Adding a Multi-line Entry Field with Scroll Bars

Finally, you can add the "Comments" entry field. To make room for this field, enlarge the painting window.

1. Select the window.
2. Use the resize handle to resize the window, as you learned previously.

You can make the window even larger than you need to, to give yourself plenty of room in which to work. Later, after you have added the "Comments" field, you can make the window smaller, to just comfortably contain the form and to leave a reasonable margin.

Now, add the "Comments" field. The data length of the comments would likely be quite long. (Let's assume up to 500 characters.) However, you're not eager to devote a large amount of screen space to this field.

The solution is to make the "Comments" field a multi-line entry field with a scroll bar. This approach enables large amounts of data to be entered and viewed, but, because only a portion of the data is visible at one time, not too much screen space is required. The scroll bar enables the end-user to adjust the portion of the text visible in the field at any time.

3. Add the label and entry fields, as you previously learned to do.
4. Size the entry field to match the "Address" frame, and align and space the label and entry field to create a pleasing appearance.

In sizing the field, also adjust its height so that it is about twice as high as a regular entry field.

5. Assign a unique name to the entry field, and appropriately modify the label field.
6. Open the Edit Entry Field dialog box, and change the Data Value Length to 500. Under Style, switch on the Multi-line and Scroll Bars options by selecting the appropriate check boxes. If Visible Lines is not set to 3, set it now.
7. Select the OK button, or press Enter to accept the change.

The height of the "Comments" field is adjusted so that it contains enough room for two visible lines of text.

Your form might now look like the following:

The completed Comments field.