<doc>
	<legacy_id>1228</legacy_id>
	<name>tabStops</name>
	<type>property</type>

	<syntax>
		<example>set the tabStops [of line <i>lineNumber</i>] of <i>field</i> to <i>tabStopList</i></example>
	</syntax>

	<synonyms>
	</synonyms>

	<summary>Specifies the location of <glossary tag="tab stop">tab stops</glossary> in a <keyword tag="field">field</keyword>.</summary>

	<examples>
<example>set the tabStops of field &quot;Comments&quot; to 20 </example>
<example>set the tabStops of field 1 to 40,80,120,160,200</example>
<example><p>if the tabStops of me is empty then answer &quot;Sorry - can't tab.&quot;</p></example>
<example>set the tabStops of line 2 to -2 of field &quot;list&quot; to 50</example>
	</examples>

	<history>
		<introduced version="1.0">Added.</introduced>
		<deprecated version=""></deprecated>
		<removed version=""></removed>
		<changed version="5.5">Line/para level</changed>
	</history>

	<objects>
		<field/>
	</objects>

	<platforms>
		<mac/>
		<windows/>
		<linux/>
		<ios/>
		<android/>
	</platforms>

	<classes>
		<desktop/>
		<server/>
		<web/>
		<mobile/>
	</classes>

	<security>
	</security>


	<classification>
		<category>User Interaction</category>
		<category>Appearance &amp; Positioning</category>
	</classification>

	<references>
		<property tag="autoTab">autoTab Property</property>
		<property tag="width">width Property</property>
		<property tag="textSize">textSize Property</property>
		<property tag="hScrollbar">hScrollbar Property</property>
		<property tag="formattedText">formattedText Property</property>
		<property tag="formattedWidth">formattedWidth Property</property>
		<property tag="listBehavior">listBehavior Property</property>
		<property tag="textAlign">textAlign Property</property>
		<property tag="listStyle">listStyle Property</property>
		<property tag="listDepth">listDepth Property</property>
		<property tag="listIndent">listIndent Property</property>
		<property tag="firstIndent">firstIndent Property</property>
		<property tag="rightIndent">rightIndent Property</property>
		<property tag="leftIndent">leftIndent Property</property>
		<property tag="spaceAbove">spaceAbove Property</property>
		<property tag="spaceBelow">spaceBelow Property</property>
		<property tag="backgroundColor">backgroundColor Property</property>
		<property tag="borderWidth">borderWidth Property</property>
		<property tag="borderColor">borderColor Property</property>
		<property tag="hgrid">hgrid Property</property>
		<property tag="vgrid">vgrid Property</property>
		<property tag="hidden">hidden Property</property>
		<property tag="dontWrap">dontWrap Property</property>
		<message tag="tabKey">tabKey Message</message>
	</references>

	<description>
	<overview>Use the <b>tabStops</b> <glossary tag="property">property</glossary> to let users tab to a horizontal location within a <keyword tag="field">field</keyword>.</overview>

		<parameters>
		</parameters>

	<value>The <b>tabStops</b> of a <keyword tag="field">field</keyword> is a list of one or more positive <glossary tag="integer">integers</glossary>, separated by commas.<p></p><p>By default, the <b>tabStops</b> <glossary tag="property">property</glossary> of newly created <glossary tag="field">fields</glossary> is set to empty.</p></value>
	<comments>If the user presses the Tab key while editing a field, normally the insertion point moves to the next control whose <b>traversalOn</b> <glossary tag="property">property</glossary> is true. If the <b>tabStops</b> <glossary tag="property">property</glossary> is true, the user can enter tab characters in the <keyword tag="field">field</keyword>. Each time the Tab key is pressed, the <glossary tag="insertion point">insertion point</glossary> moves to the next <glossary tag="tab stop">tab stop</glossary> on the current line.<p></p><p>The <b>tabStops</b> consists of one or more <glossary tag="integer">integers</glossary> separated by commas. Each <keyword tag="integer">integer</keyword> is the distance in <property tag="pixels">pixels</property> from the left margin of the <keyword tag="field">field</keyword> to a <glossary tag="tab stop">tab stop</glossary>. If a tab stop is less than the previous tab stop, the distance is measured relative to the previous tab stop. For example, if the <b>tabStops</b> is set to &quot;20,100,30&quot;, tab stops are placed at 20, 100, and 130 <property tag="pixels">pixels</property> from the left margin.</p><p></p><p><code tag=""><tip></code><code tag=""> If you set the </code><glossary tag="field">field's </glossary><property tag="vGrid">vGrid</property><glossary tag="property">property</glossary> to true, a vertical line is drawn at each <glossary tag="tab stop">tab stop</glossary>. Temporarily setting this <glossary tag="property">property</glossary> to true can help you get a better idea of where each <glossary tag="tab stop">tab stop</glossary> is.</tip><p></p><p>If the <b>tabStops</b> does not define tabs for the entire width of the <keyword tag="field">field</keyword>, or if the <glossary tag="field">field's</glossary> <property tag="dontWrap">dontWrap</property> <glossary tag="property">property</glossary> is true, LiveCode creates implicit <glossary tag="tab stop">tab stops</glossary> across the entire <keyword tag="field">field</keyword>. (For example, if a <glossary tag="field">field's</glossary> <b>tabStops</b> is 10, the <keyword tag="field">field</keyword> has a <glossary tag="tab stop">tab stop</glossary> every 10 <property tag="pixels">pixels</property>.) If the <b>tabStops</b> <glossary tag="property">property</glossary> defines more than one <glossary tag="tab stop">tab stop</glossary>, the width of the last tab column repeats for the width of the <keyword tag="field">field</keyword>. (For example, if a <glossary tag="field">field's</glossary> <b>tabStops</b> is 20,100,130, the width of the last tab column is 30, so additional <glossary tag="tab stop">tab stops</glossary> are automatically created at 160, 190, 220, and so on.)</p><p></p><p>If the <b>tabStops</b> is empty, the <keyword tag="field">field</keyword> has no <glossary tag="tab stop">tab stops</glossary>, and pressing the Tab key moves the <glossary tag="insertion point">insertion point</glossary> to the next <keyword tag="field">field</keyword>.</p><p></p><p><code tag=""><important></code><code tag=""> Setting the </code><glossary tag="field">field's </glossary><property tag="textAlign">textAlign</property> to center or right may cause unexpected results when using <glossary tag="tab stop">tab stops</glossary>.</important><p></p><p><code tag=""><note></code><code tag=""> If the </code><property tag="tabGroupBehavior">tabGroupBehavior</property> property of a group containing the field is set to true, you cannot press the Tab key to go to the next tab stop. (The <b>tabStops</b> setting still controls the spacing of any tab <keyword tag="characters">characters</keyword> that are pasted into the <keyword tag="field">field</keyword> or placed in it by a <glossary tag="handler">handler</glossary>.)</note></comments>
	</description>
</doc>