User Forms Editor

Applies to TestComplete 15.62, last modified on March 14, 2024

The User Forms editor lets you design custom forms that you can display during the test execution. It allows you to place components on the form, arrange them and also create event handlers for handling events raised by the components.

Here is the sample view of the User Forms editor:

Opening the Editor

To display the editor, do the following:

-- or --

  • Right-click the form under the User Forms node and select Edit from the context menu.

Information on the Editor

The editor area is divided into several parts:

  • The form with the sizing grid is displayed in the center area. The grid step is specified by the Grid step option and is 8 pixels by default.

  • All available components that you can use in your forms are listed in the Components pane (by default, it is situated on the left of the editor). If the Components pane is not visible, right-click somewhere in the editor and select Show Components Palette from the context menu. The components are organized into several categories - Editors, Dialogs, and so on. You can switch from one category to another by clicking the category tab or selecting it in the Categories list on the top of the pane.

  • In the Properties pane (which is by default situated on the right of the editor), you can view properties and events of the component that is currently selected on the form. If the Properties pane is not visible, right-click somewhere in the editor and select Show Properties from the context menu. The Properties panel has two pages - Properties and Events. To display the corresponding page, use the Properties or Events button in the top of the pane.

The list on the top of the Properties pane lists all form components. It displays the component name as well as the component class. You can use this list to quickly switch from one component to another without selecting the component on the form.

The Properties page lets you view and change the component properties. Each component has various properties that let you configure the component size, appearance, behavior and so on. If a component’s property is an object, the property value cell displays the object class in the parenthesis, for example, “(TcxButtonColors)”. If this object has child properties, you can view them by expanding the parent property’s node.

Almost all components can raise events. The list of events that occur in the component that is currently selected is displayed on the Events page. Here you can view and specify routines for handling events that occur in the form components. You can create new script routines for handling a particular event as well as specify the existing routine to handle the event. See Handling Events in User Forms.

Note that the layout of editor panels can be customized. You can move the editor panels to another location or temporarily hide panels. See Docking.

Common Tasks You Can Accomplish in the Editor

To add a new component to the form

To modify component properties

To change the form size

To specify the form caption

To add an event handler for a component

To select multiple components on a form

To delete one or several components from the form

To save the changes

To change the grid step

To position the component within the form

To align multiple components on a form

To anchor the component

To set the same size for several components

To change the component’s z-order

To specify the text displayed in the component

To specify the access key for the component

To specify the hint for the component

To set the IME mode for the component

To set the bi-directional mode for the component

To set the tab order for components

To change the component’s visibility

To specify the dialog result for the modal dialog button

See Also

User Forms
List of Available Form Components
Handling Events in User Forms
Working With User Forms in Tests
Entering Passwords

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