Form Control Formatting Options

Apache OpenOffice 4.1 Writer Guide

Chapter 15: Using Forms in Writer

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• Introduction to Forms
• When to Use Forms
  • Alternatives to Using Forms in Writer
• Creating a Simple Form
  • Create a Document
  • Open the Form Toolbars
  • Activate Design Mode
  • Insert Form Controls
  • Configure Controls
  • Use the Form
• Form Controls Reference
• Example: a Simple Form
  • Create the Document
  • Add Form Controls
  • Configure Form Controls
  • Finishing Touches
  • Accessing Data Sources
  • Creating a Database
  • Accessing an Existing Data Source
  • Creating a Form for Data Entry
  • Entering Data into a Form
• Advanced Form Customization
  • Linking a Macro to a Form Control
  • Read-Only Documents
  • Fine-Tuning Database Access Permissions
  • Form Control Formatting Options
• XForms

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Form Control Formatting Options

You can customize the way form controls look and behave in a number of ways. These are all accessed in design mode. Right-click on the form control, select Control from the pop-up menu and select the General tab in the Properties dialog box.

• Set a label for the control in the Label box (not to be confused with the box called Label Field). Some form controls, such as push buttons and option buttons, have visible labels that can be set. Others, such as text boxes, do not.
• Set whether the form control will print out if the document is printed with the Print option.
• Use the Font setting to set the font, typeface, and size for a field’s label or for text typed into a field. This setting does not affect the size of check boxes or option buttons.
• For a text box, you can set the maximum text length. This is very useful when adding records into a database. Every database text field has a maximum length and, if the data entered is too long, AOO displays an error message. By setting the maximum text length of the form control to be the same as that of the database field, this error can be avoided.
• You can set the default option for a form control. By default, a control is blank, or has every option unselected. You can set the control to start with a particular option or list item selected.
• For controls where a password is being entered, setting the Password character (for example, to *) displays only that character, but saves what the user really types.
• You can add additional information and help text for a form control.
• Other formatting controls such as background color, 3-D look, text formatting, scroll bars, and borders allow you to further define how the control appears.