Cell (Field) Width in Data Structure

TMcKenney asked: How do I assign the width of a entry cell? The lithology cell is so narrow I always need to widen it at entry time.

ANSWER: The column of a project database table can be either widened or deepened (or both) to allow the entire contents of the field (cell) to be viewed. This is done in INPUT.

Change of column width is accomplished by dragging the right border of the column in the column header to the right to widen it or the left to narrow it. The  row height is changed by dragging any row border between two control cells (the blue cells all the way at the left of the table) up or down.

Columns are widened or narrowed individually, but the row heights are all adjusted together -- changing one row changes them all equally.

The Performing Data Entry tutorial under the gINT Help menu covers these operations in the section Formatting Table Grids in Input.

To save changes back into the Data Template, use the Tool menu option Make data template, and replace the existing data template with the new structure you have defined by changing column and row dimensions. Then when you use the data template to clone new projects, they will already incorporate the changes.

  • This raises an interesting question... Where is the column width setting stored? Is is a property of the MS Access DB or is it a property remembered in the gINT program itself. I ask because on looking a the gdt in Access I don't seem to see a setting for the field width. It just seems to adjust based on the length of the Field name. I' over looking something I think. So then, can the field width be set in Access itself?? [Also how about the ability to put the Field Name on 2 lines?? I tried the <ctl-Enter> in the access caption but no joy.

  • SMH -- Right there  in Access you can set the col width .. I looked "all over" the web yesterday, and NOW ,after making the post it pops right up on my google search  LOL

    But then, It appears NOT to affect the new project cloned from the gdt. Hummm


    1. Open the parent form.
    2. In the subform, right-click the column header for the column for which you wish to adjust the width.
    3. Select the “Field Width” item from the context menu.
    4. In the “Column Width” dialog that appears in step 3, enter the desired column width in points, or, use the [Best Fit] button. Then click the [OK] button to close the dialog and return to the form.
    5. Right-click the parent form’s border to bring up the parent form’s context menu. Click the “Save” item in the context menu.
    6. Now close the parent form.
    7. The next time the form is loaded, the column widths should be as set it step 4 above--at least they are for my setup.
  • Art,

    You indicated that you cloned a new project from the GDT and the updated column widths were not present in the new project.

    It appears that you opened a project file (GPJ) in Access and then adjusted one or more column widths.

    Did you then remember to update the data template (GDT) file by cloning back from the "updated" project file to the data template file via the Tools:Make Data Template command in Input?

    Dave Kyllonen
    GeoDatabase Solutions