Tab Order troubles

Targets macOS
1

(As always) I checked that with the current xojo and get the same behavior.

I have a window with a bunch of Controls (24 ComboBox, TabIndex and TextField / TextArea), plus Labels, Canvas, etc.

I was testing stuff in that window (if ComboBox and PopupMenus were populated correctly: some data comes from db files, some not).
Then, I enters some data from Keyboard / Mouse.
Then I started to check the Tab order and saw some errors. I tried to correct that with troubles and this is because I wrote this.

First, the View --> Tab Order MenuItem is not always accessible (sometimes it is disabed). A Click in the window (Window Editor) resolve that.

Second: (apart that f••g window that always opens as a stamp size…) only some Control entries are displayed, not all of them. *

Focus Control --> TabIndex
Then, I decided to modify the value directly from the Control Properties area.
This seems to fail too (Tab does not follows the values).

Nota: I only changed the TextField, TextArea, ComboBox and PopupMenu; I do not changed the Label values.

At this point, I was curious to know what values can be set the Labels (for example): I saw some values already used (read the Notes line above).

Did you get this kind of troubles ?

Is it possible to set two Controls (in the same window of course) to the same values?

PS: I forgot to say that I made the checkings off line (Plane mode), and Xojo is the only running application. (no other hardware connected to the laptop)
I even quit Xojo, shut down the computer (do something else for some minutes) and be back to the MacBook for more checkings to the same results.
Last: I have to move right now, but I will make further tests later today.

  • Even in another window with far less Controls forgot (one) BevelButton (on a total of 4 !).
2

This sounds like some sort of project corruption.

No. Tabindexes will be adjusted by the IDE so they are always unique.

3

In my view the Tab Order in Xojo is a complete mess and almost doesn’t make sense.

Automatically grouped controls (which I never agreed they should be anyway) take on their own hierarchy. On the same window we can have tab1 repeated etc. within each group of controls - utter madness if you are wanting to tab between controls in a pre-defined sequence.

An old version of FileMaker (Dev6) gave each control within that window a unique number - yes, an absolute UNIQUE tab number. Then using the tab editor it was very simple to decide the flow from there.

It would be nice if this sort of simplicity was introduced in future versions of Xojo, especially for those that still like to use a keyboard.

4

Hi Steve, thanks for your answer.

After a long nap (this afternoon), I open the Tab Order MenuItem / Window and noticed the small black triangle and click on it to discover my Controls there (those who are in TabPanels) !!!

At the occasion I noticed some controls that are above a TabPanel, but not owned by it (thus my msiunderstanding !).

It also seems that two (or more ?) Controls (Labels) can share the same Tab Index. How can that be ???

The previous interface (small number in a square and automatic renumber) was far better IMHO.

Of course, if you create an “Application Content Creation Plan” and follow it, you will never have to think to the Controls Index !
But who do that ?

5

Yep. Sorry that I can’t help.

Just be aware that the tab index refers to grouped controls, where group 1 has a tab called 1 and so does group 2. - I think - Utter madness.

In any case, It’s a major flaw that should have been addressed long ago. Perhaps someone can come up with a nice smooth and intuitive way of addressing this issue.

Of course there is always the possibility that I don’t know what I’m talking about. Unlikely, but possible. :slight_smile: