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Custom Object

The custom object is a sheet object specifically intended to carry custom defined OCX replacement controls.

The Custom Object: Object Menu can be accessed from the Object menu, when the custom object is the active object.

Replacement controls are windowless OCX controls programmed by Qlik, yourself or third party vendors, which comply with the specifications for QlikView replacement OCX controls. The OCX control will be drawn in a rectangle on the sheet outlined by the underlying custom object. Communication between the OCX control and the QlikView document is maintained via the internal macro interpreter.

Internal Macro Interpreter.

Object Menu

The custom object Object menu is opened by right-clicking the object. The menu commands are:

Properties for Replacement Control

Opens the Properties dialog for the OCX replacement control used. This dialog is provided with the OCX replacement control and may be absent.

Properties...

Opens the Custom Object Properties dialog where a number of parameters can be set.

Order

This cascade menu is only available when the Design Grid command of the View menu is activated or when the Always Show Design Menu Items under User Preferences: Design is checked. It contains four commands to set the layout layer of the sheet objects. Valid layer numbers are -128 to 127.

  • Bring to Front: Sets the layout layer of the sheet object to the largest value currently used by any sheet object on the current sheet.
  • Send to Back: Sets the layout layer of the sheet object to the smallest value currently used by any sheet object on the current sheet.
  • Bring Forward: Increases the layout layer of the sheet object by one. Maximum value is 127.
  • Send Backward: Decreases the layout layer of the sheet object by one. Minimum value is -128.

Copy to Clipboard

This menu contains the various copying options for the sheet object.

  • Image: Copies a bitmap picture of the custom object to the clipboard. The image will include or exclude the sheet object caption and border depending on the settings in the User Preferences dialog, Export page.
  • Object: Copies the entire sheet object to the clipboard for pasting elsewhere in the layout or in another document opened within the current instance of QlikView.

Linked Objects

Opens a menu with the following commands for linked objects.

  • Adjust Position of Linked Objects: All linked objects on all sheets are adjusted to the same position and size as the one/ones highlighted.
  • Unlink This Object/Unlink Objects: This destroys the link between the objects, making them different objects with different object IDs.

Minimize

Iconizes the object. Clicking on the Minimize icon in the object caption (if shown) produces the same result. This command is available only if minimizing is allowed in the object's Properties dialog on the Caption page.

Maximize

Enlarges the object to fill the sheet. Clicking on the Maximize icon in the object caption (if shown) produces the same result. This command is available only if maximizing is allowed in the object's Properties dialog on the Caption page.

Restore

Restores a minimized or maximized object to its previous size and location. Double-clicking the icon of a minimized object or clicking the Restore icon in the object caption (if shown) of a maximized object produces the same result. This command is available only for minimized or maximized objects.

Help

Opens QlikView help.

Remove

Removes the sheet object from the sheet.

General

The Custom Object Properties: General page is opened by a right-click on a custom object and choosing the Properties command in the float menu. This is where settings for title and configuration of the custom object can be made.

Custom Object properties
Property Description
Currently Selected OCX The name of the currently selected OCX replacement.
Object ID

This is used for macro purposes. Every sheet object is assigned a unique ID. We recommend that you use alphanumeric characters only in the ID. For custom objects, the ID starts with CO01. Linked objects share the same object ID. You may edit this ID number later on.

Internal Macro Interpreter

Select OCX Replacement Click this button to open the Insert Object dialog where you may select or change an OCX replacement control.
OCX Properties Opens the Properties dialog for the OCX replacement control used. This dialog is programmed by the provider of the OCX replacement control and may vary in looks and functionality. It may also be unavailable for certain replacement controls.
Alternate State

Choose one of the available states in the list. The following Alternate States are always available.

  • Inherited: The sheets and sheet objects are always in the inherited state unless overridden by the QlikView developer. This setting is inherited from the object on the level above, a chart in a sheet gets the same settings as the sheet if inherited is chosen.
  • Default state: This is the state where most QlikView usage occurs and is represented by $. The QlikView document is always in the default state.

Layout

A Layout setting will apply to the current object only, if it is made from the Object Properties page.
A Layout setting will apply to all objects of the specified type(s) in the document, if it is made from the Document Properties page.

Use Borders

Enable this setting in order to use a border around the sheet object. Specify the type of border by selecting it in the drop-down menu.

  • Shadow Intensity: The Shadow Intensity drop-down menu makes it possible to set the intensity of the shadow that surrounds the sheet objects. There is also the choice of No Shadow.
  • Border Style: The following predefined border types are available:
    • Solid: A solid unicolored border.
    • Depressed: Border giving the impression of depressing the sheet object from the background.
    • Raised: Border giving the impression of raising the sheet object from the background.
    • Walled: Border giving the impression of a wall around the sheet object.
  • Border Width: This option is available for all border types. The width can be specified in mm, cm, inches (", inch), pixels (px, pxl, pixel), points (pt, pts, point) or docunits (du, docunit).
  • Color: Click this button to open a dialog in which an appropriate base color can be chosen from the color palette for all border types.
  • Rainbow: Creates a rainbow colored border for all border types. The rainbow will start with the selected base color on top of the sheet object.

When Simplified is the chosen Styling Mode in Document Properties: General, there is no choice of border type, there is only the Shadow Intensity drop-down menu and the Border Width setting.

Rounded Corners

In the Rounded Corners group the general shape of the sheet object is defined. These settings allow for drawing of sheet objects ranging from perfectly circular/elliptical via super elliptical to rectangular. Rounded Corners is only available if you have selected Advanced Styling Mode in Document Properties: General.

  • Rounded Corners: Checking this option makes the alternatives for rounded corner shapes possible.
  • Corners: Corners for which the check box remains unmarked will be drawn rectangular instead.
  • Squareness: A variable number between 2 and 100 where 100 defines a rectangle with perfectly square corners and 2 corresponds to a perfect ellipse (a circle for a 1:1 aspect ratio). A squareness between 2 and 5 is usually optimal for achieving rounded corners.
  • Corner Radius: This setting determines the radius of the corners in fixed distance (Fixed) or in percent of the total quadrant (Relative (%)). This setting lets you control the extent to which the corners will be affected by the underlying general shape set under Squareness. The distance can be specified in mm, cm, inches (", inch), pixels (px, pxl, pixel), points (pt, pts, point) or docunits (du, docunit).

Layer

In the Layer group an object can be defined as residing in one of three layers:

  • Bottom: A sheet object with the Bottom layer property can never obscure sheet objects in the Normal and Top layers. It can only be placed on top of other sheet objects in the Bottom layer.
  • Normal: When created, sheet objects reside in the Normal (middle) layer. A sheet object in the Normal layer can never be obscured by sheet objects in the Bottom layer and can never obscure sheet objects in the Top layer.
  • Top: A sheet object in the Top layer can never be obscured by sheet objects in the Normal and Bottom layers. Only other sheet objects in the Top layer can be placed on top of it.
  • Custom: The Top, Normal and Bottom layers correspond to internally numbered layers 1, 0 and -1 respectively. In fact all values between -128 and 127 are accepted. Choose this option to enter a value of your choice.

Theme Maker...

Opens the Theme Maker wizard where you can create a layout theme.

Apply Theme ...

You can apply a layout theme to the object, sheet or document.

Layout Themes

Show

In the Show group it is possible to specify a condition under which the sheet object is displayed:

  • Always: The sheet object will always be displayed.
  • Conditional: The sheet object will be shown or hidden depending on a conditional function which will be evaluated continuously depending on e.g. selections etc. The sheet object will only be hidden when the condition returns FALSE.

    Conditional functions

Information note

Users with Admin privileges for the document can override all show conditions by selecting Show All Sheets and Sheet Objects in Document Properties: Security. This functionality can be toggled by pressing Ctrl+Shift+S.

Document Properties: Security

Options

In the Options group, it is possible to disallow moving and resizing of the sheet object. The settings in this group are only relevant if the corresponding check boxes are enabled in Document Properties: Layout and Sheet Properties: Security.

  • Allow Move/Size: If this option has been deselected it will be impossible to move or resize the sheet object.
  • Allow Copy/Clone: If this option has been deselected it will be impossible to make a copy of the sheet object.
  • Allow Info: When the info function is in use an info icon will be displayed in the window caption whenever a field value has information associated to it. If you don't want the info icon to be displayed in the caption, you can uncheck this option.

    Info
  • Size to Data: Normally the borders around all table sheet objects in QlikView will shrink when selections cause the size of the table to be less than allocated size for the sheet object. By deselecting this check box this automatic adjustment of size will be turned off leaving any surplus space blank.

Scrollbars

Various controls for changing the scrollbar layout are located in the Scrollbars group:

  • Preserve Scroll Position: With this setting enabled, QlikView will try to preserve the scroll position of tables and charts with a scroll bar when a selection is made in another object. The setting must be enabled in User Preferences: Objects as well. The scroll position is not preserved when you close the document.
  • Scroll Buttons: Sets the scroll button color. Select a color by clicking the button. Note that medium gray tones often render the best results for scroll bars. Either color can be defined as a solid color or a gradient via the Color Area dialog that opens when you click the appropriate button.
  • Scroll Background: Sets the scrollbar background color. Select a color by clicking the button.
  • Scrollbar Width: This control affects both the width and the relative size of the scrollbar symbols.
  • Scroll Style: Sets the scroll bar style. Select a style in the drop-down control. The Classic scroll bar style corresponds to QlikView 4/5 scroll bars. The Standard scroll bar style gives a more modern look. The third style is Light, which is a thinner, lighter bar.
    The Styling Mode must be set to Advanced for the scroll bar style to be visible. This setting can be found on the General tab by opening the Settings drop-down menu and selecting Document Properties.

 

  • Apply To...: Opens the Caption and Border Properties dialog where you can set where to apply the properties that have been set on the Layout page.

Caption

A Caption setting will apply to the current object only, if it is made from the Object Properties page.
A Caption setting will apply to all objects of the specified type(s) in the document, if it is made from the Document Properties page.

On the Caption page, specify layout options that are completely different from the general layout of the object.

  • Show Caption: When this option has been checked a caption will be drawn at the top of the sheet object. List boxes and other "box objects" will have the option switched on by default whereas buttons, text objects and line/arrow objects will not.
  • Title Text: In the text box you can enter a title to be shown in the caption of the sheet object. Use the Font... button to change the caption font.

Set the colors of the caption in its different states. The settings for Active Colors and Inactive Colors can be made separately from each other.

Click the Background Color or Text Color button to open the Color Area dialog. The Background Color can be defined as a solid or a gradient color on the Color Area dialog. Text Color can be defined a Fixed or a Calculated color using color functions.

Color functions

  • Wrap Text: If this option is checked, the caption will be displayed in two or more rows.
  • Caption Height (Lines): Set the number of caption lines in this edit box.

The precise size and position of the QlikView object can be determined and adjusted by the size/position settings for the Normal or Minimized QlikView sheet object. These settings are measured in pixels:

  • X-pos: Sets the horizontal position of the left side of sheet object in relation to the sheet's left edge.
  • Y-pos: Sets the vertical position of the top side of sheet object in relation to the sheet's upper edge.
  • Width: Sets the width of the QlikView sheet object.
  • Height: Sets the height of the QlikView sheet object.

The orientation of the caption label can be altered with the Caption Alignment options:

  • Horizontal: The label can be horizontally aligned: Left, Centered or Right within the caption area.
  • Vertical: The label can be vertically aligned: Top, Centered or Bottom within the caption area.

Special Icons
Many of the object menu commands of the sheet objects can be configured as caption icons. Select commands to be shown as caption icons by marking the check box to the left of each command in the list.

Information noteUse the special caption icons with care. Too many icons will only confuse the user.
  • Allow Minimize: When this option has been checked a minimize icon will be displayed in the window caption of the sheet object, providing that the object is minimizable. Furthermore, this will make it possible to minimize the object by double-clicking the caption.
  • Auto Minimize: This option becomes available when Allow Minimize is checked. When Auto Minimize is checked for several sheet objects on the same sheet, all but one will be automatically minimized at any time. This is useful e.g. for alternately displaying several graphs in the same sheet area.
  • Allow Maximize: When this option has been checked a maximize icon will be displayed in the window caption of the sheet object, providing that the object is maximizable. Furthermore, this will make it possible to maximizing the object by double-clicking the caption. If both Allow Minimize and Allow Maximize are checked, double-clicking will effect minimizing of the object.
  • Help Text: Here you may enter a help text to be displayed in a pop-up window. The help text may be specified as a calculated formula. This option is not available at document level. Click the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog for easier editing of long formulas.


    Expression syntax for calculated formulas

    Enter e.g. a description of the sheet object. A help icon will be added to the window caption of the object. When the mouse pointer is over the icon, the text will be displayed in a pop-up window.

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