multicolumn listbox in html - html

Is there a way to create a multicolumn listbox in html that will properly align each of the columns so that everything is lined up vertically with a column header? for example:
Plate State Make Model Year Color
G655555 IL Mercury Montago 2007 Black
G655555 IL Ford Windstar 2007 Grey
instead of
Plate State Make Model Year Color
G655555 IL Mercury Montago 2007 Black
G655555 IL Ford Windstar 2007 Grey
I am using a listbox instead of a table because I want to be able to select the data that is being displayed. I am not sure if I can do that with a table. So either way, can someone show me how to align the listbox columns OR can I see a method of selecting items, by row instead of column, in a table.

No. Browsers prefer to match the OS on most inputs interfaces. And most browsers ignore HTML and CSS inside an OPTION tag. You might be able to set the font to monospace on the SELECT or OPTION tag.
I think that there may be better ways to build the UI that you want... I also have to question why someone would want to put six data fields into one form value on a list box.
If you're showing tabular data, then use a table. If you want to select a row, then add a checkbox (for multiple selections) or a radio button (for an exclusive choice) to each row.

Related

MS Access - Pick Color From Combobox

I'm creating a plant database and in the plant detail form, I'd like a dropdown so the user can select the color the plant is, ultimately this would go on a summary report so all of the colors of the plants selected would show and the user can get an idea of what the plant colors would look like planted.
I'm using the Color Index of 56 colors and I made a table with colors (1-56) and used conditional formatting, but conditional formatting only goes to 50, plus I'm not sure on how to get only the color to show on the dropdown.
Here is idea how to display unlimited number of colors in continuous form or report without using conditional formatting:
Create a table, which contains color ID and a column with stored pictures of desired colors, one pixel is enough, each color in separate row. Column data type - OLE Object, insert Bitmap Image with color sample.
Join this table with your main table by color ID column
Display colors in picture control Bound Object Frame, Size Mode should be Stretch or Zoom, one pixel picture will be tiled across whole picture control
Built-in dropdown cannot show color samples, but you can replace dropdown by form with desired samples, it's not complicated.

how to make a form designer

The Problem in Hand:
I want to make a form designer where user can drag and drop fields of different type and design the layout too, some what similar to wufoo form builder but here the layout is limited to single column whereas I want to make something where user can make the layout as they want.
I understand how to do in single column view, but could not understand how to achieve multiple column layout eg: row 1 there could be 3 elements, row 2 one element stretched to full length, row 3 there could be just 2 elements etc.
What I tried:
I have tried with jquery UI sortable to make a single column layout with using div where new elements can be dragged and repositioned.
Any suggestion on how to proceed further will be helpful
I have tried searching StackOverFlow and google but could not find any link on a similar topic. If anyone could point me to the same, it will be also helpful.
When you reorder elements on wufoo form builder, you can only drag'n'drop up or down. Remove that restriction and as soon as one element is dragged across a certain threshold, it "belongs" to the next column. If the "old" column was the first or last one and the line that the element was moved over was to the "outside" of the form, add a new column there, until the maximal number of columns is reached.
If the used drags the last element of a column into another column, remove the now empty column on element-drop.
You could also remove the dynamic adding/removing of columns and juist have a button ("remove column" & "add column") to do it by code.
An example for the dropping in another column can be found here: http://jqueryui.com/sortable/#connect-lists
Hope this helped!
Edit:
http://jqueryui.com/sortable/#portlets and http://jqueryui.com/sortable/#empty-lists also have elements that you could look into. Good luck! Sounds like a nice project. Can we see any progress or beta?

Labels in fields within an SSRS report

I am attempting to reproduce a form within SSRS and fill it with data. The original form has blocks with small labels inside of each box that identifies the entry requested.
I "thought" I could simply use two different tablixes: one for the blocks with borders and labels, and the other one with the actual datafields or expressions, and align the 2nd tablix directly over the first one so that it appears as though the fields are presenting data inside of the labeled boxes.
It looked as I wanted it in design view, but when I went to preview the report, it pushed the 2nd tablix below the first tablix, in effect creating two tablixes, one stacked on top of the other one (not displaying as how I intended).
So, how do I accomplish the form design in the manner that I am seeking?
You should be using a type other than tablix for your report. Use a 'List' instead and you can free float objects as you need them and also nest a tablix as well. A little explanation on list:
You can float images with text boxes and then even change syntax or draw boxes around them and decorate those.
The call out for a field in SSRS is [(value)] with the [] meaning: "Data Column in recognized Dataset"
You can call out Variables with an '#' in front of them [#Test] would be a variable a user would put in called 'Test'.
Whatever size 'List' element is will determine how large it is when it repeats. If you want a strict form ensure the length and width are set correctly on the properties of that element.
If you want it to break every page you can click on the 'List' > Right Click the top left corner > Properties > 'Add a page break before' checkbox.
My example shows a super simple textbox with a dataset that only has three ideas repeat as many times as there are id's, three times. You can apply this to your form as needed.
It looks like you could reproduce that form header quite easily with a single tablix. If you envisage the form as a set of tablix cells like so:
then all you need to do is set the Border properties for each cell to hide the borders as needed (or you could merge the cells e.g those for Applicant and Location).
You can use a tablix with only Header rows, deleting the detail row. If you need multiple forms per report, then put the tablix inside a List region.

How could I recreate this using a table or matrix (Merging cells)

Here I have a manually created table using textboxes inside of a list object:
The problem with this is that if one of the textboxes has too much text only it will grow while the others will remain the same height.
Now the other issue is you can't merge two cells in the same column (vertical merge). Is there a way using a combination of controls that I could replicate what is in the picture such that if the Release Description textbox has too much text in it and it grows the other controls will grow along with it?
Two suggestions:
1) If you want to keep your current workaround, and wish to avoid the growing of your textboxes you can set the CanGrow property to False.
A UI solution for the long text will be using ToolTip: Lets say that your textbox can contain only 60 chars, in the textbox expression use the following:
=iif(Len(Fields!YourField.Value)>60, Left(Fields!YourField.Value,57) + "...",Fields!YourField.Value)
means that only 57 charecters will be displayed in the text box, the full text should be display will hovering the textbox (using tooltip).
2) If you want to merge cells vertically you can do some workarounds.
You can place a table inside another table's cell, that way using several tables you can perform your desired output.
Attaching sample of using table within another table (I use 3 tables):

Access 2003 Continuous Forms

I have a continuous form that contains a drop down box whos control source is the id of a record in a support table. The bound column is this support element id. The row source of the drop down list is a query that gets 2 text fields based on the id in the bound column... the first text field is simply text that is displayed... the 2nd text field is a color. these are actual number color codes for access that the user can enter in by changing the color of a box and saving that particular color
for each of the records in the continuous form, they have one of these levels... Blank, Red Yellow or Green... I want the field that displays the color name to have its background color changed to the color that is in the 3rd column of the drop down...
Any ideas?
You're looking for Conditional Formatting. This article will explain how to use Conditional Formatting to do pretty much whatever you want with the background colors:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa139965(office.10).aspx