Shields allow object properties to be easily viewed in the 4th Dimension 2004 Form Editor. Each shield is associated with a property. When a shield is activated on the form, 4th Dimension displays a small icon (shield) in the upper left of each object where the property is applied.

Activate the shield by clicking the shield selection button until the desired shield is selected. Another way to activate the shield is to click on the right side of the shield selection button and directly choose the desired shield. Select No Shields in the selection menu to not view any shields.

The shield displays different information depending on the shield type. Help Tips have “true/false” properties, displaying the shield only if the object has the property. Objects with “value” type properties display the property value such as “View number”.

The following is a description of the shield types:
Object Method - Objects with an associated object method are displayed
Standard Action - Objects with an associated standard action are displayed
Resizing - Displayed for objects with at least one resizing property, indicates the combination of current properties
Entry Order – Displayed for enterable objects, indicates the number of entry order
View Number - Displayed for all objects, indicates the view number
Style Sheet - Objects with an associated style sheet are displayed
Filter - Enterable objects with an associated entry filter are displayed
Help Tip - Objects with an associated tip are displayed
No shields - No shields appear

The default shield in the Form Editor page can be set in the application Preferences (“Design Mode” theme).