Creating Forms

You can use forms to give your users a familiar interface for viewing and entering data into a database, but forms provide far more than just an interface. Forms provide a rich set of objects that can respond to user (or system) events, so you can make it possible for your users to accomplish their information management tasks as easily and as intuitively as possible.

In This Section

• Designing Forms
  Provides background on the capabilities of the Form designer, with links to topics on creating forms, setting the data environment, and manipulating objects.

• Creation of Single- and Multiple-Document Interfaces
  Describes the two types of applications possible in Visual FoxPro and the types of forms that support both types of interfaces. Includes links to topics dealing with the various form types.

• How to: Extend Forms with Form Sets
  Explains the benefits of including multiple forms as a group in a form set and describes how to create and work with form sets.

• Adding Objects to Forms
  Lists the types of objects you can add to a form and offers background on the two categories of objects in Visual FoxPro: containers and controls. Provides links to topics on adding containers and controls to forms.

• Customizing Forms
  Provides instructions on how to change text fonts and sizes, add shapes and lines to a form, add graphics to a form, and set the foreground and background colors of a form.

• How to: Add Properties and Methods to a Form
  Includes instructions on how to add a new property to a form, create an array property, create a new method for a form, and include a file in a form. Provides links to topics on manipulating objects, defining form behavior, and editing event and method code.

Related Sections

• Creating the User Interface
  Using Visual FoxPro forms, classes, controls, menus, and toolbars, you can build interfaces that help users gain access to the full potential of your programs.

• Working with Forms
  After creating your form, you can run, hide, or alter it in different ways.

• Using Controls
  Controls manage the interactions between users and your application. Visual FoxPro offers a variety of controls to enhance your application interface.

• Designing Menus and Toolbars
  A good menu system tells your users a lot about the design and structure of your application. Planning menus and toolbars carefully can improve the usability of your application and provide immediate access to common tasks.