x

From the combo box, you can select the fields you want to include as columns in the grid. The list box displays all fields from the Master Files that you specified in the Winform Properties dialog box when you began the tutorial.

To select fields:

• Type the field name in the Field entry field. (The cursor flashes in the entry field when the dialog box opens).
• Alternatively, move the cursor to the desired field and press Enter. If you do not see the field in the Field list box, move the cursor into the box and press PF7 or PF8 to scroll the box (or use the scroll bar).

In either case, after pressing Enter, the field you selected and the length from the Master File appear in the Grid Field List.

Try it now: For this tutorial, select the following fields:

• <Row Number>. This is a system-generated column that displays the sequence number of each row. It enables the user to identify the current position in the stack. When selected, it becomes the first grid column.
• Model.
• BodyType.
• Dealer_Cost.
• Retail_Cost.

As you select fields, the list of selected fields grows. You can edit this list in several ways:

• You can change the default field length (that is, column width) by typing over the length. The default is obtained from the Master File.
• You can delete columns by moving the cursor over a particular column name and pressing PF9. Another way to do this is to move the cursor to the column name, press Enter, and click the Delete button.
• You can move columns around by using a combination of Delete (PF9) and Paste (PF2). To move a column, first delete it as described in the previous paragraph. Next, move the cursor to the row preceding the desired position. Press PF2. The deleted column is inserted in the position you specified.

x

Below the list of available fields are two boxes indicating the grid's source and destination stacks. You specify BodyStack as both the source and the destination.

Try it now: In each box, click the down-arrow button. When the Painter displays a list of available stacks, select BodyStack.

After adding the five fields and changing the stacks, the dialog box looks similar to the following:

x

Because you previously protected the Country and Car fields from editing, the current default is Protected. Leave the Model and BodyType columns protected, because they are key fields in the Master File, but unprotect the Dealer_Cost and Retail_Cost fields.

Try it now: To protect or unprotect a column, move the cursor to the column (in this case, Dealer_Cost) and press PF5 to edit.

The Painter displays the following dialog box:

1. Uncheck the Protected check box and click OK to confirm.
2. Repeat the previous process to unprotect the Retail_Cost column. You may find the column already unprotected if you created it after you changed the default for Dealer_Cost.
3. Click OK to confirm the change to Retail_Cost.

   In addition to protecting and unprotecting columns, you can edit other column attributes in the Edit Column dialog box, including length, title, and case-sensitivity.

   Color and data validation (Accepts) are not supported for grids in the current release.

4. Click OK in the Grid dialog box to confirm the grid's design.

After closing the dialog box, the screen looks similar to the following:

Note: The word BodyStack is centered at the top of the box around the grid. This name only appears during the painting process so that the developer can quickly identify which stack is used in that grid. It does not appear when the application is executed.