Due to its unique option to sort the displayed fields by applicability (), the multi box offers the ultimate solution to the problem of displaying a large number of list boxes on the same sheet. This Sort by Applicability option is accessed from the Multi Box Properties: General page.
Right-click on the multi box to display the Object menu.
The multi box Object menu has three different versions. If the caption area is clicked the float menu will contain commands that are applicable to the whole box, whereas if an individual field is under the pointer the menu will be extended to include commands that apply to that field. Finally, if you first open a file, the float menu will have yet another layout. The combined commands of the menus are:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Properties... | Opens the Multi Box Properties dialog where a number of parameters can be set. |
| Notes |
Allows creating and sharing notes about the current object. |
| 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.
|
| Search |
Opens the search box. For more information, see Search |
| Fuzzy Search |
Opens the text search box in fuzzy search mode. For more information, see Fuzzy Search |
| Advanced Search |
Opens the advanced search dialog. The dialog makes it possible to enter advanced search expressions. This command can also be invoked by the following keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+F. For more information, see Advanced Search dialog |
| Select Possible | All non-excluded values of the field are selected. |
| Select Excluded | All excluded values of the field are selected. |
| Select All | All values of the field are selected. |
| Clear All Selections | Clears all the current selections of the multi box. |
| Clear | Clears all the current selections of the field. |
| Clear Other Fields | Clears the selections in all the other sheet objects, including selections in other fields of the current multi box, while maintaining selections in this specific field of the current multi box. |
| Lock | Locks the selected value(s) of the field. |
| Lock All Selections | Locks the selected value(s) of the multi box. |
| Unlock | Unlocks the locked value(s) of the field. |
| Unlock All Selections | Unlocks the locked value(s) of the multi box. |
| Print... |
Opens the Print dialog where print settings can be specified. Printing the multi box is only meaningful when a single value is displayed in each field (either because it's the only selected value or the only associated value). |
| Print as PDF... |
Opens the Print dialog with the Microsoft Print to PDF printer pre-selected. After pressing the Print button you will be prompted for a file name for the PDF output file. This command is only available if a PDF printer is available on the system. |
| Send to Excel | Exports possible (including selected) values to Microsoft Excel, which is automatically launched if not already running. The exported values will appear in a new Excel worksheet. For this functionality to work Microsoft Excel 2007 or later must be installed on the computer. This operation is only meaningful when a single value is displayed in each field (either because it's the only selected value or the only associated value). |
| Export... |
Opens a dialog where you can export the multi box as a table to a file of your choice. The file can be saved as any of the following formats: Comma Delimited, Semicolon Delimited, Tab Delimited, Hypertext (HTML), XML and Excel (xls or xlsx). The default format is *.qvo (QlikViewOutput), a tab separated file. |
| Copy to Clipboard | This cascade
menu contains the various copy options for the sheet object. Data Copies the data rows of the multi box to the clipboard. Cell Value Copies the text value of the multi box cell right-clicked upon (when invoking the Object menu) to the clipboard. Image Copies an image of the sheet 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.
|
| Minimize | Iconizes the object. Clicking on the  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  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  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. |
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Title |
In the Title window the multi box can be given a name which will be displayed in the window caption.The title can also be defined as a calculated formula for dynamic update of the label text. Click the ... button to open the Edit Expression dialog for easier editing of long formulas. |
| 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. |
|
Available Fields |
In this column the names of the data source fields are shown. Initially all fields (excluding system fields) appear in this column. To include the system fields check Show System Fields. Key fields will be indicated with a key symbol. Select the items to be used/removed by clicking them. Use the Add > or the < Remove button to move them to the desired column. |
| Fields Displayed in Multibox | In this column the names of the fields selected from the Available
Fields list to be included in the multi box are shown. Initially
no fields are shown in this column. When a field is selected in this list, you may give it a custom Label in the edit window. |
| Show Fields from Table | From here, you control what fields appear in the Available
Fields list. The drop-down list displays the alternative All Tables by default. The alternative All Tables (Qualified) shows the fields qualified by the name of the table(s) they occur in. This means that key (connecting) fields will be listed more than once. (This alternative is only used for viewing purposes and has nothing to do with Qualify fields in the load script.) It is also possible to view the fields of one table at a time. |
| Expression | Opens the Edit Expression dialog where an expression can be created that can then be used as a displayed field in the multi box. |
| Edit... | Opens the Edit Expression dialog for the field chosen in the Fields Displayed in Multibox column. |
| Promote | Moves a field upwards in the display order. |
| Demote | Moves a field downwards in the display order. |
| Count Order | Sorts the fields in the Fields Displayed in Multibox column in numerical order. |
| Load Order | Sorts the fields in the Fields Displayed in Multibox column in load order, i.e. the order in which they are read from the database. |
| Text Order | Sorts the fields in the Fields Displayed in Multibox column in alphabetical order. |
| Sort by Applicability | When this option is checked, the sort order of the Fields Displayed in Multibox will be dynamically updated during selections so that fields with non-excluded field values will move upwards in the list while fields without possible values will move downwards. This option will in many cases make it possible to use literally hundreds of fields in a single multi box. |
| 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 multi boxes, the ID starts with MB01. Linked objects share the same object ID. You may edit this ID number later on. |
You reach the Sort tab by right-clicking a sheet object (List Box, Multi Box, Table Box, Chart or Slider/Calendar object) and choosing Properties from the float menu (or Object, Properties in the main menu). Here you set the sort order of the values in the sheet object. Some sort options may not be available for some sheet objects.
| Sort by: | Result |
|---|---|
| State | Sorts the field values according to their logical state (selected, optional
or excluded). The Auto Ascending setting sorts the list box (or, in a multi box, the drop-down list containing the field values) according to State only if the list box contains a vertical scroll bar. However, if you enlarge the list box to show all values, the sort order State is completely switched off. |
| Expression |
Sorts the field values according to the expression entered into the text edit box below this sort option. If using sort by expression, an alternative set of records must be defined by a set expression. Note that sort by expression here only works with numeric fields and not text fields. |
| Frequency | Sorts the field values by frequency (number of occurrences in the table). |
| Numeric Value | Sorts the field values by numeric value. |
| Text | Sorts the field values in alphabetical order. |
| Load Order | Sorts the field values by the initial load order. |
The Default button sort order sets the default sort order.
The order of priority is State, Expression, Frequency, Numeric Value, Text, Load Order. Each of these sort criteria can be set to Ascending or Descending.
The Multi Box Properties: Presentation tab is opened by a right-click on a multi box and choosing the Properties command in the Object menu. Here it is possible to adjust the layout of the multi box cells. Adjustments are made independently for the different fields of the multi box. It is also possible to adjust the layout for the - Closed Multi Box -.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Alignment | Here you set the alignment of field values. The alignment of Text and Numbers is set separately. |
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Multiline Settings | In this group the multi box field cells may be set to
display values in multiple rows, which is useful for long text strings. Wrap Text With this option selected, a cell will display its contents in more than one row. Cell HeightnLines Here the desired limit to the number of cell rows is specified. |
| Frequency | Show
Toggles the status for whether the frequency of the selected field value is shown or not. By frequency is meant the number of selectable combinations in which the value occurs. In Percent Toggles the status for whether the frequency should be shown in absolute numbers or as percentages of the total number of entries. |
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Advanced | This button opens the Advanced Field Settings dialog which offers settings for image representation of field values and special text search options. |
| Single Column | With this option checked, the multi box field values will always be presented in a single column. |
| Suppress Horizontal Scroll Bar | Check this option to suppress the horizontal scroll bar that is normally displayed when field values are too wide to for the specified width of the multi box. Instead, field values will be truncated as needed. |
| Order by Column | In multi box fields with more than one column, values are displayed row-wise in the sort order specified. The Order by column option switches to column-wise display. |
| Cell Borders | The field values will be separated by horizontal lines, resembling the rows of a table. Cell borders is automatically activated when the Wrap Text option is checked, but may be subsequently deactivated. |
| Hide Excluded | Toggles whether the excluded field values should be shown or not. Excluded values become unselectable as well. |
| Read Only | This checkbox disables selections made directly in this particular multi box field, making it a display tool only. |
| Ignore Null | NULL-values are not considered for the sake of displaying possible values of a
specific field. Information noteIncorrect use of this option may lead to the display of non-correlated data in
the multi box. |
| Override Locked Field | This check box allows selections to be made in a particular field of the multi box even if that field is locked. The field will remain locked for selections made elsewhere in the document. |
| Grid Style | This checkbox changes the multi box layout, so that each label is positioned above its corresponding field. |
| Read Only | This checkbox disables selections made directly in the multi box fields, making it a display tool only. |
| Closed Color | Sets the color of the data column cells of a closed multi box. A color can be defined as a solid color or a gradient via the Color Area dialog that opens when clicking the button. |
| Limit Drop-down to n Lines | Limits the length of opened drop-down list boxes in the multi box. Enter the maximum number of values to be shown in the edit box. |
| Style | Choose between the styles Borders and Light. |
| Background... | Opens the Background Settings dialog. |
The Advanced Field Settings dialog can be accessed from Multi Box Properties: Presentation, Table Box Properties: Presentation and Chart Properties: Dimensions. The image options described below are unavailable for bitmap charts.
Image Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Representation | The following alternatives are given: Text When selecting this option the expression values will always be interpreted and displayed as text. Image When selecting this option QlikView will try to interpret each expression value as a reference to an image. The reference may be a path to an image file on disk (e.g. C:\Mypic.jpg) or inside the QlikView document (e.g. qmem://<Name>/<Peter>). If QlikView cannot interpret an expression value as a valid image reference, the value itself will be displayed. Info as Image When selecting this option QlikView will display image info linked to the field value via info load/select in the script. If no image info is available for a field value, the value itself will be displayed, unless the Hide Text When Image Missing box is checked. The option is not available for bitmap charts. |
| Image Formatting | Only available when the image options have been selected above. This setting describes how QlikView formats the image to fit in the cell. There are four alternatives. No Stretch If this option is selected, the image will be shown as is, without any stretching. This may cause parts of the picture to be invisible or only part of the cell to be filled. Fill If this option is selected, the image will be stretched to fit the cell without bothering about keeping the aspect ratio of the image. Keep Aspect If this option is selected, the image will be stretched as far as possible to fill the cell while keeping the aspect ratio. This typically results in areas either on both sides of or above and below which are not filled by the image. Fill with Aspect If this option is selected, the image will be stretched to fill the cell in both directions while keeping the aspect ratio. This typically results in cropping of the image in one direction. |
| Hide Text When Image Missing | If this option is selected, QlikView will not display the field value text if interpretation as an image reference fails for some reason. The cell will then be left blank. |
| Selection Style Override | When images are shown instead of text it may be necessary to use another selection style than the document default so that the logical state of the field values remains visible. Use the drop-down list under Selection Style Override to select a suitable selection style, e.g. Corner Tag. |
Search Options
This group allows you to control certain aspects of text search applicable to opened multi boxes and drop-down select in tables.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Include Excluded Values in Search | This setting specifies
whether excluded values should be included in text searches. The following alternatives are available: <use default> The default as specified under User Preferences applies. Yes Excluded values are always included in text search. No Excluded vales are never included in text search, whereas optional values are included as usual. |
| Default Search Mode | This setting specifies the initial default search mode to be used in text searches. The mode can always be changed on the fly by typing * or ~ as part of the search string. The following alternatives are available: <use default> The default as specified under User Preferences applies. Use Wildcard Search The initial search string will be two wildcards with the cursor between them to facilitate a wildcard search. Use Fuzzy Search The initial search string will be a tilde (~) to denote a fuzzy search. Use Normal Search No additional characters will be added to the search string. Without wildcards, a Normal Search will be made. |
The Multi Box Properties: Number tab is opened by a right-click on a multi box and choosing the Properties command from the float menu.
This property page provides formatting settings for all fields of the multi box. The number formatting can be set individually for fields by selecting one or several fields (Click, Shift-click or Ctrl-click) in the Fields text box.
Each field has a default number format which can be set in the Document Properties: Number page. It is however possible to use a separate number format for an individual sheet object. To do this, check the alternative Override Document Settings and specify a number format in the group control below. This property page applies to the active object and contains the following controls for formatting values:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Mixed | Both numbers and text. Numbers shown in original format. |
| Number | Shows numeric values with the number of digits set in the Precision spinner box. |
| Integer | Shows numeric values as integers. |
| Fixed to _ Decimals | Shows numeric values as decimal values with the number of decimal digits set in the Decimals spinner box. |
| Money | Shows values in the format set in the Format Pattern edit box. An example of this format is shown in the Preview text box. The default format is the Windows Currency setting. |
| Date | Shows values that can be interpreted as dates in the format set in the Format Pattern edit box. An example of this format is shown in the Preview text box. |
| Time | Shows values that can be interpreted as time in the format set in the Format Pattern edit box. An example of this format is shown in the Preview text box. |
| Timestamp | Shows values that can be interpreted as date + time in the format set in the Format Pattern edit box. An example of this format is shown in the Preview text box. |
| Interval | Shows time as sequential time increment (e.g. format = mm shows the value as the number of minutes since calendar start ( 1899:12:30:24:00). |
The Show in Percent (%) button operates on the following formats: Number, Integer and Fixed to.
Decimal and Thousand separators can be set in the edit boxes of the Separators group.
The ISO button uses the ISO standard for the formatting of date, time and timestamp.
The System button applies the settings of the system to the formatting.
The Change Document Format button opens the Document Properties: Number page where the default number format of any field can be edited.
Learn more
Font
Here the Font, Font style and Size of the font to be used can be set.
The font can be set for any single object (Object Properties: Font), or all objects in a document (Apply to Objects on Document Properties: Font).
Further, the default document fonts for new objects can be set on Document Properties: Font. There are two default fonts:
- The first default font (List Boxes, Charts, etc) is used for most objects, including list boxes and charts.
- The second default font (Text Objects and Buttons) is used for buttons and text boxes, which are objects that usually need a larger font.
Finally, the default fonts for new documents can be set on User Preferences: Font.
For charts, buttons and text objects (except search objects) a font Color can also be specified. The color may Fixed or it can be dynamically Calculated from an expression. The expression must be a valid color representation, which is created using the color functions. If the result of the expression is not a valid color representation, the font color will default to black.
Additional settings are:
- Drop Shadow: If this option is checked a drop shadow will be added to the text.
- Underline: If this option is checked the text will be underlined.
A sample of the selected font is shown in the preview pane.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
- 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 formulasEnter 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.
