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DataView Flags

This tab page contains the configuration options related to the data view.

One Record View

While working with Database Explorer, you can see the data in grid or single record view mode. This configuration option sets the default view when opening a table. The value can be changed here, but when you switch from grid to single record view mode or vice versa, the value will change too. The default is OFF.

Datacolumns Minimal Width = Header Label

When creating a grid column, the width will be set to the size of the column in the table definition multiplied by the average character width in the grid based on the current font. The data may display fine, but often the header label shows up truncated. This configuration option tells Database Explorer to set the minimum width of the column to the same value as the width of the header label. The default is OFF.

Skip TEXT Columns

The data grid is not a good control for showing and editing text columns. Therefore, when the size of the text column is above 255 characters, text will show up to that amount in a non-editable way. Alternatively, you can skip the text columns in the data grid. This option tells Database Explorer whether to skip them when building the data grid. The default is OFF.

Autoresize dbForms

When the width of a form in single record view mode is calculated, the size is based on the column width multiplied by the average character width, similar to the data grid. However, Database Explorer does not know how many uppercase characters there will be in the column. Uppercase values require a wider input form. You can change the width with Ctrl + > (and Ctrl + <), and this information can be retained for the next time. It is also possible to auto-size the input forms based on the amount of data. This configuration option determines that. The default is OFF.

Show Column Numbers In Label

This configuration option, when set to ON, adds the sequence number of the table column to the label shown in front of the input control or in the data grid header label. The default is OFF.

Autoclear DEO After Save

This configuration option tells Database Explorer whether to clear the record buffer and input forms after a save occurs. If you want to keep the record visible (for example, to browse to the next one), you should turn this option OFF. The default is ON, which is the same behavior as the DataFlex framework in your own programs.

Always Use Grid Ordering

The sort order of the data in grid mode is determined by the current index. Indexes can be changed via the spin form on the indexes tab page or in the list of tables tree view. Finding a record is done on the main index (DF_FIELD_INDEX) defined for a column in the table definition. With this option, you can override the use of the main index with the chosen index. The default is OFF.

Use RichEdit Control For TEXT Columns

This configuration option tells Database Explorer to use cdbRichEdit controls for all text columns in single record view mode or to use the normal cdbTextEdit control. When a control is cdbRichEdit, the data is stored as RTF, and your program must be prepared for that. Note that this setting applies to all DF_TEXT columns in all opened tables. Writing RTF data into a record can disrupt your program if it is not ready for that. The default is OFF.

Height Edit

This is the only non-flag setting in this group of settings. The value entered here is used for the height when creating an editor (cdbTextEdit or cdbRichEdit) control for text columns. The width of controls can be changed by the operator, but the height cannot be changed. The default is 100.

Use Selection Lists

Database Explorer can create selection lists for all indexed columns in both grid and single record view modes. This configuration option determines whether to create and use them. The default is OFF.

Wrap Text

This configuration option sets the pbWrap property of a cdbTextEdit or cdbRichEdit control in single record view mode. The default is OFF.

Use Color For Negative Values

With this option, you can tell Database Explorer to show negative numbers in a different color than positive numbers. When the column is a DF_BCD, this option is used to determine the color. The color used is configurable via the colors tab page.

Multi Line

Set the Multi Line State to True for text columns in the data grid.

Distinct Values

Maximum Distinct Values (use -1 for no TOP N in SQL statement).

This setting is used for:

  • The example lists of values available when creating a new data filter.
  • A dialog with distinct values for the currently selected column in the data grid.