Clicking an arrow button to walk through a list of records has become common in many programs. This can also be done easily in Helix.
A simple method is to draw four buttons and type arrow characters and vertical lines in them, as shown below:
Depending upon the typeface and size (i.e., the font) you select, this method has varying results from machine to machine.
A technique for avoiding this problem is to use graphics. You can create your own in any drawing program, or choose from the many sources of free graphic elements available on the internet. (Be sure to respect copyright laws, OK?)
In Helix RADE, create four sequences. Each one containing one of the Find… commands: Find First, Find Next, Find Previous, and Find Last.
Use graphic arrows in one of two ways:
- Paste the graphic into the command rectangle and place the appropriate sequence in there with it. You may also want to deselect the Frame Rectangle option for the command rectangle, if your graphic provides a strong border element.
- Place them in a background label rectangle and place the command rectangle containing the appropriate sequence over the background. If you choose this method, be sure to type a single space into the command rectangle to make it transparent and deselect the Frame Rectangle option for the command rectangle. (This method is less efficient, but it allows you to consolidate the arrows into a single graphic and may allow you to arrange them in ways that are not otherwise possible.)
In Helix 5.1 a number of bugs related to the handling of graphics when used in conjunction with the various command rectangle disabling options. If you are using an older version of Helix, you may not see what you expect in these situations.