Form Design

Selection Arrow- This tool does not create form objects, instead it is used in the typical fashion to select, move or resize objects. If you hold down the SHIFT key while using this tool, you can select multiple objects. If you click and drag, the selection tool will draw a box which can be used to select multiple objects as well.

Delete - Use this tool to delete the selected object(s). It does not create objects.

Undo / Redo - Use these tools to undo and redo actions. These tools do not create new objects, although Redo can be used to restore a deleted object.

Add to Library of Objects - Add the currently-selected objects on the dashboard to the Library of Objects so they can be re-used later.

Add objects from the Library of Objects to your dashboard.

Label - This tool allows you to create labels on your form. Labels can contain static text, or can be dynamically filled using the Data Aware property. Labels can also be configured to use a custom cursor when moused over. You can also assign events to labels using the On-Click property.

Shape - This tool allows you to create rectangles, squares, circles and ellipses. You can choose a rounded variation of rectangles and squares. Other features include:

• Creating events when clicked (On-Click property)

Edit Box - This tool allows you to display static text or to collect text input from a user. Edit boxes also support:

• Populating with data (Data Aware property)
• Collecting lists of items (Multi Entry property)
• Setting to Read Only

Memo - This tool allows you to display or collect multi-line input from a user (scroll bars will be added as needed). Memo Fields also support:

• Populating with data (Data Aware property)
• Collecting lists of items (Multi Entry property)
• Setting to Read Only

Date Edit - This tool allows you to collect date input from a user. The user can either type in a date, or click the icon to bring up a calendar. Date display format is controlled by the local PC regional settings, although the date itself is handled internally in a standard format regardless of local PC settings. Date Edit objects also support:

• Populating with data (Data Aware property)
• Ability to default "today" or a fixed date
• Ability to define first day of the week

Click the link for more information on date handling and formatting.

Image - This tool allows you to add images to your DataBlock. When you add an image, you have three options:

1. Image stored in the DataBlock - This option allows you to browse for an image on your hard disk and store the image statically in the DataBlock.
2. Image stored on an accessible server - This option allows you to link to an image that is stored in a location accessible to the MAP Server. This is useful as the image itself can be changed without having to update your DataBlocks (assuming the location and filename remain the same). Note that this location can be dynamic by incorporating expression logic in the path name. Remember that the location of the image must be accessible to the MAP Server and the location is relative to MAPS, not the local PC.
3. Image retrieved from a variable - This option allows the image to be inserted from a database query (or other Argos variable). This can be very useful for dynamically displaying data-driven images. You will need to specify which variable holds the image and the MIME type of the stored image.

Image objects can be set to autosize (to match the exact size of the image) or you can turn that property off and enable stretch if you need to make the image larger or smaller.

Drop-down - Create a list of options for the user in a drop-down object. The source of the choices can be manually entered, or dynamically generated from a SQL statement. Note that drop-down objects only display a single field. If your query returns more than one field, Argos will prompt you for which field to display (use a multi-column list box to display more than one column). The other SQL fields are still available for use, they just cannot be displayed. Drop-down objects also support:

• Ability to automatically select first list item (Auto Select property)
• Customized column headers (Columns property)
• Ability to type in a choice (Free Type property). Free Type allows users to enter their own custom value in the drop-down. Note that if the list box value is used in a SQL statement, this may allow users to search for data beyond what the designer originally intended. Free Type is only available when viewing the dashboard in the Argos client, not the Web Viewer.

Check Box - Create a check box to gather Boolean (Yes/No) input from users. You can define the value of the object when it is checked and when it is unchecked, and the default state.

List Box - Display a single column of data and allow users to select one or more items from the list (scroll bars will be added as needed). You can enter items manually, or generate them dynamically with a SQL statement. Note that List Box objects only display a single field. If your query returns more than one field, Argos will prompt you for the field to display. The other SQL fields are still available for use, but cannot be displayed. If you need to display more than one column, use a multi-column list box instead.

List Box objects support:

• Ability to automatically select first list item (Auto Select property)
• Customized column headers (Columns property)
• Ability to select multiple list items (Multi Select property)
• Ability to show the list item count (Show Item Count property)

Radio Buttons- allows for the creation of a panel containing of any number of radio buttons. Radio button choices can be manually entered or dynamically generated from an SQL query. The value of the selected radio button will be stored in the variable associated with the radio button panel. For example, in the column to the right, if "Second option" is selected at runtime, "Second option" will be stored in the variable.

• To manually create radio buttons, select the radio button icon on the toolbar, then click within the work area to add the radio panel. Click the "Choices" property then select "Manual Entries". You will then be prompted to enter the choices to be displayed for each button. For example, in the column to the right, "First option, Second option, Third option" were entered as the choices. At runtime, the choice associated with the selected radio button will populate the variable. For example, if "Second option" was selected at runtime, the variable for the radio button will contain "Second option".
• To dynamically create radio buttons, add the radio button as described above, but in this case after clicking "Choices", select "SQL statement". The Visual Query Builder will then appear where you can create a query to return values that will be displayed as choices for radio buttons. If your SQL query returns more than one field, Argos will prompt you for which field to display. The other SQL fields are still available for use, they just are not displayed. As above, at runtime the value of the selected radio button will populate the associated variable. A maximum of 100 radio buttons can be created. If your query creates larger number, an error message will be displayed.

Button - Create buttons which can be used to control when other objects are run, which form is displayed, etc. The On Click property is of special importance to button objects as it is used to define what occurs when a user clicks the button. The value of the button variable is undefined until it is clicked, at which point it takes on a value of 1. This can be a useful way to control when SQL queries run as Argos will not run a query if one of its dependent variables is undefined. So by placing a line into the WHERE clause of a query like the following, you can ensure that the query will not execute until the button is depressed (replace "button" with the name of your button object):

WHERE :button IS NOT NULL

Panel and Scroll box - Create an area on which other objects can be placed. Objects placed onto a panel or scroll box become children of their parent object. Both panels and scroll boxes operate in essentially the same fashion except that scroll boxes automatically create scrollbars as needed. While neither object stores text, both allow you to define a default font. Objects placed onto the panel or scroll box will "inherit" their parents’ font settings. You can, of course, override the parent font settings by setting an objects’ font directly.

OLAP Data Cube - Create On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) Data Cubes. Consult the OLAP section for more information.