The File Import (
) is a special form object for browsing and choosing files to import that the application can use for some purpose (providing data input, for example). You can also add files to a file library in the Application Builder (see
The Libraries Branch for more information). Enter the name of the file import object in the
Name field.
Enter a title for the file import dialog in the Dialog title field. The dialog title is also the tooltip of the button.
In the File types list, add the types of files that the file browser should display. Click the
Add button (
) to open a dialog box with a list of file types and their associated extensions, which you can add to filter the list of files to display in the browser.
Use the Move Up (
),
Move Down (
), and
Delete (
) toolbar buttons to organize and remove commands from the list.
By default, the Allow entering file name check box is selected so that users can type in a filename in the browser in addition to selecting a file from the list of matching files.
In addition, the Settings window contains the following sections.
This section contains a tree with a filtered view of the trees in the Application Builder and
Model Builder windows. The nodes either represent some sort of file destination or have children that do. The list contains, under
Declaration,
File nodes that you declare. It also contains settings under
Model that support browsing for files. Such a setting is typically a text field with a
Browse button that you find in the
Interpolation function and geometry
Import nodes, for example. In the tree, it appears as a
Filename subnode (for example, under an
Interpolation node). When you select a node that represents a file destination, the
Use as Source toolbar button (
) below the tree becomes enabled. You can also right-click the node and choose
Use as Source. After selecting a node as the source, the node appears as the selected source underneath
Selected source. The file scheme for accessing the file appears next to
Access using. For an
Interpolation node with the tag
int1, for example, the scheme is
upload:///int1/filename. You can also click the
Create New File and Use It as Source button (
) in the
File Declaration section header to create a new variable declaration and use it as the file destination. A
Create and Use File dialog box opens, so that you can specify the filename. The name cannot be in conflict with any existing filename. Click the
Edit Node toolbar button (
) below the tree to move to the corresponding node. If necessary, the program switches to the Model Builder.
The need to specify the alignment is most obvious when working in the grid mode, as it controls how the form object is aligned in its grid cell. Aligning the form object can be useful in the sketch mode too, and you can then use the alignment tools on the Arrange menu in the
Form toolbar’s
Sketch section. When running the application in any client other than the Windows client, the form objects may not be positioned exactly as seen in the form windows. This is because the form objects may have a different size in other clients, giving them a slightly different positioning. Specifying the alignment ensures that the form objects are aligned as you want them to be in all clients.
You can also specify the width of the file browser. Enter a width (in points) in the Width field. If you have chosen
Fill from the
Horizontal alignment list, you can instead specify a
Minimum width. Choose
Automatic to compute the minimum width automatically (typically, this means a minimum size of 0) or choose
Manual to specify a minimum width in the text field underneath. The
Height value is determined by the software.
Additionally, in the sketch mode, you can specify the absolute position of the file browser using the Position x and
Position y fields. In the grid mode, you can position the object in the grid and see the grid position as the
Row,
Column,
Row span, and
Column span values.
Under Cell margin (in grid mode only), you can control the margins around the form object. By default, the margins are taken from the parent form. From the
Cell margin list, choose:
From the Text color list, select a color to use for the file import object’s text:
Inherit (the default; the form object then uses the setting from the Form it is located in), any of the predefined basic colors, or
Custom, which makes it possible to select a custom color from a color palette.
From the Background color list, select a color to use as the background in the file import:
Transparent (the default), any of the predefined basic colors, or
Custom, which makes it possible to select a custom color from a color palette.
The font and the font size for the text use the font settings from the Forms node by default. Select a font from the
Font list:
Default font or any of the available fonts. If needed, choose or enter a font size (in points) in the
Font size combo box. The default font size is
Default size.
You can also select the Bold check box to use a boldface font or the
Italic check box to use italics (an italic font).
Under State, you can control the initial state of the file import object when users run the application. By default, the file import object is visible and enabled. Clear the
Visible or
Enabled check box if you want to make the initial state so that the file import object is hidden or unavailable. You can then make it visible or enable it using a method. In the Form Editor, the state of the form object is indicated by a change in its appearance. Objects that are hidden become visible when selected in the Form Editor.
You can specify a method or command sequence to run when an event such as data entry occurs. The On data change list contains
None (the default) and any available methods or command sequence. You can add the following types of events by choosing from the
Create Global Method menu (
) to the right of the
On data change list:
There can only be one local method and one command sequence so if you add one or both of them, the menu will instead contain Remove Local Method (
) and
Remove Command Sequence (
), respectively. Click one of them to delete the local method or command sequence.
The selected method in the On data change list then changes to the created method or command sequence. You can also Ctrl+Alt-click the file input object or right-click it to create a local method or (by choosing
Edit Method or
Edit Local Method) to open the method associated with the command. To open the selected method or command sequence, click the
Go to Source button (
). The focus then moves to the method’s editor window or the
Command Sequence dialog box, respectively.