Creating custom dialog boxes
You can create custom dialog boxes in Quattro Pro. Dialog boxes are stored on the Objects sheet and saved with the notebook in which they are created.
You can add controls to dialog boxes. When you add a control to a dialog box, it is inactive. For example, list boxes do not contain information and check boxes are not linked to anything. For information about activating controls and buttons, see “Attaching actions to dialog box controls.”
Adding labels to dialog box controls lets you identify the purpose of each control. Some controls have a label text property that is used to display a label with the control (for example, buttons).
You can hide controls when they are not relevant.
Whenever a change is made to the dialog box, you can test the dialog box and its controls. For example, you can test a new control after assigning properties or creating links to see if the control behaves in the manner intended. When in Test mode, the dialog box displays as it will in the application. In Test mode, you cannot activate any other windows to display as the active object unless you have configured a control in the dialog box to do so. For example, you can have a second custom dialog box display only when you click a button on the first dialog box.
For more information about controls, see “Properties of dialog box controls” and “Properties of form controls.”
To create a custom dialog box |  |
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1.
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Click Tools
 Macro Dialog designer. |
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2.
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Right-click the dialog box background, and click Dialog properties
Name. |
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3.
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Type a name for the title bar in the Enter text box.
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4.
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Click OK.
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5.
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Right-click the dialog box background, and click Dialog properties
Title. |
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6.
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Type a title in the Enter text box.
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You cannot save a file when creating a custom dialog box unless you deactivate the dialog designer by clicking the spreadsheet.
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Password protection rights can be assigned to dialog boxes. For information about working with passwords, see “Using password protection.”
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You can also create a dialog box on the Objects sheet by clicking the Quick tab
 button at the bottom of the application window, and clicking the Create dialog box button. |
To add a control to a dialog box | |
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1.
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Click the Quick tab
button at the bottom of the application window to display the Objects sheet. |
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2.
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Double-click a dialog box.
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3.
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Click Insert, and click a control to add.
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4.
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In the dialog box, drag diagonally to create the control.
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5.
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Right-click the control, and click Connect.
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6.
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Type the cell reference in the Target field.
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If you want to immediately send control value changes to a cell or another control, enable the Dynamic connection check box.
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For information about the behavior of specific controls, see “Understanding dialog box controls.”
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If you want to customize a control, right-click the control, click Properties, and click any option in the submenu that displays.
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To add a label to a dialog box control | |
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1.
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Click the Quick tab
button at the bottom of the application window to display the Objects sheet. |
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2.
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Double-click a dialog box.
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3.
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Click Insert
Label text. |
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4.
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Click where you want to add the label.
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If you need more room, drag the control to a new location.
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5.
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Double-click the label.
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6.
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Type the label text.
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You can also add a label to a dialog box by clicking the Label
 tool on the property bar. |
To hide a control on a dialog box | |
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1.
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Click the Quick tab
button at the bottom of the application window to display the Objects sheet. |
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2.
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Double-click a dialog box.
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3.
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Right-click a control, and click Properties
Hidden Yes. |
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When the Hidden property is applied, the control still displays in the dialog window while you are editing, but will disappear when you test the dialog box with the Test
 button. |
To test a dialog box | |
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1.
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Click the Quick tab
button at the bottom of the application window to display the Objects sheet. |
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2.
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Double-click a dialog box.
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3.
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Click the Test
button on the property bar. |
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4.
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Test the dialog box.
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