In PowerBuilder 11.5 we introduce features that allow you to easily give your existing DataWindows a new look and feel. New properties are added to columns and controls to allow you to add tooltips. You no longer have to settle for single-colored backgrounds. We have introduced properties to control color gradients and translucency for the background of columns, and most controls and bands. For the DataWindow background, in addition to color gradients, you can use bitmaps as wallpaper, giving you control over how the image is tiled. Since these new properties are DataWindow properties, they are expression-enabled - they can be bound to data - think of them as novel ways of doing computed columns. Play around with text translucency - it's now another property alongside the good old font properties.

A new column edit style is introduced - RichText. Your data no longer needs to be in a single font and color - and you get this with no more effort that that required for other edit styles. The Graph, both the standalone control and in the DataWindow, gets a new 3D look. We have improved bitmap support - make a color transparent - using the PNG format.

All these features will be available to traditional client/server, Windows Forms, Smart Client applications, and InfoMaker.

Tooltips
When you get your copy of PB11.5, you'll notice that all DataWindow controls and columns now get an additional property tab page (see Figure 1).

The properties mean exactly what you think they mean - they are that easy to use. If you're not sure, just try some settings and mouse over the preview window (see Figure 2).

No new PowerScript functions are introduced here; runtime control is exercised through expressions on the properties. If it makes sense, you can even use the value of a column as the tip or as part of the expression for the tip.

There is no save-compile-run round-trip whenever you change something - change a setting and mouse over the preview - that's all you need to do.

The tooltip feature works on all controls - if you can add it to a DataWindow, it can have a tooltip (nested reports will be treated as a single control).