Contents of the property sheet


The property sheet consists of paired names and values. Each row of the property sheet represents a single property of one or more (if multiple objects are selected) items. A name/value pair may be dimmed if it represents a read-only property that is not connected with a custom property editor (a dialog box tailored to the specific property enabling editing or input of more complex values).

Each property name has a tool tip label which gives a brief description of the property. To access the tool tip, rest the mouse over the property name for a moment until the tool tip appears.

For JavaBeans properties, the name of the property is derived from the display name of the bean property. The tool tip for each property name displays its accessibility information and a short description for that property. Accessibility details are shown in parentheses (r/w, r/-, -/w or No property editor) and depend on the property and its property editor (see "Custom property editors" below).

The value field either shows a property value as text or paints a representation of it (like the color preview for a color property). The tool tip for the value of the property displays the type of property, such as java.awt.Color. Clicking on this area switches the value field into input mode, enabling the value of the property to be changed. Double-clicking a name switches the value if there are just two possibilities (for instance, changing True to False)--or, if multiple values are possible, the value advances to the next possible (for instance, black might change to blue, then to red and so on for each double-click). There are several ways to change the value, depending on the type of property. You may edit the value as text, choose from a pull-down list, open a custom property editor (by selecting the property and then pressing the ... button that appears), or customize a painted preview directly in the painted area.


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