Changing Choice Field Properties
Adding Choices to a Choice Field
Ordering Choices in a Choice Field
The purpose of a choice list is to allow the user to set conditions according to a selected choice, which will possess an associated integer number for use internally in expression statements.
Choice field properties are adjusted directly in the property form. Simply left-click on the choice field to view its properties and content.
Choice Field Property Form
Appearance:
Display Name: Enter a caption to act as the visible title of the parameter field.
Symbol: Enter a symbolic name for the parameter field, which will be used as a variable name when addressing this parameter within code. Note that this name must be compatible with standard Fortran naming conventions (i.e. it must begin with a non-numeric character, do not include spaces, etc.).
Behaviour:
Condition: Enter an expression (optional) to indicate under what conditions the parameter field is to be enabled. See Expressions Statements and Operators for more details.
Group: Use this property to organize (or group) the display of the fields in the parameter form. All parameter fields that possess the same group name will be grouped together under the group name heading. For example, the image below shows part of an parameter form, where the fields have all been given the same group name (in this case Positive Sequence):
Visibility: Enter an expression (optional) to indicate under what conditions the parameter field is to be visible. See Expressions Statements and Operators for more details.
Data:
Animated: Select True or False. In order to utilize a value parameter field to control animated text label graphics, this property must be set as True. See Animated Graphics for more details.
Edit Items: This property is used to define the list of choices that will be part of the choice field. See Adding Choices to a Choice Field below for details.
Default Value: Use this property to define the default value that will appear in the parameter field when a new component is created. Assume that a user who is not familiar with this component might simply accept your default value for lack of a better value.
Help:
Help Text: Enter a brief statement describing the field. This text will be displayed on the actual input parameter dialog for the component.
Help Mode: Select Append or Overwrite. If Overwrite is selected, only the help text will appear at the bottom of the dialog when the user selects this parameter. If Append is selected, then the prompt text will be appended to the other parameter attribute information displayed.
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Append |
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Choice fields are constructed using the Drop List Editor. To open the editor, left-click on the '...' button in the property form Edit Items property.
The Drop List Editor will appear. To add choices to the list, click the Add button.
The contents of any choice in the list can be modified in the editor window to the right: Within the Members list, left-click on the choice name to select it. To edit the properties of the selected choice, left-click either the Description and/or the Value field.
Note that when adding choices to the choice box, the most important thing to remember is that a unique integer must be assigned to each entry in the Members choice list. This is accomplished by modifying the Value field as described above. It is this assigned number that will be associated with the Symbol property of this choice field.
To delete a choice in the choice list, left-click on a choice within the Members list to select it. Click the Remove button.
Once multiple choices exist in a list, they may be re-ordered as follows: Select the desired choice from the Members list. Click the up or down arrows to move it up and down the list.
