Using the visual editing menu

While the grid is in visual editing mode, right-click anywhere on the grid to display the visual editing menu. The visual editing menu contains several commands that are also present in the grid's context menu. However, while the context menu operates on the grid as a whole, the visual editing menu is used to manipulate the grid's columns and splits.

When you right-click a column to display the visual editing menu, the column you are pointing to becomes the current column. This enables you to quickly execute commands that depend on the current column, such as Cut and Insert.

Some commands, such as Copy and Delete, can operate on multiple selected columns. Follow the procedures described earlier for selecting columns, then choose the desired command from the visual editing menu.

For convenience, the visual editing menu also contains some of the commands from the grid's context menu. The visual editing menu commands operate as follows.

Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete

These commands are similar to their context menu counterparts except that they apply to a column, or selected columns, not to the entire grid. Using the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands, you can move columns to the Clipboard and paste them to another grid, or within the same grid. The ability to copy columns to the Clipboard provides an easy way to set up grid columns, since all of the properties that define a column are copied as a unit. You can set the properties for multiple columns, copy them to the Clipboard, then paste them to a grid on another form.

Cut moves the selected columns from the grid to the Clipboard. Copy moves a copy of the selected columns to the Clipboard while leaving the grid intact. If there are selected columns, then Cut and Copy operate on the entire selection. If there are no selected columns, then these commands operate on the current column only.

The Paste command is available only after a Cut or Copy command has been performed. If there are selected columns, then Paste replaces the selection with the Clipboard contents. If there are no selected columns, then Paste inserts the Clipboard contents to the left of the current column. In either case, the newly pasted columns are selected.

Delete removes columns without saving them to the Clipboard. To prevent accidental deletions, the Delete command is available only when one or more columns are selected.

Insert

This command creates and inserts a new column to the left of the current column.

Append

This command creates and adds a new column to the right of the rightmost column in the grid.

Split

This command creates and inserts a new split to the left of the current split. You can then use the Splits and Layout property pages to configure the splits and the columns they contain.

Remove

This command removes the current split, that is, the split where you clicked to display the visual editing menu.

Properties

This command is identical to the context menu command with the same name. It displays the grid's property pages, which enable you to customize the grid's layout and appearance.

Retrieve Fields

This command is identical to the context menu command with the same name. It automatically configures the grid columns according to the schema information from the Data control's Recordset (Data control).

Clear Fields

This command is identical to the context menu command with the same name. All field and column layout properties set in the grid are cleared.

Load Layout

This command loads the grid layout whose name is given by the LayoutName property from the binary layout storage file specified in the LayoutFileName property. A layout comprises all persistent property settings for the entire grid, not just its columns and splits. This command is unavailable if either of the aforementioned properties have not been set.

Save Layout

This command saves the current grid layout using the name specified in the LayoutName property to the binary layout storage file specified in the LayoutFileName property. This command is unavailable if either of these properties have not been set.

Remove Layout

This command removes the grid layout whose name is given by the LayoutName property from the binary layout storage file specified by the LayoutFileName property. This command is unavailable if either of these properties have not been set.