BUTTON

The BUTTON control represents a button. Within the definition, specify an event that is sent to the adapter when choosing the button.

The following topics are covered below:

Example: Simple Button

graphics/image071.png

The XML layout definition is:

<rowarea name="Buttons">
    <itr>
        <button name="Save As ..." method="saveAs">
        </button>
        <hdist>
        </hdist>
        <button name="Refresh" method="refresh">
        </button>
    </itr>
</rowarea>

Example: Button with Image

graphics/image072.png

The XML layout definition is:

<rowarea name="Buttons">
    <itr>
        <button name="Save" method="onSave" image="../HTMLBasedGUI/images/save.gif">
        </button>
        <hdist>
        </hdist>
        <button name="Remove" method="onRemove" image="../HTMLBasedGUI/images/remove.gif">
        </button>
    </itr>
</rowarea>

Hiding and Disabling Buttons

Buttons (like many other controls) can be dynamically hidden by using the visibleprop property - and referencing to a server side property that decides whether to hide a button or not.

There are two modes of hiding that can be controlled by using the property invisiblemode:

  • If set to "disabled", the button is grayed and is not selectable anymore.

  • If set to "invisible", the button is hidden.

Properties

Basic
name

Text that is displayed inside the control. Please do not specify the name when using the multi language management - but specify a "textid" instead.

Sometimes obligatory  
textid

Multi language dependent text that is displayed inside the control. The "textid" is translated into a corresponding string at runtime.

Do not specify a "name" inside the control if specifying a "textid".

 Sometimes obligatory  
method

Name of the event that is sent to the adapter when the user presses the button.

 Obligatory  
comment

Comment without any effect on rendering and behaviour. The comment is shown in the layout editor's tree view.

 Optional  
Appearance
name (already explained above)    
textid (already explained above)    
image

URL of image that is displayed inside the control. Any image type (.gif, .jpg, ...) that your browser does understand is valid.

Use the following options to specify the URL:

(A) Define the URL relative to your page. Your page is generated directly into your project's folder. Specifiying "images/xyz.gif" will point into a directory parallel to your page. Specifying "../HTMLBasedGUI/images/new.gif" will point to an image of a neighbour project.

(B) Define a complete URL, like "http://www.softwareag.com/images/logo.gif".

 Optional

gif

jpg

jpeg
invisiblemode

This property has three possible values:

(1) "invisible": the control is not visible without occupying any space.

(2) "disabled": the control is deactivated: it is "grayed" and does not show any roll over effects any more.

(3)"cleared": the control is not visible but it still occupies space.

Optional

invisible

disabled

cleared
switchvisibleproponuserinput

If set to TRUE, the visibleprop is automatically switched to TRUE in case of user input to any input control in this page. The default is FALSE.

Optional

true

false
width

Width of the control.

There are three possibilities to define the width:

(A) You do not define a width at all. In this case the width of the control will either be a default width or - in case of container controls - it will follow the width that is occupied by its content.

(B) Pixel sizing: just input a number value (e.g. "100").

(C) Percentage sizing: input a percantage value (e.g. "50%"). Pay attention: percentage sizing will only bring up correct results if the parent element of the control properly defines a width this control can reference. If you specify this control to have a width of 50% then the parent element (e.g. an ITR-row) may itself define a width of "100%". If the parent element does not specify a width then the rendering result may not represent what you expect.

Optional

100

120

140

160

180

200

50%

100%
height

Height of the control.

There are three possibilities to define the height:

(A) You do not define a height at all. As consequence the control will be rendered with its default height. If the control is a container control (containing) other controls then the height of the control will follow the height of its content.

(B) Pixel sizing: just input a number value (e.g. "20").

(C) Percentage sizing: input a percentage value (e.g. "50%"). Pay attention: percentage sizing will only bring up correct results if the parent element of the control properly defines a height this control can reference. If you specify this control to have a height of 50% then the parent element (e.g. an ITR-row) may itself define a height of "100%". If the parent element does not specify a width then the rendering result may not represent what you expect.

Optional

100

150

200

250

300

250

400

50%

100%
imageheight

Pixel height of image inside button.

 Optional

10

20

40

100

300
imagewidth

Pixel width of image inside button.

 Optional

10

20

40

100

300
textstyle

CSS style definition that is directly passed into the text of this control.

With the style you can individually influence the text of the button. You can specify any style sheet expressions. Examples are:

font-weight: bold

color: #FF0000

 Optional

background-color: #FF0000

color: #0000FF

font-weight: bold
buttonstyle

CSS style definition that is directly passed into this control.

With the style you can individually influence the rendering of the control. You can specify any style sheet expressions. Examples are:

border: 1px solid #FF0000

background-color: #808080

You can combine expressions by appending and separating them with a semicolon.

Sometimes it is useful to have a look into the generated HTML code in order to know where direct style definitions are applied. Press right mouse-button in your browser and select the "View source" or "View frame's source" function.

Optional

background-color: #FF0000

color: #0000FF

font-weight: bold
stylevariant

Some controls offer the possibility to define style variants. By this style variant you can address different styles inside your style sheet definition file (.css). If not defined "normal" styles are chosen, if defined (e.g. "VAR1") then other style definitions (xxxVAR1xxx) are chosen.

Purpose: you can set up style variants in the style sheet defintion and use them multiple times by addressing them via the "stylevariant" property. CIS currently offerst two variants "VAR1" and "VAR2" but does not predefine any semantics behind - this is up to you!

Optional

VAR1

VAR2

VAR3

VAR4
align

Horizontal alignment of control in its column.

Each control is "packaged" into a column. The column itself is part of a row (e.g. ITR or TR). Sometimes the size of the column is bigger than the size of the control itself. In this case the "align" property specifies the position of the control inside the column. In most cases you do not require the align control to be explicitly defined because the size of the column around the controls exactly is sized in the same way as the contained control.

If you want to directly control the alignment of text: in most text based controls there is an explicit property "textalign" in which you align the control's contained text.

Optional

left

center

right
valign

Vertical alignment of control in its column.

Each control is "packaged" into a column. The column itself is part of a row (e.g. ITR or TR). Sometimtes the size of the column is bigger than the size of the control. In this case the "align" property specify the position of the control inside the column.

Optional

top

middle

bottom
colspan

Column spanning of control.

If you use TR table rows then you may sometimes want to control the number of columns your control occupies. By default it is "1" - but you may want to define the control to span over more than one columns.

The property only makes sense in table rows that are snychronized within one container (i.e. TR, STR table rows). It does not make sense in ITR rows, because these rows are explicitly not synched.

Optional

1

2

3

4

5

50

int-value
rowspan

Row spanning of control.

If you use TR table rows then you may sometimes want to control the number of rows your control occupies. By default it is "1" - but you may want to define the control to span over more than one columns.

The property only makes sense in table rows that are snychronized within one container (i.e. TR, STR table rows). It does not make sense in ITR rows, because these rows are explicitly not synched.

Optional

1

2

3

4

5

50

int-value
imagedisabled

URL of image that is displayed if the control is disabled. Use properties VISIBLEPROP and INVISIBLEMODE to disable the control.

 Optional

gif

jpg

jpeg
submitbutton

Set this property to true and the button will work as an 'Submitbutton', that is neccessary if you want to transfer and/or save form values.

i.e. password and username or complete search forms

Default value is false.

You should only use a 'Submitbutton' if the withformtag option of the pagebody tag is set true.

 Optional

true

false
tabindex

Index that defines the tab order of the control. Controls are selected in increasing index order and in source order to resolve duplicates.

Optional

-1

0

1

2

5

10

32767
Binding
method (already explained above)    
visibleprop

Name of the adapter parameter that provides the information if this control is displayed or not. As consequence you can control the visibility of the control dynamically.

Optional  
nameprop

Name of an adapter parameter that provides the text to be displayed inside the button. Typically buttons have static texts either defined by the property "name" or "textid". Via "nameprop" you can dynamically set the button's text by your application. Use the nameprop in cases the button's text should change dependent on your logic.

Example: you may want to define the button's text to reflect the next status the user can set to a business object.

 Optional  
titleprop

Name of the adapter parameter that dynamically defines the title of the control. The title is displayed as tool tip when ther user moves the mouse onto the control.

Optional  
imageprop

Name of adapter parameter that provides as value the URL of the image that is shown inside the control.

 Optional  
imagedisabledprop

Name of the adapter parameter that provides as value the URL of the image that is shown when the control is disabled.

 Optional  
focusedprop

Name of the adapter parameter which indicates if the control should receive focus.

Optional  
Online help
title

Text that is shown as tooltip for the control.

Either specify the text "hard" by using this TITLE property - or use the TITLETEXTID in order to define a language dependent literal.

Optional  
titletextid

Text ID that is passed to the multi lanaguage management - representing the tooltip text that is used for the control.

 Optional  
titleprop (already explained above)    
Miscellaneous
testtoolid

Use this attribute to assign a fixed control identifier that can be later on used within your test tool in order to do the object identification

Optional