Font Chooser dialog box

Collection Editor dialog box

### GridControl

This control inserts a customizable grid of columns and rows into your template. This unique control is more than just a standard table though. In fact, you can program the individual cells, rows, or columns using expressions to display specific information from your database. See "Expressions".

As with the other controls, you can easily resize and move this object to a new location. When you resize this object, be aware that the software dynamically sizes the columns and rows to fit the object's new size.

Accessing the Grid Property Dialog Box

Once you insert a GridControl, select it, double-click on it to activate it, click in a cell, and then right-click to display a the Grid Property dialog box. This dialog box gives you powerful formatting and editing abilities that let you program each grid cell to your individual specifications.

Grid Property Dialog Box

The Grid Property dialog box

Cell type - Lets you configure what you will insert into the specific cell. Options are:

- Text - This lets you type straight text or an expression command into the Cell Expression box. The evaluated expression or the straight text appears in the cell.

- Image - This inserts an image into the cell. You can select it using the Select button.

- Expression - This box lets you type an expression into the cell. Datapage+ evaluates the expression when it uses the template to display the actual report data. Use the Cell expression list for available expressions.

Select - This button lets you choose an image to display inside of the selected cell. If you select image from Cell type, the Select button becomes enabled so you can choose an image to display.

Cell expression - This list lets you choose an expression to use in the cell. This expression will be used if Cell type is set to Expression. Also, see "Expressions" for descriptions of the available expressions.

Cell height and Cell width - These boxes let you define the cell's height and width in pixels. Note that if you modify a height, all cells in that row are modified. If you change the width, all cells in that column are modified. If you have varying heights and widths among multiple cells, the Even Widths and Even Heights buttons even out the height and width among the selected cells.

Cell justification - These buttons let you set the alignment of the text within the cell, either vertically or horizontally. If horizontal, your can align the text to the left, the center, or the right of the cell. If vertical, you can align the text to the top, the middle, or the bottom.

Horizontal Alignment Buttons

- Left - Aligns the text with the left side of the cell.

- Center - Aligns the text horizontally in the center of the cell.

- Right - Aligns the text with the right side of the cell.

Vertical Alignment Buttons

- Top - Aligns the text with the top of the cell.

- Middle - Aligns the text vertically in the middle of the cell.

- Bottom - Aligns the text with the bottom of the cell.

Font - This button accesses the Font Chooser dialog box
. You can use this dialog box to modify the cell's font, font style, font weight, font size, affects, as well as change its font color. Any text in that cell is then modified to use these font properties.

Background Color - This button opens a Color dialog box, allowing you to choose a color for the cell's background.

Text Color - This button opens a Color dialog box, allowing you to choose a color for the cell's text.

erge Cells - This button merges multiple cells together into one cell.

Unmerge Cells - This button splits previously merged cells into their original and previous unmerged state.

roperties

The following properties are available for this control.

Left - This determines the position of the control from the left side of the canvas.

Top - This determines the position of the control from the top side of the canvas.

OutsideFrame - This determines the type of line used as the grid's border. The options are Thick, Thin, and None.

InsideFrame - This determines the type of line used for the grid's inside lines. The options are Thick, Thin, and None.

FrameColor - The color box shows the current color used for the grid's lines. The button to the right shows the Color Selection dialog box, allowing you to change the grid's line.

LabelType - Since the GridControl can be used in different contexts, this property defines that context for this control. For example, you can use the GridControl in the Template Builder with a Header and Footer; or you can use the GridControl inside a label template to display information for a specific data source available on the drop-down list in Datapage+'s side bar: Feature_Variable, Dimension_Variable, Feature, and Dimension.

Data Sources in Datapage+

The LabelType property contains these options: HeaderAndFooter, Variable, Feature, and Dimension. You must choose the item that corresponds to the source of the data being sent to the GridControl. For example, if your GridControl will be in a header or footer of a report template, then choose HeaderAndFooter. If it will be used in a label template to display information from the Feature_Variable or Dimension_Variable data source, choose Variable. By default, this is set to HeaderAndFooter automatically when using the Template Builder. It is set to Variable when creating custom labels.

IsTransparent - If you mark this check box, the label's background will be transparent. If you clear this check box, the label's background will be white.

ColumnDefinitions - The ... button lets you add columns to this control. Clicking it displays a Collection Editor
dialog box which lists columns as column definitions. By default it always lists [0]ColumnDefinition. To add a column, click Add Item. The column is inserted into the control and listed in the dialog box. To delete a column, select the desired column definition from the dialog box and click Delete Item.

RowDefinitions - The ... button lets you add rows to this control. Clicking it displays a Collection Editor dialog box which lists the rows as row definitions. By default it always lists [0]RowDefinition. To add a row, click Add Item. The row is inserted into the control and listed in the dialog box. To delete a row, select the desired column definition from the dialog box and click Delete Item.

Name - This provides the control with a unique name. If you have more than one control of the same type on the canvas, the software will append a number to the name of the control to make it unique. You can change this to whatever name you want as long as it remains unique from other controls.

Width - This sets the width of the control. If you click the Auto icon , the width expands or shrinks to match the width used by the canvas.

Height - This sets the height of the control. If you click the Auto icon , the height expands or shrinks to match the height used by the canvas.