topic Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization in LabVIEW

Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

Andrey_Dmitriev — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 11:56:13 GMT

Hi, all!

I would like to customize Tabs on the Tab Control. More exactly - I would like to add bevels to the tabs as shown below:

Is it theoretically possible? May be some workarounds exists?

with best regards,

Andrey.

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

TiTou — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:18:02 GMT

Hello Andrey,

for what kind of weird reason do you need the one on the right and not the one on the left ??

I only could found these... Apart from drawing your own which I reckon will be a pain, I think you`ll have to go with one already existant...

Message Edité par TiTou le 06-20-2006 02:18 PM

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

Andrey_Dmitriev — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:28:03 GMT

Hi, TiTou,

This requirement coming from corporate UI Guidelines, where shapes of Tabs strongly predefined. I can do required "skinning" for most controls which can be customezed, but unfortunately not for Tab Control...

Andrey.

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

TiTou — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:34:31 GMT

Well... that is quite restrictive... in my company we also must respect some rules to have similar user interface for any soft, which is often well-concidered by our customers.
but too much is too much... I hope you'll find a way ;), goo luck !

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

unclebump — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:39:24 GMT

Maybe you could find a third party activex control that will let you do this.

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

Ben — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:41:14 GMT

You could do this using the picture control can be used to display different images of false tab pages behind a tab control that is transparent. The tabs in the picture control can then be monitored for key clicks to switch the tab page and change the background image.

That is probably to much work!

If "close counts" (as in atom bombs and handgranades) then adding a small image to the tab may help.

See attached example.

Otherwise...

See this thread

http://forums.ni.com/ni/board/message?board.id=BreakPoint&message.id=14&jump=true

for a lot of links to examples of the picture control.

Ben

Message Edited by Ben on 06-20-2006 07:42 AM

Message Edited by Ben on 06-20-2006 07:44 AM

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

unclebump — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:35:59 GMT

You can turn off the display of the original tabs in the right click visible items menu. Then make your own tab display out of pictures or other controls.

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

unclebump — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:46:24 GMT

You may also be able to use the image only tab layout.

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

Ben — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:53:07 GMT

Excellent suggestions uncle!

Ben

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

unclebump — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:02:08 GMT

Here is a transparent tab control with image tabs only. A raised box decoration was put on each tab page in the back of all controls.

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

Andrey_Dmitriev — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:06:05 GMT

Thanks a lot for answers, suggestions and ideas, but solution with pictures a little bit hard for realization, because text also must present, and this text must be translated to different languages... In additonal, the background color of active/inactive tabs must be differ... See below how it should be realized:

but I will play a little bit with pictures on the tabs...

Andrey.

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

unclebump — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:39:47 GMT

I think you may have to buy an activex control to get something like this. I don't know if the new Xcontrols could do this. Since we were on the subject, here is a vi to get the tab control into a picture indicator.

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

unclebump — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:49:37 GMT

This one seems to be the leading activex tab control.

http://www.fpoint.com/products/tab/tab.aspx

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

Dennis_Knutson — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:52:52 GMT

If you have corporate guidelines for tab controls, then I would assume that other departments that use different programming languages have already created or bought an ActiveX control that meets the standards. I think you should try contacting other people where you work. At the very least, contact the authors of the guidelines and ask them where they saw this particular type of tab control.

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

Andrey_Dmitriev — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 10:23:01 GMT

Dennis,

Sure, we have ActiveX which meets standards. This is skinning with WindowBlinds. But interferences with LabVIEW application are too much when skinning is used. In general I able to make skinning, but then some screen effects are present (black gaps in menu, some issues in dialogs, etc.) Some issues here. As result I would like to avoid any to use any third-party component and meet standard only with native LabVIEW customization...

Andrey.

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

Dennis_Knutson — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 14:06:56 GMT

I've never used WindowBlinds but I'm not surprised that there might be compatilbility issues. LabVIEW windows, controls, and indicators are implemented differently than the vast majority of mswin applications. NI has done this on purpose to maintain compatibility to it's Mac and Uniz versions and the LabVIEW implementations in fact, pre-date anything from microsoft.

Re: Tab Control - UI Tabs Customization

TiTou — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 14:27:23 GMT

Wow... Dennis you really seem to know every last thing around LabVIEW... It's always interesting to read your posts because you not only know how things work but also why they work this way (which is certainly the best way to remember how they work 😉)