File > Examples > Contributed Libraries > ControlP5 > controllers > ControlP5tab

I think moveTo will only place the controller in a single tab, so to have a controller in multiple tabs but not all tabs would require some manual tweaking. The idea you mention and don't want to use, seems a sensible workaround. Of course the downside is that you have to specify whether or not a controller is visible for each single tab, but on the upside: it works. Perhaps andreas can come up with a better way, but for future reference let me just post the multi-tab method here...

Proof-of-concept

1. import controlP5.*;
2. ControlP5 cp5;
3.  
4. void setup() {
5.   size(700, 400);
6.   cp5 = new ControlP5(this);
7.  
8.   cp5.addTab("tab_ONE");
9.   cp5.addTab("tab_TWO");
10.   cp5.addTab("tab_THREE");
11.   cp5.addTab("tab_FOUR");
12.  
13.   cp5.getTab("tab_ONE").activateEvent(true).setId(1);
14.   cp5.getTab("tab_TWO").activateEvent(true).setId(2);
15.   cp5.getTab("tab_THREE").activateEvent(true).setId(3);
16.   cp5.getTab("tab_FOUR").activateEvent(true).setId(4);
17.  
18.   cp5.addSlider("sliderValue").setPosition(100, 100).setSize(500, 200).moveTo("global");
19. }
20.  
21. void draw() {
22.   background(255);
23. }
24.  
25. void controlEvent(ControlEvent theControlEvent) {
26.   if (theControlEvent.isTab()) {
27.     showMultiTabControllers( theControlEvent.getTab().getId() );
28.   }
29. }
30.  
31. void showMultiTabControllers(int selectedTab) {
32.   switch(selectedTab) {
33.     case 0: cp5.getController("sliderValue").show(); break;
34.     case 1: cp5.getController("sliderValue").hide(); break;
35.     case 2: cp5.getController("sliderValue").show(); break;
36.     case 3: cp5.getController("sliderValue").hide(); break;
37.     case 4: cp5.getController("sliderValue").show(); break;
38.   }
39. }