Bind a property to a data item

When a property is bound to a data item, it receives its value dynamically.
A data item can be a tag, an extended property of a tag, or an expression. Data items are also properties of screens, project events, and graphic elements, including instances of Add-On Graphics.
If a property can be bound, a
Binding
button Icon: View Designer Binding Icon appears next to the property name when you point to it.
To bind a property to a data item
  1. Select the graphic element or instance of the Add-On Graphic.
    TIP:
    Select multiple elements to bind a common property of each element simultaneously.
    1. Expand the categories in the
      Properties
       tab to locate the property to bind to a tag.
    2. Point to the property box, click the
      Binding
      button Icon: View Designer Binding Icon when it appears, and select
      Bind property to item
      .
    3. Click
      Select tag
       ST5K_Project_Properties_Browse_button.jpg. The
      Tag Browser
       opens.
  3. Create the binding by performing one of the following:
    • Select
      Browse
      ST5K_Project_Properties_Browse_button.jpg to open the
      Tag Browser
      and then navigate to select the graphic element and property. Selecting a graphic element in the
      Tag Browser
      lists of properties of the selected graphic element.
      TIP:
      Binding to user-defined alias properties of an Add-On Graphic is not supported. Bind only to user-defined data type properties in an Add-On Graphic.
    • Type an expression in the
      Enter binding
      box or to create or edit lengthy or complex expression, select
      Open Expression Editor
       Icon: View Designer Open Editor Icon.
      IMPORTANT:
      • When binding an enumerated property to a string tag, ensure that the content of the string tag, including case, matches the content and case on the user interface. For example, the rounding property value Nearest is different than the rounding property nearest.
      • When binding to a property that consists of a list (for example, FontName, Format, Rounding) use a string tag that exactly matches the text of the item in the list. For example, to bind and use the Saturday Sans font, the string must contain Saturday Sans ICG to be considered an exact match. If the value of the tag does not match a value in the list, the first item in the list is used.
      • References to graphic element properties in a binding do not update automatically if a graphic element is renamed.
      • Binding to the property of any screen or graphic element outside of the definition of an Add-On Graphic is not supported. Add-On Graphics are self-contained elements. From within the definition of an Add-On Graphic, bind to the properties of that definition, the properties of graphic elements in that definition, and properties passed into the definition through user-defined properties.
      • Bind the properties of graphic element or the instance of an Add-On Graphic only to properties of graphic elements and Add-On Graphics that are on the same screen, popup, or System Banner.
      • When changing the value of a graphic element or instance of an Add-On Graphic property on a
        screen
        by binding to it, the changed value is not retained when closing and re-opening the screen.
      • When changing the value of a graphic element or instance of an Add-On Graphic property on a
        popup
        by binding to it, the changed value is retained when closing and re-opening the popup.
      • When binding tags to numeric properties, keep the following in mind:
        • If a numeric property is bound to a REAL tag, the resulting value is rounded.
        • If a numeric property is bound to a STRING tag or property source, the resulting value is truncated.
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