DisplayWidth
property DisplayWidth: Integer read write;
Example
procedure WidenDescription(const Data: TvxClientDataSet);
begin
Data.FieldByName('Description').DisplayWidth := 40;
end;
Usage
DisplayWidth gets or sets the requested presentation-column width, falling back to the field's default when the stored value is zero or negative.
- Use positive values for explicit widths and zero to request normal default behaviour.
- Do not use it as a data-length constraint or allocation size.
- Expect active data-aware views to refresh when it changes; avoid repeated changes in record-processing loops.
Additional Technical Info
DisplayWidth is presentation metadata used by data-aware consumers. It does not truncate, pad or validate the field's stored value.
Source-backed behaviour
The getter returns the stored width only when it is greater than zero; otherwise it calls the concrete field's virtual GetDefaultWidth. Base default width is 10, while descendants can derive another value from type or schema. The setter stores any integer without range validation. A changed value calls PropertyChanged(True), which broadcasts a layout-change event when the dataset is active.
Because zero and negative values both select the default on read, assigning -1 does not round-trip as -1. The stored/default distinction is internal. This property is independent of Size, DataSize, database column length and formatted text length.