Attribute levels

The attribute levels describe the appearance of the controls using attribute definitions.

Level 1: Attribute definition at the control at project level

The attribute definition on a control instance overwrites all properties defined by a theme. The attribute definition at the control is specified in the Properties window or directly in the HTML code. The attribute definition at the control follows the usual procedure for overwriting the default properties of the base theme if no other theme is defined.

This option has been available since version 1.8.

Level 2: Attribute definition in a class at project level

The attribute definition in a class is specified in the theme editor of the respective theme at project level. The class is added to a control as a property so that it automatically adopts the attribute definitions of the class. The attribute definition in a class overwrites the attribute definition for a control type if both definitions contain the same attribute.

Level 3: Attribute definition per control type at project level

The attribute definitions in a control type are specified in the theme editor of the respective theme at project level. The attribute definition in a control type applies to all instances of the respective control in the project and is only overwritten by level 1 or level 2.

Level 4: Attribute definition per control type at control level

The attribute definition per control type at control level is specified directly in the directory of the control and is defined by the control developer. The definition is the same as in level 2 within a .theme file. For the standard controls, this property cannot be changed at the control level. The attribute definition per control type at control level is therefore only available for framework control developers.

Level 5: Attribute definition through DefaultValueInternal at control level

The DefaultValueInternal defines the properties of an attribute independent of the active theme and is used if the attribute is not overwritten by a theme at the higher levels.

In addition to the attribute definitions, it is possible to configure so-called ThemedResources at levels 2 to 4. The ThemedResources are control properties that cannot be configured via the Properties window and can only be changed via the theme system. An example of this are the knob definitions at the LinearGauge. The definition of ThemedResources is handled by the control developer.