WinStudio

Caption Property

Use the Caption property to specify the component label that is displayed on the form.

You can specify a caption in several ways.

• Select a string from the list of string names.
• Or click the button to create or edit a string.
• Or use the COMPONENTS keyword (see below).
• Or enter literal text.

Note that literal text is not recommended. Use of strings supports consistency and eases customization and translation. For example, changing the value of the string sPartNo from Part No. to Part Number alters all the forms and components that use the string. If literal text is used for each caption, then each form and each component must be updated individually.

COMPONENT Keyword

The COMPONENTS keyword has a special function as a Caption specification. Used as a caption for a component such as an Edit or Combo box, the COMPONENTS keyword links the component with another component, usually a Static box, that serves as the component's label.

For example, in an Edit box named CustomerNameEdit, the caption COMPONENTS(CustomerNameStatic) specifies that the current value of the Static box named CustomerNameStatic is the label for the component. This link is important in maintaining accurate text in message boxes related to the component.

When used as a Caption specification, the COMPONENTS keyword either gets the value of the named component or passes a caption value to the named component. In this example,

• If CustomerNameStatic has a Caption specification, the value of that specification serves as the label for CustomerNameEdit on the form and in user messages.
• If CustomerNameStatic does not have a Caption specification -- that is, it has no value -- it inherits the caption specified in the CustomerNameEdit property class.
• If CustomerNameStatic does not have a Caption specification and no caption is specified in the CustomerNameEdit property class, the caption is blank.