Using the Tab Order palette

The Tab Order palette provides an alternative view of the tabbing order on the form. It shows all the objects on the form as a numbered list, where each number represents the position of the object in the tabbing flow. The palette is also where you modify the tab order, if required.

To open the Tab Order palette, select Window > Tab Order.

The Tab Order palette may show the following visual markers in the list:

  • A gray bar marks each page of the form. The tabbing order on each page starts with the number 1.

  • The letter M inside a green circle indicates master page objects (visible only when viewing the form on the Design View tab).

  • A range of numbers indicates objects within a fragment.

  • A yellow background indicates the currently selected item.

  • A lock icon beside the first object on the page indicates that the object cannot be moved within the tabbing order (visible only when viewing the form on the Master Pages tab).

The list shows exactly the same tabbing order numbers as the numbers displayed on the form itself.

The difference is that the numbers displayed on the form are for information purpose only, whereas the numbers on the list can be changed to modify the tabbing order.

In the Tab Order palette, you can also show or hide the tabbing order on the form and switch between the default and custom tabbing order.

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