Style Sheets

Style sheets allow you to set the values for object properties in your displays from one or more external (.rts) files. You can choose from a number of built-in style sheets or create your own or append your custom style sheets to built-in files in order to adjust the properties you want to change.

You can also use style sheets to set the values of properties for your navigation controls, which makes it possible to standardize a default look and feel for all RTView applications or enable the deployment of several completely different look and feel styles that may be applied from the command line when starting RTView applications.

Application Level Style Sheets
Select Tools>Options>General>Style Sheet to manage style sheet (.rts) files applied to all displays in your applications. NOTE: When multiple style sheet (.rts) files are applied, they are processed in the order specified. Therefore if the same property is specified in multiple style sheets, the value in the last style sheet applied will take precedence.

Display-Specific Style Sheets
In addition to application level style sheets, select Tools>Style Sheet to apply specific style values to individual displays. NOTE: Display-specific style sheets are applied after application level styles sheets. Therefore if the same property is specified in both, the display-specific style sheet value will take precedence.

Disabling and Overriding Style Sheet Values
Style sheets are applied to the main Display Builder window (a.k.a Working Area) and in the Object Palette. To prevent display (.rtv) files from being saved with unwanted style values applied go to Tools>Options>General>Style Sheet and deselect the Apply Style Sheets to Main Builder Window checkbox.

In some cases, you might want to use a property value from your display (.rtv) file instead of the style sheet value. If a property value is set to apply a style sheet, then the property name is in italic. If you change that property (either by entering a value in the Object Properties dialog or by pasting properties onto the object) and save your display, the style sheet will no longer be applied to those properties. Property names with values that override the value set in the style sheet are in bold italic.

It is also possible to override the style sheet value without changing the property value by right-clicking on the property in the Object Properties dialog and selecting Override Style Sheet. To go back to using the style sheet value, right-click on the property and select Use Style Sheet.

To override all properties for an object defined in a style sheet, right-click on the object and select Override Style Sheet. To go back to using the style sheet values, right-click on the object and select Use Style Sheet.

NOTE: The options Use Style Sheet and Override Style Sheet are not applied immediately. You must save and reopen the display to accurately determine how style sheet properties are being applied.