Finding leftover buttons on layouts

[Kent Searight]

If your development style is anything like mine, you probably reuse and/or copy layouts and graphic objects when you're building a solution. This practice can be a huge time-saver but it's not without pitfalls...one of which can be leaving button objects, especially invisible ones, in layouts where they're not intended.

In FM 8 there's a neat little method for finding those unwanted buttons, even when they're stacked under other buttons of the same size (you know, the ones that drive you crazy because you can't figure out why your button is not doing what you want it to do when you click it). In Layout Mode, in the menu bar, go to Layouts > Set Tab Order... If you have stacked buttons you'll find stacked arrows where they exist. Even if one button is perfectly stacked over another, the arrows will be offset enough from each other for you to see that you have more than one button occupying a given space.

BTW The arrows that point to the left indicate buttons, not fields.

I hope someone gets some use out of this!

Edited November 30, 2005 by Guest

[BrentHedden]

This is a very good idea. It can be difficult to actually set the tab order having things stacked like that, but that's another story.

I don't know if it works with buttons, but with fields and layout objects you can select all of the same ones by clicking on one object, then Ctrl-Shift-A. Offhand, I don't know what the MAC equivilent is. Not quite the same but handy nevertheless.

[Kent Searight]

Thanks, Brent!

FYI That's command-option-A on the Mac to select all like objects.