TABLE item type

Defines a list view widget.

Note: This topic covers the TABLE item type definition in form files. See also the chapter dedicated to table view programming.

TABLE item basics

A TABLE form item type defines a list view to show a scrolling list of data records in a set of columns.

A TABLE is controlled by a DISPLAY ARRAY or INPUT ARRAY dialog, see List dialogs for more details about this type of dialogs.

Defining a TABLE

The TABLE form item defines a list view widget to show a set of data records. It is bound to a screen array grouping form fields which define the columns of the table.

The screen array definition must have exactly the same number of columns as the TABLE form item. Use PHANTOM fields, if the number of record members in the program array exceeds the number of columns to be displayed in the TABLE container.

Column titles can be defined with static labels in the TABLE layout. However, this prevents you from localizing the column text. Consider using the TITLE attribute in the form field definition corresponding to the table columns.

A TABLE container can define AGGREGATE fields to display summary information for columns.

Front-ends support different presentation and behavior options, which can be controlled by a STYLE attribute. For more details, see Common style attributes and Table style attributes.

Where to use a TABLE

A TABLE form item can be defined in three different ways:
  1. As a TABLE container in a LAYOUT tree, within a grid-based layout.
  2. As a <TABLE > layout tag with a TABLE item definition in the ATTRIBUTES section, within a grid-based layout.
  3. As a TABLE stack item, inside a STACK container, within a stack-based layout.

Defining the TABLE layout and size

The number of field columns composing the TABLE container in the form layout defines the initial width of the table view.

The width of a TABLE container is by default defined by the number of visible columns in its layout, and the initial height is defined by the number of rows. To specify explicitly the width and height of a table, use the WIDTH and HEIGHT attributes.

By default, a table is resizable in width and height. To force a TABLE to keep the height defined in the form file, use the WANTFIXEDPAGESIZE attribute. A table is resizable and scrollable in width, to see all columns.

Table columns can be moved around, their width can be adapted, they can be hidden/shown, and can be selected to sort the record list automatically. To turn off these features, use respectively the UNMOVABLECOLUMNS, UNSIZABLECOLUMNS, UNHIDABLECOLUMNS and UNSORTABLECOLUMNS attributes.