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# Changing the Tab Order

Data fields also have a tab index. This number determines the order in which the user will tab to the fields on the form. Initially, the fields are numbered in the order in which they are added to the page. You will need to change this order so the fields are accessed logically.

## How tab order works

The tab index is page specific. The index numbers start with 1 on each page. When you display the DataView tree sorted by page, the fields are displayed in the current tab index order. Data fields and inline fields are indexed separately. You must display your tree sorted by page to change the tab order of the fields.

To change the data field tab order

1. Display the DataView tree.

2. Right-click on the form name at the top of the tree and select Sort by Page. The fields will be displayed in the current tab index order.

3. Rearrange the fields by doing either of the following:

- Drag and drop the field into the location you want.

- Right-click on the field and choose either Move Up or Move Down from the context menu.

## Moving groups of fields

You can also rearrange groups of fields. However, the context menu method and the drag-and-drop method have different results:

- If you use the context menu, each selected field will move up or down one place based on its original position.

- If you use the drag-and-drop method, the fields will move as a group to the position where you drag them.

To rearrange groups of fields with the context menu

1. Display the DataView tree.

2. Right-click on the form name at the top of the tree and select Sort by Page.

3. While pressing , select each data field you want to rearrange. The fields do not have to be adjacent to each other:

4. Right-click on the group and choose either Move Up or Move Down from the context menu. Each field in the group will move up or down one place:

To rearrange groups of fields with the drag-and-drop method

1. Display the DataView tree.

2. Right-click on the form name at the top of the tree and select Sort by Page.

3. While pressing , select each data field you want to rearrange and drag the group to the new position:

4. Release the mouse button and the group of fields will be placed in the new position:

## Inline fields and the tab order

Inline fields are indexed separately. They will be tabbed to after the last standard data field on the page has been accessed. All inline fields in a given text box are tabbed to in the order in which they appear in the text box. They are sorted by text box into two groups:

- Text boxes containing inline fields with short data IDs.

- Text boxes containing inline fields with long data IDs or both short and long IDs.

Inline fields in text boxes with short data IDs appear first in the tab order, followed by inline fields in text boxes with long data IDs or mixed long and short data IDs. The default sort order within each group is the order in which the text boxes were added to the page.

Suppose, for example, you sorted your inline fields in a logical order as shown below and saved the file:

The next time you reload the file, the fields will be regrouped by text box. Inline fields in text boxes that contain all short data IDs will appear first, followed by those that contain long data IDs or mixed long and short IDs:

The tab order for fields in a text box is always the order in which they appear and cannot be changed. However, the order in which the text boxes containing the inline fields are accessed can be reordered within their respective groups. You may need to do this if your text boxes were not added to the form in a logical tab order, as the default order is the order in which they were added.

To rearrange them, you must move all the inline fields in the text box to their new position in the tree. You can either move the fields in the group individually or select them all at once and move them to the new position in the tree.

Note:

In I-32 Featuring Editor 2, all fields are treated equally in the tab order, so inline fields can be indexed in their logical tab order on the page and interspersed with data fields. They will be displayed correctly in a featured application. However, they will revert to the I-32 Forms Design tab order in non-featured applications.