Annotation Automation Object

Note: This topic is for Document/Medical only.

The annotation automation object (ANNOBJECT_AUTOMATION) is an object that lets you maintain default properties when using the automated annotation functions. This object has no position or dimensions. It is never placed in a container, but is associated with a root container accessed through the AnnContainer property.

Any properties that you set in the automation object become the default values for any new objects that are inserted into the associated container. In addition to the properties of other object types, the automation object also has properties, such as the default toolbar selection, that control the automated user interface.

This object has an automation tool property that you can use without implementing the toolbar. For example, if you want to supply your own toolbar or menu options, you can use the automation object alone to keep track of the tool selection.

Applicable properties have the following defaults, which you can change:

Automation tool	Defaults to the selection pointer. It can be changed using AnnTool property.
Font size	Defaults to 10 point, translated with a scaling factor of 1. It can be changed using the AnnSetFontSize method.
Font underline	Defaults to FALSE. It can be changed using the AnnSetFontUnderline method.
Font strikethrough	Defaults to FALSE. It can be changed using the AnnSetFontStrikeThrough method.
Font italic	Defaults to FALSE. It can be changed using the AnnSetFontItalic method.
Font bold	Defaults to FALSE. It can be changed using the AnnSetFontBold method.
Font name	Defaults to "Arial". It can be changed using the AnnSetFontName method.
Foreground color	Defaults to black. It can be changed using the AnnSetForeColor method.
Background color	Defaults to white. It can be changed using the AnnSetBackColor method. The default does not affect highlight, redaction, or note objects.
Fill pattern	Defaults to solid. It can be changed using the AnnSetFillPattern method.
Fill mode	Defaults to transparent. It can be changed using the AnnSetFillMode method.
Polygon fill mode	Defaults to winding. It can be changed using the AnnSetPolyFillMode method.
Line width	Defaults to 1. It can be changed using the AnnSetLineWidth method. (Values equate to a minimum of 1 pixel when displayed.)
Line style	Defaults to solid. It can be changed using the AnnSetLineStyle method.
Menus enabled	Defaults to TRUE. It can be changed using the AnnAutoMenuEnable property.
Automation text strings	Default to hard-coded strings for menus and dialog boxes. Strings can be changed using the AnnSetAutoText method.