Create Tab Pages on Demand

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Tip

When using several tab pages to display child data within a parent window, use the Create on Demand property.

Background

In a default interface, child data is displayed in Related Windows. Window startup of each window is fast. The cost of programming and maintenance is extremely low because this default interface is (re-)created every time the data model is changed.

Child tables can also be designed into the parent window on tab pages (one tab page for each child table). This is user-friendlier because more data is displayed in an efficient way within one window. However, window startup time can be slower. Parent queries are also much slower since all children are queried automatically.

You can, however, defer both building the tab page and querying the data on this tab page until the tab page is actually clicked by the user. If the user does not want to see the tab page, the unnecessary query is not performed. If the user does want to see the tab page, then response time delay is spread better between parent and child queries.

When to use

Set tab page property Create On Demand to Yes (default No) for tab pages that are not regularly used. If you set this property for a particular tab page, this tab page will not be built until the user clicks on it.

To have a tab page built and queried only when the user clicks on it:

1. Select the appropriate tab page.
2. In the Property Inspector, on the Behavior tab page, select the Create on Demand property.
3. Set the Create on Demand property to Yes.
4. Save.

Limitations

To make sure that all tab pages are displayed completely when using the Create on Demand option:

· Open all the tab pages to find the maximum width and height that is required (from the widest and the highest tab pages).

 

· Use these values to set local settings for width and height properties on the Tab Control.