A tabstrip control is like a card index file that contains various screens belonging to a single application. Unlike normal screen sequences, the user can always see the names of the other screens to which he or she can jump immediately. This makes tabstrip controls an easy way to define several components of an application on a single screen and to navigate between them. The structure of your application thus becomes clearer to the user.

You can use tabstrip controls:

• To give complex applications a uniform structure and make it easier for users to navigate between their components.
• To make the structure of the application easier for users to learn and understand.

The following illustration shows the essential components and environment of a tabstrip control:

Tab titles contain the titles of the other components to which the user can navigate. Technically speaking, they are pushbuttons. You can use icons on a tab title in exactly the same way as you would on a pushbutton. The text on a tab title should be short and meaningful.

The first row of the tabstrip control is reserved for the tab titles. If you have defined more tab titles than can be displayed at once, the system automatically displays scroll buttons in the top right-hand corner of the tabstrip control to enable you to scroll between the tab titles.

A tab page contains a collection of fields that logically belong together. This is the equivalent of placing a group box around a group of fields. Tab pages are implemented using subscreens.

The screen environment around the tabstrip must remain constant. When you change between tab pages, the menus, application toolbar, and other fields outside the tabstrip control must not change.