DropDownList (SUI)

Displays a single visible item. When you click the control, a list drops down or pops up, and allows you to select one of the other items in the list.

Drop-down lists can have nonselectable separator items for visually separating groups of related items, as in a menu. You can specify the items on creation of the list object, or afterward using the list object’s add() method. You can remove items programmatically with the list object’s remove() and removeAll() methods. Calls the onChange() callback if the item selection is changed or if its notify() method is called.

Methods:

add, addEventListener, dispatchEvent, find, hide, notify, onActivate, onChange, onDeactivate, onDraw, onShortcutKey, remove, removeAll, removeEventListener, show

Objects:

Boolean, Bounds (SUI), Dimension (SUI), ListItem (SUI), Number, Object, Point (SUI), ScriptUIGraphics (SUI), String, Window (SUI)

Property Listing

Property

Type

Access

Description

active

Boolean

read/write

True if this element is active.

An active control is the one with keyboard focus—that is, the one that accepts keystrokes, or in the case of a Button, is selected when the user types Return or Enter in Windows, or the space bar in Mac OS.

alignment

String

read/write

The alignment style for this element. If defined, this value overrides the alignChildren setting for the parent container.

This can be a single string, which indicates the alignment for the orientation specified in the parent container, or an array of two strings, indicating both the horizontal and vertical alignment (in that order). Allowed values depend on the orientation value of the parent container. They are not case sensitive. For orientation=row:top, bottom, fill For orientation=column: left, right, fill For orientation=stack:top, bottom, left, right, fill

bounds

Bounds (SUI)

read/write

The boundaries of the element, in parent-relative coordinates.

Setting an element's size or location changes its bounds property, and vice-versa.

children

Array of Object

readonly

An array of child elements.

enabled

Boolean

read/write

True if this element is enabled.

An enabled element can accept input, according to its type. When false, control elements do not accept input, and all types of elements have a dimmed appearance.

graphics

ScriptUIGraphics (SUI)

readonly

The graphics object that can be used to customize the element's appearance, in response to the onDraw() event.

helpTip

String

read/write

The help text that is displayed when the mouse hovers over the element.

indent

Number

read/write

The number of pixels to indent the element during automatic layout.

Applies for column orientation and left alignment, or row orientation and top alignment.

itemSize

Dimension (SUI)

read/write

The width and height in pixels of each item in the list.

Used by auto-layout to determine the preferredSize of the list, if not otherwise specified. If not set explicitly, the size of each item is set to match the largest height and width among all items in the list

items

Array of ListItem (SUI)

readonly

The array of choice items displayed in the drop-down or pop-up list.

Access this array with a 0-based index. To obtain the number of items in the list, use items.length.The objects are created when items are specified on creation of the parent list object, or afterward using the list control’s add() method. Items in a drop-down list can be of type separator, in which case they cannot be selected, and are shown as a horizontal line. Each item has a selected property that is true when it is in the selected state.

location

Point (SUI)

read/write

The upper left corner of this element relative to its parent.

The location is defined as [bounds.x, bounds.y]. Setting an element's location changes its bounds property, and vice-versa.

maximumSize

Dimension (SUI)

read/write

The maximum height and width to which the element can be resized.

minimumSize

Dimension (SUI)

read/write

The minimum height and width to which the element can be resized.

parent

 

readonly

The parent element.

preferredSize

Dimension (SUI)

read/write

The preferred size, used by layout managers to determine the best size for each element.

If not explicitly set by a script, value is established by the UI framework in which ScriptUI is employed, and is based on such attributes of the element as its text, font, font size, icon size, and other UI framework-specific attributes.A script can explicitly set this value before the layout manager is invoked in order to establish an element size other than the default.

properties

Object

read/write

An object that contains one or more creation properties of the container (properties used only when the element is created).

Creation properties of a DropDownList object can include: items: An array of strings for the text of each list item. An item object is created for each item. An item with the text string "-" creates a separator item. Supply this property, or the items argument to the add() method, not both. This form is most useful for elements defined using Resource Specifications.

selection

ListItem (SUI)

read/write

The currently selected list item.

Setting this value causes the selected item to be highlighted and to be scrolled into view if necessary. If no items are selected, the value is null. Set to null to deselect all items.You can set the value using the index of an item, rather than an object reference. If set to an index value that is out of range, the operation is ignored. When set with an index value, the property still returns an object reference.

shortcutKey

String

read/write

The key sequence that invokes the onShortcutKey() callback for this element (in Windows only).

size

Dimension (SUI)

read/write

The current dimensions of this element.

Initially undefined, and unless explicitly set by a script, it is defined by a LayoutManager . A script can explicitly set size before the layout manager is invoked to establish an element size other than the preferredSize or the default size, but this is not recommended. Defined as [bounds.width, bounds.height]. Setting an element's size changes its bounds property, and vice-versa.

type

String

readonly

The element type; "dropdownlist".

visible

Boolean

read/write

True if this element is shown, false if it is hidden.

When a container is hidden, its children are also hidden, but they retain their own visibility values, and are shown or hidden accordingly when the parent is next shown.

window

Window (SUI)

readonly

The window that this element belongs to.

windowBounds

Bounds (SUI)

readonly

The bounds of this element relative to the top-level parent window.

Method Listing

ListItem (SUI) add (type:String, [text:String])

Adds an item or separator to the choices in this list.

Returns the item control object for type="item", or null for type="separator".

Parameter

Type

Description

type

String

The type of the child element.

Either item (a basic, selectable item with a text label) or separator

text

String

The localizable text label for the item.

Boolean addEventListener (eventName:String, handler:Function, capturePhase:Boolean=Boolean)

Registers an event handler for a particular type of event occuring in this element.

Parameter

Type

Description

eventName

String

The name of the event.

Event names are listed in the JavaScript Tools Guide.

handler

Function

The function that handles the event.

This can be the name of a function defined in the extension, or a locally defined handler function to be executed when the event occurs. A handler function takes one argument, the UIEvent object.

capturePhase

Boolean

When true, the handler is called only in the capturing phase of the event propagation.

Default is false, meaning that the handler is called in the bubbling phase if this object is an ancestor of the target, or in the at-target phase if this object is itself the target.

(default: false)

Event (SUI) dispatchEvent ()

Simulates the occurrence of an event in this target.

A script can create a UIEvent object for a specific event and pass it to this method to start the event propagation for the event.

ListItem (SUI) find (text:String)

Retrieves an item object from the list that has a given text label.

Parameter

Type

Description

text

String

The text string to match.

undefined hide ()

Hides this element.

undefined notify ([eventName:String])

Sends a notification message, simulating the specified user interaction event.

Parameter

Type

Description

eventName

String

The name of the control event handler to call.

One of: onClick, onChange, onChanging. By default, simulates the onChange event for an edittext control, an onClick event for controls that support that event.

undefined onActivate ()

An event-handler callback function, called when the element acquires the keyboard focus.

Called when the user gives the control the keyboard focus by clicking it or tabbing into it.

undefined onChange ()

An event-handler callback function, called when the content of the element has been changed

undefined onDeactivate ()

An event-handler callback function, called when the element loses the keyboard focus.

Called when the user moves the keyboard focus from the previously active control to another control.

undefined onDraw ()

An event-handler callback function, called when the window is about to be drawn.

Allows the script to modify or control the appearance, using the control’s associated ScriptUIGraphics object. Handler takes one argument, a DrawState object.

undefined onShortcutKey ()

An event-handler callback function, called when the element's shortcutKey sequence is typed in the active window.

In Windows only.

undefined remove (what:VariesSUI)

Removes a child item from the list.

Parameter

Type

Description

what

VariesSUI

The item or child to remove, specified by 0-based index, text value, or as a ListItem object.

undefined removeAll ()

Removes all child items from the list.

Boolean removeEventListener (eventName:String, handler:Function, capturePhase:Boolean=Boolean)

Unregisters an event handler for a particular type of event occuring in this element.

All arguments must be identical to those that were used to register the event handler.

Parameter

Type

Description

eventName

String

The name of the event.

handler

Function

The function that handles the event.

capturePhase

Boolean

Whether to call the handler only in the capturing phase of the event propagation.

(default: false)

undefined show ()

Shows this element.

When a window or container is hidden, its children are also hidden, but when it is shown again, the children retain their own visibility states.