Dialog Properties

To view and set Dialog Properties:

  1. Click on the canvas in an area outside of any controls. With no controls on the canvas, Dialog Properties are always visible.

Dialog Name. The Dialog Name property is required and specifies a unique name to associate with the dialog. To minimize the possibility of name conflicts, you may want to prefix the dialog name with an identifier for your organization, such as a URL.

Menu Location. Click the ellipsis (...) button to open the Menu Location dialog box, which allows you to specify the name and location of the menu item for the custom dialog.

Title. The Title property specifies the text to be displayed in the title bar of the dialog box.

Help File. The Help File property is optional and specifies the path to a help file for the dialog. This is the file that will be launched when the user clicks the Help button on the dialog. Help files must be in HTML format. A copy of the specified help file is included with the specifications for the dialog when the dialog is installed or saved. The Help button on the run-time dialog is hidden if there is no associated help file.
  • Localized versions of the help file that exist in the same directory as the help file are automatically added to the dialog when you add the help file. Localized versions of the help file are named <Help File>_<language identifier>.htm. For more information, see the topic Creating Localized Versions of Custom Dialogs.
  • Supporting files, such as image files and style sheets, can be added to the dialog by first saving the dialog. You then manually add the supporting files to the dialog file (.cfe or .spd). For information about accessing and manually modifying custom dialog files, see the section that is titled "To localize dialog strings" in the topic Creating Localized Versions of Custom Dialogs.

Web Deployment Properties. Allows you to associate a properties file with this dialog for use in building thin client applications that are deployed over the web.

Modeless. Specifies whether the dialog is modal or modeless. When a dialog is modal, it must be closed before the user can interact with the main application windows (Data, Output, and Syntax) or with other open dialogs. Modeless dialogs do not have that constraint. The default is modeless.

Data Source. Specifies the source of the fields that are displayed in Source List, Target List, and Field Chooser controls. By default, the active dataset is the data source. You can specify a Dataset Selector control as the data source. At run time, the dataset that is selected in the control is the data source. Click the ellipsis (...) button to open the Data Source dialog box and specify the data source.

Required Add-Ons. Specifies one or more add-ons--such as the Integration Plug-in for Python or the Integration Plug-in for R--that are required in order to run the command syntax generated by the dialog. For example, if the dialog generates command syntax for an extension command implemented in R, then check the box for the Integration Plug-in for R. Users will be warned about required add-ons that are missing when they try to install or run the dialog.
Note: The Required Add-Ons property applies only in Compatibility mode. When you are working with the Custom Dialog Builder for Extensions, any required add-ons are specified as part of the extension properties.