Form Field Objects

Form field objects deliver both the visual and behavioral characteristics of form and display objects: forms through the form fields that they own directly, and displays through the form fields owned by the forms that the display owns. Form fields are the objects though which data is presented to, and/or accepted from, the application end-user. There are a number of different types of form fields, each of which provides a different of "look and feel" with respect to presenting or accepting data. The layout mode object gallery is primarily populated by icons that represent the different types of form fields. These include frames, option boxes, labels, entry fields, push buttons, check boxes, radio buttons, list boxes, combo boxes, scroll bars, images and graphical objects (such as lines, rectangles etc.). Some types of form fields can also "own" other types of form fields.

Each form field type has different attributes, and there is an attribute edit dialog for each type. This dialog can be displayed in layout mode by double-clicking on the form field. The behavior of all form fields can be verified by invoking test mode. The Zim language includes an extensive suite of commands for dynamically modifying both the visual and behavioral attributes of form fields. The different types of form fields and their characteristics are listed below.

Form Field Object Types

Icon(s)	Object Type	Description
	Option Box	An option box acts as a container object for multiple option radio or option image buttons.
	Frame	A frame acts as a container object for all types of form fields (including other frames).
	Label	A label is the only form field type that is not addressable from the Zim language. A label contains constant text only.
	Entry field	An entry field is most commonly used for displaying and accepting user data.
	Push Button	A push button is used for implementing application execution control.
	Check Box	A check box is used for supporting On/Off or True/False type conditions. Multiple check boxes within the same parent object can be in the same state. Check boxes can use images instead of text.
	Radio Button	A radio button is used for supporting On/Off or True/False type conditions. Multiple radio buttons within the same parent object cannot be in the same state. Radio buttons can use images instead of text.
	List Box	A list box is commonly used for presenting a fixed number of choices to the end-user from which one must be selected.
	Combo Box	A combo box is used for presenting a fixed number of choices to the end-user from which one can be selected, or the user can enter a value that is not a member of the list.
	Scroll Bars	Scroll bars are used for providing the user with a convenient mechanism for scrolling over more data than fits on the screen.
	Graphics	Graphics are used for constructing diagrams. A variety of graphic types are supported.
	Images	Images are used for displaying pictures. Bitmap, icon, and Windows meta file image types are supported.