I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

[kingcarol]

I have a UX component that has some fields that are bound to a table and some fields that are not bound to a table. Those unbound fields are used to filter a list. In other words, the unbound fields are search fields. When a user selects a record in the List Control, it triggers the action to Populate Controls In A UX Component With Data From Tables using Read From Controls and the primary key from my List Control and populates the bound fields. The trouble is that the populate action sets my UNBOUND 'search' fields to empty. This is not good because I have an action to Resubmit A Search based on criteria in those search fields and I don't want them cleared out.

Any suggestions for how to make it so that the populate action only populates the Bound fields?

[Peter.Greulich]

Re: I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

Hi Carol,

I suppose you could assign the values in the search fields to variables and then when you populate the fields from the list reassign the search fields from the variables. But why go through all that? Why don't you remove your UX binding settings altogether and instead, bind your controls directly to the list control? That way your other fields won't be cleared out. That's one of the benefits of lists - you don't need to tie up the entire UX in controls bound to the UX.

[kingcarol]

Re: I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

I have the bound controls inside a window on the UX component so that I can open the window and edit the fields for the record. I did this based on a video by Selwyn about populating the controls on selection of a record in the list, making changes, then submitting, then list is updated.

[Peter.Greulich]

Re: I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

If you are linking your UX to an underlying grid to edit the current record in the grid that's one thing. But if the UX is independent then you don't need to bind to the UX at all, you can bind fields to the list itself.

[kingcarol]

Re: I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

I'm not linking to an underlying grid. I am using the features in the video titled 'List Control - Populating Data Bound UX Component controls when the selection in the List is changed.' I use the ExecuteServerSideAction to 'Save Submitted Data To Table'.

When user selects a record in the list control, I use the 'Populate Controls In A UX Component With Data From Tables'. I did not use the 'Populate Controls In an UNBOUND UX Component With Data From Tables' because my controls are bound. But now I'm wondering if I should try the populate in an UNBOUND one anyway since it appears to let you map which fields to populate... Hmmmm.

Basically, though, I don't understand why the unbound fields are populated at all, ie, why would they be set to empty? Seems like the population should only be done to controls that are bound to the table.

[Peter.Greulich]

Re: I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

I'm not sure that we are on the same page. Take a look at these videos and see if that concept might be of use to you:

UXL_V12-54
UXL_V12-55
UXL_V12-56

[kingcarol]

Re: I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

Here's the first 2 videos about populating from a list by Selwyn that I'm using:
http://www.ajaxvideotutorials.com/V1...dControls1.swf
http://www.ajaxvideotutorials.com/V1...dControls2.swf

[kingcarol]

Re: I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

Oh, Peter, I had not seen your latest post when I just posted those videos links. I'll see if I can find the ones you are talking about. (Do you think I will need a build later than the one I have from December?)

[kingcarol]

Re: I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

Peter, I did a search in the Video Finder for UXL_V12-54 and am not finding it...

[Peter.Greulich]

Re: I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

Sorry, it's 2 dashes:

UXL_V12--54
UXL_V12--55
UXL_V12--56

[kingcarol]

Re: I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

THANK YOU, Peter! Looks like all the components I launched off and did based on those videos I watched should have been using a Detail View. I get it.... although it makes me very tired to think about. I have been in the process for a few months now of getting my several hundred grids into list controls, and now I need to go back through a bunch of those and use the Detail View since it looks way more efficient... I understand how great it is that Alpha now has these features, but, oh boy, do I wish I'd had them back when I started doing this migration five years ago.... Seems like I keep going back through all these components and redoing them in order to make them more efficient.

[Peter.Greulich]

Re: I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

I kind of thought that we may have been talking past each other. I do wish lists had row expanders like grids and I do wish that they could be editable on some level, but they are faster than grids. The further we go, the more behinder we get.

[Peter.Greulich]

Re: I do not want Populate Controls to set Unbound fields to empty

Also, in the video finder type in list and go to the one w. 60 entries. It's worth scrolling through.