial value will be the value specified by the RangeLo property. The maximum value of Pos is determined by the RangeHi property.

Note

Do not use a Progress control in a form. Use the Progress Indicators framework instead. For more information, see How to: Create Progress Indicators.

PresenceDataField

Specifies the field containing a lookup value to supply to get PresenceFileData.

AX 2012

PresenceDataSource

Specifies the data source containing the getPresenceFieldData for the control.

AX 2012

PresenceIndicatorAllowed

Specifies whether or not to display a presence indicator.

AX 2012

PreviewPartRef

Specifies the Info Part or Form Part to be used in the enhanced preview.

An info part shows a collection of data fields from a specified query. An info part uses metadata to describe how the data appears. A form part represents a pointer to a form.

AX 2012

Primary

Specifies whether a control is primary or secondary in display priority.

A primary is a control that overrides the position rules that the control group uses to add controls to the overflow menu. Specify a control as primary when you want that control to be the last added to control group overflow menu.

AX 2012

ProgressType

Determines how progression is shown in a Progress control (Normal or Smooth).

Note

Do not use a Progress control in a form. Use the Progress Indicators framework instead. For more information, see How to: Create Progress Indicators.

R

N/A

RangeHi

Sets the maximum range of the progress bar for a Progress control.

Note

Do not use a Progress control in a form. Use the Progress Indicators framework instead. For more information, see How to: Create Progress Indicators.

RangeLo

Sets the minimum range of the progress bar for a Progress control.

RealValue

Determines the initial value for a RealEdit control. This is typically used for an unbound control (a control not bound to a data field).

ReferenceField

Specifies a reference field on the bound data source to use as the physical binding.

AX 2012

ReplacementFieldGroup

Specifies the field group that appears in the form when you add a surrogate foreign key field to that form.

AX 2012

ReplaceOnLookup

Determines whether look-up text replaces the current content of the field or adds to the current content.

If ReplaceOnLookup is set to Yes, the content of the field is replaced by text selected in a look-up. If ReplaceOnLookup is set to No, the text selected in a look up is added to the existing content of the field at the cursor position.

RightMargin

Changes the default right margin of the controls within a container control. The margin is specified in pixels.

RotateSign

Negates the number in an IntEdit, Int64Edit, or RealEdit control (changes - to + and vice versa).

Row

Determines which row in a Table control is active when the form or tab is opened.

Rows

Changes the number of rows used to display information.

RowSelect

Determines whether an entire row is selected when it is clicked in a ListView control (rather than a single element).

This property is valid only when the ViewType property is set to Details.

RTLCapable

Determines whether an ActiveX, HTML, or ManagedHost control supports RTL languages.

S

N/A

SaveRecord

Determines whether changes to the current record are saved when a Button, CommandButton, MenuButton, or MenuItemButton control is selected.

Scrollbars

Determines whether scroll bars are enabled on a TabPage control.

SearchMode

Sets the search mode in grids for edit controls.

By default, this property is set to None. If you set SearchMode to SearchAfterInput, text typed into the control is applied as a filter when the user presses ENTER. If you set it to SearchOnTyping, the grid scrolls to the first record that matches the text that the user typed.

The SearchMode property is most relevant for controls that can't be edited. Use this property with caution—the grid will load all the records that are available to do the text-matching.

SelectControl

Determines whether the first control is selected when a user opens a tabbed page.

Selection

Sets the initial value for a ComboBox, ListBox, or RadioButton control.

SendExternalContext

Specifies whether or not the external record context of this form should be sent as the menu item’s external record context. Default value is No.

AX 2012

ShowColLabels

Determines whether the label defined by the Label property is shown as a column heading for controls on Grids or Tables.

ShowLabel

Determines whether the label defined by the Label property is displayed for the control.

ShowRowLabels

Displays a column where the current record in a grid or table is indicated by an arrow, and new records are indicated by an asterisk.

ShowSelAlways

Determines whether an item in a Tree or ListView control should remain selected when the user moves focus away from the item.

ShowShortCut

Determines whether access keys should be displayed.

An access key is a keyboard shortcut (letter+ALT) for opening a menu item or button. The letter is underlined in the name of the menu item.

Access keys are generated automatically.

This property is typically set to No when a form has so many buttons that no more letters are available.

For more information about access keys, see Access Keys on Forms.

ShowTabs

Determines whether tabbed pages should be displayed on a Tab control. If set to No, information on only the first tabbed page is shown.

You can reference the other tabbed pages from your X++ code.

ShowZero

Determines whether the value zero is displayed in an IntEdit, Int64Edit, or RealEdit control, or whether an empty field is shown instead.

SignDisplay

Displays the sign of a number if the value is negative. Also determines whether the sign is displayed before or after the number. The default value is Auto.

Note

If you set the property to None, the sign might not be hidden when the control appears on a form.

SingleSelection

Determines whether the user can select several objects at a time in a ListView or Tree control, or whether the selections should be mutually exclusive.

SizeHeight

Sets all buttons in a ButtonGroup control to the same height.

SizeWidth

Sets all buttons in a ButtonGroup control to the same width.

Sizing

Determines the size of a ManagedHost control. Set to SizeToContent if you want resizing to be governed by the control (up to the limits of the form size). Set to SizeToHost if you want the size to be set by the host.

Skip

Determines whether the control is skipped when the TAB key is used to navigate through the form.

Sort

Enables you to sort the data in a ListView control.

Step

Defines the integer value that the progress bar increases in one step.

Note

Do not use a Progress control in a form. Use the Progress Indicators framework instead. For more information, see How to: Create Progress Indicators.

Style

Specifies the style of the control. The default is Auto.

T

N/A

Tab

Determines which tabbed page should be active when the form is opened.

If you do not set this property, the first tabbed page (Overview tab) opens by default.

TabAppearance

Enables you to display tabbed pages as buttons instead of tabs.

TabAutoChange

Changes the result of a user pressing the TAB key on the form. This action would normally result in a jump to the next field. If you set the TabAutoChange property, pressing the tab key instead results in a jump to the next tabbed page.

TabLayout

Defines how the tabs should be arranged if there are too many to fit in the default form width. You can arrange tabs on more than one line or add a scroll bar (Tunnel option).

TabPlacement

Defines the position of the tabbed pages in a Tab control (Top, Left, Right, Bottom).

Text

Specifies a static text for the control. You must use a label to set this property.

For ComboBox, Listbox, and RadioButton controls, the Text property enables you to specify the label for each item in the control. Type the number of the item in the Item property, and then set the Text property for that item. (You must first set the total number of items by using the Lines property.) The Text property is typically set for controls that are not associated with an underlying data source. If the control is bound, the list or button text comes from the underlying data source.

ThousandSeparator

Sets the thousands separator for a RealEdit control—None, Comma, Dot, Space, or Apostrophe.

TimeFormat

Changes the default time format (24 hour or AM/PM).

If this property is set to Auto, settings are inherited from the extended data type. If this property is also set to Auto on the extended data type, system settings are used.

TimeHours

Determines whether hours should be shown in a TimeEdit control.

TimeMinute

Determines whether minutes should be shown in a TimeEdit control.

TimeSeconds

Determines whether seconds should be shown in a TimeEdit control.

TimeSeparator

Determines the separator between hours, minutes, and seconds in a TimeEdit control (Colon, Dot, Space, Comma, Slash).

TimeZone

The TimeZone property on the UTCDateTime control is a runtime only property (cannot be set in the AOT). Use this property to specify the time zone value to be displayed in the DateTimeEdit control when TimeZoneIndicator resolves to Always and TimezonePreference resolves to No Conversion.

This property has no effect on the date/time value displayed in the DateTimeEdit control.

TimeZoneIndicator

Specifies whether the small icon for displaying the time zone used for conversion from UTC should be visible on the DateTimeEdit control. This property setting is ignored if the TimezonePreference property setting resolves to No Conversion.

The following list shows the valid values for this property, in the sequence that they are listed in the AOT Property window's drop-down list. The corresponding integer value for each label matches its position in the list, starting from 0:

  • 0 – Auto

  • 1 – Never

  • 2 – Always

If the TimezonePreference property resolves to User, the setting of Auto defaults to Always for TimeZoneIndicator. However, if TimezonePreference resolves to No Conversion, the setting of Auto defaults to Never for TimeZoneIndicator.

Auto is overridden if the parent (or another parent in the sequence) is specifically set to a value other than Auto.

If TimeZoneIndicator is explicitly set to Always, and TimezonePreference is explicitly set to No Conversion, the time zone displayed by the icon is UTC.

TimezonePreference

Specifies the time zone that the DateTimeEdit control should use to convert to and from UTC.

The following list shows the valid values for this property, in the sequence that they are listed in the AOT Property window's drop-down list. The corresponding integer value for each label matches its position in the list, starting from 0:

  • 0 – Auto

  • 1 – User

  • 2 – No Conversion

Auto defaults to User. Auto is overridden if the parent (or another parent in the sequence) is specifically set to a value other than Auto.

The User value means the time zone preference configured for the current user.

ToggleButton

Specifies the type of the toggle button. Options are Auto, None, Check, and Radio. The default value is Auto.

AX 2012

ToggleValue

Specifies the type of the toggle button. The default value is Off.

AX 2012

Top

Changes the position of the top of the control.

There are a number of predefined settings or you can specify in pixels an exact position.

TopMargin

Sets in pixels the default top margin of the controls within a container.

TrackSelect

Highlights each element within a ListView control when the user moves the mouse pointer across it.

Transparent

Determines whether the background should be transparent for an Animate control.

TwoClickActivate

Determines whether the items in a ListView control are activated with a double-click.

This property is valid only when the ViewType property is set to Details.

For more information, see OneClickActivate in this topic.

Type

Specifies the type of control. Read-only.

TypeName

Sets the name of the type for a Managed control. Use the fully qualified name of the type.

U

N/A

Underline

Underlines the text for the control.

For more information, see the Font property in this topic.

V

N/A

Value

Sets the initial value for a CheckBox, GuidEdit, IntEdit, Int64Edit, or TimeEdit control.

VerticalSpacing

Changes the amount of space in pixels above and below the control.

ViewEditMode

Specifies whether the control is in read-only mode or enables you to change values.

  • View - Opens as read-only

  • Edit - Opens in edit mode

  • Auto - Opens in appropriate mode

The default is Auto.

AX 2012

ViewType

Defines the appearance of items in a ListView control (for example, with large or small icons).

Visible

Enables you to hide the control.

Tip

You cannot use the Visible property to enforce access restrictions. The user can change the visibility for the controls in the Form Setup dialog. Use the Enabled and NeededAccessLevel Properties instead.

VisibleCols

Limits the number of columns to be displayed for a Grid control. A scroll bar is automatically added to enable scrolling to the remaining columns.

When set to Auto, all columns are displayed.

VisibleRows

Limits the number of rows to be displayed for a Grid control. A scroll bar is automatically added to enable scrolling to the remaining rows.

When set to Auto, all rows are displayed.

W

N/A

Width

Changes the width in pixels of the control.

Tip

For more information about using the Height and Width properties, see the tutorial_arrange form.

See also

Form Controls Overview

Overview of Form Control Types

Best Practices for Form Control Properties

Form Data Source Properties

Form Design Properties

Announcements: New book: "Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3" now available. Get your copy at the MS Press Store.