Forms

A form presents bound data in various highly customizable formats using a range of controls, such as text edits, number edits, labels, combo box edits, buttons, tables, charts, graphs, etc. The layout is easily customized by using container controls, such as groups, group box and tab sheets.

All of the data that appears in a form is stored in the form's data sources. A control that present data is bound to a data source or to a field within a data source. You can present data from multiple data sources within the same form, and make them aware of each other. For example if you click on a person in a table, edit boxes can appear with the data for that person to be viewed or modified. You can also add data sources which are not bound to any controls. For example, you can add a data source containing exchange rates, and then use these rates for calculating an amount in different currencies.

When you design a form you must consider how to lay out and configure the controls in the form layout designer, to achieve a user friendly interface. This can sometimes be a challenging task, as the form may contain data from many different data sources, which may or may not be dependent on each other. Generally you should organize the controls in a logical manner, group related controls, and only show relevant controls. The primary objective is always that the users can easily see and access the data and functions they require at any time.

Actions can be enabled and made available in the task pane, or from a button or directly from another control.