Question about tabbing

[Martin Francom]

When you TAB through the "Tab Ordered" controls on a form,  what is suppose to happen when you get to the last control in the "Tab Order"    does the focus move from the last control to the first control in the "Tab Order"  ?

I would think that that is what is supposed to happen.  But it doesn't seem to work that way.  When I "tab" way from the last control in the "Tab Order" the focus seems to get lost.


 

[Rolf Brandt]

I have no problems with that. The focus always goes in a circle, that is it jumps from the last to the first control in the tab order.

[Martin Francom]

Yes,
   I have tried to make a simple program to illistrate the problem but have not been able to do so. 
   The form that is having a problem has 40 or so control of various types on it. I was thinking the some stray label or command control had a Tab stop inadvertantly set.  But after pressing the tab key many times the focus never circled back.
   Would there be some way to use  ZTRACE  to see which control has the focus as the Tab Key is pressed to change the focus from one control to another ?

[Roger Garstang]

Are there any listviews or multiline textboxes or something that takes focus and tab isn't passed to the default window handler? That along with stray controls with tabstops, but even then it cycles through labels and such and should come around.

[Martin Francom]

Roger,   Ahhh, yes.... of coarse....   I think your probably right.  I will test that idea.

[Martin Francom]

That may not be the problem.   I found the program is Tab Stopping at an Option Group even though the Option Group has the Tab Stop turned off.   I tried to duplicate this with a simple program but Tabing worked correctly something else must be going on in this more complex Form.  I will play with it a bit more to if I can find the source of the problem.

[Martin Francom]

Ok, I sort of have attached an example program that demostrates the problem.  What the example shows is that even though  "Tab Stop" has been removed from the Option Control  When you tab through the TabStop controls, the program still stops at the Option Control even though it's TabStop had been removed.

In this example if you continue tabbing you will loop back to the beginning.  However when this form is a child form of a FireSpitter Control then the Tabbing process gets lost and will not loop back to the beginning after errantly stopping at the Option Control. 

I no doubt have made a programming error somewhere, but I can't see it.  I have double checked to make sure all the Option button Controls have the "Tab Stop" property turned off.  Hopefully, someone here can spot my error and set me straight.   

[Cho Sing Kum]

An OptionButton that is set to true will have tabstop automatically. This is Windows behaviour.

I think the problem may be the FireSplitter.

I created a test with the FireSplitter. The form on the left has several TextBoxes and the right has only 1. All with tabstop.

The tabbing works alright starting from the left top TextBox but after the last one on the left, it went off - did not get to the TextBox on the right and did not return.

Edit: "An OptionButton that is enabled..." changed to "An OptionButton that is set to true..."

[Roger Garstang]

Aren't each "panels" of a Splitter considered a form though?  Tabbing on one panel wouldn't jump to another panel without code.  May mean tab options for the Splitter control properties like once done with one cycle what panel to move to next, etc.  It is probably putting focus on the splitter control or something at the end of the cycle.

[Martin Francom]

Roger,  I think Cho a bit of a different problem than what I am talking about, run the example program and tab throught fields you will see what I mean.
 

[Cho Sing Kum]

Hi Marty,

I ran your sample. I also put it in a FireSplitter and ran it. I do not have a different problem - it is my finding from running your sample.

The OptionButton bahave as Windows designed it to when it is "checked/True" - the OptionButton "Plan Name" is given the tabstop by Windows even though you did not because it is "checked".

This OptionButton "Plan name" happens to be the last tab stop on your form so coupled with the Windows-given tabstop give the impression it is the problem when it is not.

Try do this - unchecked it in the designer and I am sure your impression of the OptionButton being the problem will change.

Just my findings. Trying to help that's all. I still learn about tabbing with FireSplitter.

ps: I counter-check the OptionButton tabstop characteristics in VB6, same behaviour.

[Martin Francom]

Cho,  Thanks.... That's a good explanation for the behavior is was seeing. 

If I don't have any of the options buttons  set to check in the control's properties then the compiler (??) won't set it to a Tab stop. 

If the option control is set to check at RUN time,  will windows add the control to the tab stops?   Well, I will test it and find out.
 

[Cho Sing Kum]

Hi Marty,

From what I understand looking at the CODEGEN files that FF3 creates, the settings are applied in codes in the compiled exe. This means that the OptionButton checked/unchecked is applied during runtime.

As a test. I created 3 OptionsButtons (with OptionButton2 checked) and then look at the CODEGEN. This what I found in there. Notice the SendMesage at te end of each Create?

Code Select Expand

    '------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ' Create OPTION1  [OptionButton] control.
    '------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    hWndControl = CreateWindowEx( %WS_EX_LEFT Or %WS_EX_LTRREADING, _
                                  "Button", _ 
                                  "Option1", _
                                  %WS_CHILD Or %WS_VISIBLE Or %BS_TEXT Or %BS_NOTIFY Or %BS_AUTORADIOBUTTON _
                                  Or %BS_LEFT Or %BS_VCENTER Or %WS_GROUP, _
                                  8, FLY_ClientOffset + 128, _
                                  96, 24, _
                                  hWndForm, IDC_FORM1_OPTION1, _
                                  App.hInstance, ByVal %Null )
   
    ff = FLY_SetControlData( hWndControl, %TRUE, %TRUE, _
                      "MS Sans Serif,-11,0,0,0,400,0,0,0,0,1,2,1,34", 0, %TRUE, _
                      %TRUE, %TRUE, %COLOR_WINDOWTEXT, _
                      %COLOR_BTNFACE, -1, CodePtr(FORM1_CODEPROCEDURE) )

    ' Set the Tag properties for the Control
    FF_Control_SetTag hWndControl, ""
    FF_Control_SetTag2 hWndControl, ""
     
    HWND_FORM1_OPTION1 = hWndControl

    SendMessage hWndControl, %BM_SETCHECK, %BST_UNCHECKED, 0



                                 

    '------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ' Create OPTION2  [OptionButton] control.
    '------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    hWndControl = CreateWindowEx( %WS_EX_LEFT Or %WS_EX_LTRREADING, _
                                  "Button", _ 
                                  "Option2", _
                                  %WS_CHILD Or %WS_VISIBLE Or %BS_TEXT Or %BS_NOTIFY Or %BS_AUTORADIOBUTTON _
                                  Or %BS_LEFT Or %BS_VCENTER, _
                                  8, FLY_ClientOffset + 152, _
                                  96, 32, _
                                  hWndForm, IDC_FORM1_OPTION2, _
                                  App.hInstance, ByVal %Null )
   
    ff = FLY_SetControlData( hWndControl, %TRUE, %TRUE, _
                      "MS Sans Serif,-11,0,0,0,400,0,0,0,0,1,2,1,34", 0, %TRUE, _
                      %TRUE, %TRUE, %COLOR_WINDOWTEXT, _
                      %COLOR_BTNFACE, -1, CodePtr(FORM1_CODEPROCEDURE) )

    ' Set the Tag properties for the Control
    FF_Control_SetTag hWndControl, ""
    FF_Control_SetTag2 hWndControl, ""
     
    HWND_FORM1_OPTION2 = hWndControl

    SendMessage hWndControl, %BM_SETCHECK, %BST_CHECKED, 0



                                 

    '------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ' Create OPTION3  [OptionButton] control.
    '------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    hWndControl = CreateWindowEx( %WS_EX_LEFT Or %WS_EX_LTRREADING, _
                                  "Button", _ 
                                  "Option3", _
                                  %WS_CHILD Or %WS_VISIBLE Or %BS_TEXT Or %BS_NOTIFY Or %BS_AUTORADIOBUTTON _
                                  Or %BS_LEFT Or %BS_VCENTER, _
                                  8, FLY_ClientOffset + 184, _
                                  95, 32, _
                                  hWndForm, IDC_FORM1_OPTION3, _
                                  App.hInstance, ByVal %Null )
   
    ff = FLY_SetControlData( hWndControl, %TRUE, %TRUE, _
                      "MS Sans Serif,-11,0,0,0,400,0,0,0,0,1,2,1,34", 0, %TRUE, _
                      %TRUE, %TRUE, %COLOR_WINDOWTEXT, _
                      %COLOR_BTNFACE, -1, CodePtr(FORM1_CODEPROCEDURE) )

    ' Set the Tag properties for the Control
    FF_Control_SetTag hWndControl, ""
    FF_Control_SetTag2 hWndControl, ""
     
    HWND_FORM1_OPTION3 = hWndControl

    SendMessage hWndControl, %BM_SETCHECK, %BST_UNCHECKED, 0

I think Roger explaned the "problem" very well.

The panels in the FireSplitter are bascially forms. Tabbing to the end of one panel/form will not make it jump to another panel/form unless you put your own codes to do the jump.

As to why it does not cycle back to the beginning, I do not know. And I think this is either the issue or it is by design.

[Cho Sing Kum]

Hi Marty,

I created a simple test project (attached below).

The 3 OptionButton all without TabStop and all Unchecked at design time.

One Command button set Option2 to Checked. The other Command button uncheck all the 3 OptionButton.

Playing around shows that whether the OptionButton is checked via code at runtime or mouse-clicked at runtime, Windows will automatically gives it tabstop.

Again, I do not think this is the issue, but rather that you have the form in the FireSplitter as explained earlier.

[Paul Squires]

The "problem" is that the FireSplitter does not have the %WS_EX_CONTROLPARENT style set. I'll modify the custom control code to include that style.