Layout & Controls

The Layout & Controls module is the visual workspace for building each page of a Designer application. It combines the control toolbar, page canvas, navigation tools, and control properties in one workspace.

Workspace areas

• Control toolbar: Use the controls across the top of the workspace to add sections, containers, input controls, output controls, and other page elements. Select More to browse the complete control list.
• Staging Area: Build the page in the central canvas. Input and output controls must be placed inside a container, and containers must be placed inside a section. A new section includes a container by default.
• Properties panel: The panel remains available on the right and updates when you select a page element. Its tabs group related settings, including Setup, Appearance, and Behavior. The exact tabs and fields depend on the selected control.
• Page navigation: Use the page control in the lower-left corner to see the page count and switch between application pages without leaving Layout & Controls.

Add and arrange controls

Drag a control from the toolbar into a valid container. The canvas previews the placement while you drag. You can also select an existing control and move, resize, duplicate, cut, copy, or delete it.

When moving or copying a control, the Designer shows status information and offers Go to and Cancel actions. When you paste, choose whether to place the copied control inside a compatible element or after the selected element. This makes the destination explicit and helps avoid accidental changes to the page structure.

For a faster workbook-first workflow, use Quick Add to create a control and bind it to a relevant named range without leaving the canvas.

Configure a control

Select a control to display its settings in the Properties panel. Use the available tabs to configure its data binding, label, appearance, validation, visibility, enabled state, and control-specific behavior.

Input controls normally require a workbook named range. Formula-based ranges and ranges already assigned to incompatible controls may be unavailable. Preview the page after changing a binding or behavior that affects calculations.

Switch pages

Only one page is edited at a time. Open the page navigator in the lower-left corner, then choose the page that you want to edit. Use the Pages and Navigation module to create, remove, rename, reorder, or configure pages.

Classic View

Applications that still use the earlier interface can select Classic View from the upper-right area of Layout & Controls. Classic View uses a left-side control menu and a permanently visible properties area. To return to the current interface after entering Classic View, close and reopen the module.