The Form Editor designs the user interface for your application. End users interact with the application you design through the use of controls like list boxes, buttons, and input fields. You can also style your forms with frames, text, lines, and images. In addition, you can create forms that run reports, search data sources, and much more.

Here is a brief overview of how you design forms:

1. Place controls, such as radio buttons, check boxes, images, and buttons, on your form to communicate information to and collect information from your end users.

   For example, you use edit boxes, list boxes, check boxes, and radio buttons to request information from end users. You use text and images to communicate information to them.

   For more information on how to use controls, see Developing and Using Controls.

2. Define the properties of these controls. The properties determine what the controls look like (for example, colors and fonts) and how they behave (for example, whether an entry into an edit box displays asterisks for passwords, or whether the end user can make multiple selections in a list box). Some controls also have properties which can be bound to data, either from a Maintain variable or coded at development time.

   Most properties can be changed dynamically at run time.

   For more information on properties, see Form and Control Properties Reference.

3. Define the events that end users cause by interacting with the form (such as clicking a button) and what action occurs when an event takes place (such as writing data to a data source or opening another form).

   For more information on events, see Defining Events and Event Handlers.

After you place controls on your form, you can:

• Easily select all the controls on your form and manipulate them as a group.
• Use standard Cut, Copy, and Paste commands on your controls. WebFOCUS Maintain also supplies an extra command for making copies of controls, the Duplicate command.
• Use special commands to resize, align, and space controls.
• Group controls together so that they are treated as a unit.
• Undo editing mistakes or redo actions.

If you are designing complicated forms, you can place controls on separate layers.