ProvideX V8.20 > Language Reference > 7. Control Object Properties
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Compound Properties
Initially, control object properties were introduced to provide dynamic access to the
basic attributes of a control object in ProvideX. The original list of properties covered
obvious features (Height, Font$, Text$) in graphical control objects, but as this list
continues to expand with each new release of ProvideX, so does the variety of
features that can be defined via properties.
Many of the latest properties are designed to provide characteristics and behaviour
that go way beyond what can be defined by directives alone. Most attributes are
defined using individual properties; however, some extended functionality is
contingent on sets of two or more (compound) properties and require more complex
manipulation. The following sections identify and describe these groupings.
Topics
Multi-Property Access
The following properties allow an application to set/get values for more than one
property for a control in a single command:
'_PropList$
Comma separated list of property names to read/write.
'_PropValues$
String that contains values for each of the properties in
'_PropList$.
'_PropSep$
Character used as a field separator between values.
The ability to handle multiple reads is useful for accessing properties across a
WindX/JavX connection, particularly when dealing with an object that has a large
number of properties such as a grid. This can boost performance and reduce the
amount of network traffic.
To retrieve the value of multiple properties, first set '_PropList$, then read
'_PropValues$; e.g.,
G1'_PropList$="CurrentColumn,CurrentRow,Value$"
x$ = G1'_PropValues$
In this example, x$ receives a string containing the values of CurrentColumn,
CurrentRow, and Value$, with each field separated by either the standard SEP
field separator, or with the '_PropSep$ character. Data can then be extracted using
READ DATA; e.g.,