The tab control on my form is transparent

[sueb]

I'm trying to use a tab control on this sprawling form to make sensible groupings of fields. I'm able to create the control, and the tabs, but the "filling" (I don't really know what it's called) is transparent (I can see the form's background through a "hole" in the tab control's outline; it doesn't really seem to create separate layers for each tab. I looked all around in the various properties but couldn't find anyplace that controlled the color or transparency or ANYthing about the tab layers.

Where/how do I fix this?

[OldBirdman]

BackStyle is the word for the transparency/opaque characteristic of some controls, including tab controls.

In design view, click the entire tab control, not an individual tab. 'Handles' (those little black squares to resize controls) should be at the extreme edges & corners, not slightly inside the control. A good place to click is the top where no tabs stick up into the header space. In the properties window, Format tab, change BackStyle to 'Normal'.

Sometimes a control that is on a tab appears to be on all tabs. This can happen if the control is not on any tab, but is behind the tab control. This can be useful if a control actually should be on all tabs. A command button captioned "Clear This Tab" could be a single control and appear to be on all the tab pages.

To fix this, 1) In design view move the tab control and see what is on the form behind the tab control. If it doesn't belong, move it out from under. If it belongs and should show on all pages, click it, then click "Format" on the menu bar and then "Bring to Front".
2) For those controls you dragged out from under the tab control, they have to be pasted onto the tab page, NOT DRAGGED. Select a control, then Edit->Delete (or Cntl-X). Select the tab page you want the just deleted control on. Now Edit->Paste (or Cntl-V). Position the control on the tab page. Drag will work fine now.
3) Repeat for any other controls

Hope this helps.

[sueb]

Wow, thanks for this reply! I found the Backstyle property just fine, and I was completely dumfounded by your telling me that dragging WOULD NOT WORK! I mean... WHAT??? So, thanks a MILLION for that tip; I would have NEVER guessed that little trap!

Thanks again!