The Object Bar

The Object Bar is a toolbar that lets you insert various objects into a template or objects and controls into a form. You can insert text, pictures, multi-media, dialog box controls, special PC-DMIS specific objects, and other items to help you create custom labels, reports, and forms.

This bar appears whenever you enter an editing environment such as the Report Template Editor, the Label Template Editor, the Custom Report Editor, or the Form Editor.

The Object Bar comes in one of these types, one for each editing environment:

Report Template Editor

Label Template Editor

Custom Report Editor

Form Editor

Bitmap Object Analysis Object Pointer Object OLE Object Label Object GridControlObject Dimension Color Key Object TextReportObject CadReportObject ActiveX Object Ellipse Object Arc Object Pointer Object Text Object Line Object Leader Line Object Border Object

Bitmap Object Pointer Object OLE Object Label Object GridControlObject ActiveX Object Graph Object Gauge Object Ellipse Object Arc Object Pointer Object Text Object Line Object Leader Line Object Border Object Label Object Label Object

Bitmap Object Pointer Object OLE Object Label Object Label Object GridControlObject CadReportObject ActiveX Object Graph Object Gauge Object Ellipse Object Arc Object Pointer Object Text Object Line Object Leader Line Object Border Object Label Object Label Object Label Object Label Object

Spinner Object Slider Object Multi Edit Box Object Edit Long Box Object Edit Box Object Edit Double Box Frame Object Ellipse Object Arc Object Gauge Object Pointer Object Bitmap Object ActiveX Object Border Object OLE Object CadImageObject TextVar Object Line Object Leader Line Object Text Object Pointer Object Check Button Object Button Object Graph Object List Box Object Combo Box Object Radio Button Object

Click on object icons in an Object Bar above to view information about that object.

Adding Objects:

To add an object to a template, custom report, or form:

  1. Inside the appropriate editor, access the Object Bar.

  2. Click on the object you want to insert into your report.

  3. Next, hold down the left mouse button and drag a rectangle on your current section.

  4. Finally, release the mouse button.

  5. Upon creation, the object is selected, as shown by small green squares, called handles, at each corner of the object.

Selecting and Manipulating Objects:

To manipulate an object you have to first select it. To select an object, click on the object so that the green handles are showing.

To drag an object to a new location - Select the object. Click and hold the mouse on top of the object, then drag it to the new location. Release the mouse.

To resize an object - Select the object, move your mouse over one of the green handles until it changes to a resize cursor, a line with two arrows. Then click on the handle and drag the mouse to a new location. Release the mouse. The object expands or shrinks.

To change an object's properties - Select the object, right-click on the object so that the Properties dialog box appears. Select properties and change them as desired.

To align, group, ungroup, and perform other operations - Use the Layout Bar or the Edit | Layout and Edit | Order submenus.

Coding Objects to Change Dynamically

For some objects, you can use BASIC scripting to dynamically change certain properties of those objects. For example, you could use code to automatically populate plotted points on a Graph object, or you might want to use the Gauge object like a bar graph of some sort. For an example of how to do this, see the topic, "Example of Using BASIC Scripting to Dynamically Change the Gauge's Value"