Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

[nimrand]

I'm working on a mobile application where the user essentially edits data in two tables:

* Screening
* Diversion Plan

Screening has a one-to-many relationship with Diversion Plan, and both tables use identity (a.k.a., auto-increment) integers for their primary key. I've built a UX component which constists of a series of panels. The first panel is a list of the user's screenings (along with an 'Add' button), followed by a series of panels that let's the user edit whatever fields of the screening they want to edit. On one of thse panels, I want the user to be able to add Diversion Plans to the Screening and edit them.

As far as I can tell, there seems to be two ways to do this: use Repeating Sections or use a List Control with the "Open a UX Component to Edit Record in List Control or Enter a New Record" action.

Using the List Control solution would be ideal, because it's better optimized for a mobile interface. However, I'm not sure this approach will work because, if a user creates a new Diversion Plan for the Screening, how does the new Diversion Plan get linked back the Screening? Screening's ID wont necessarily be known yet because the Screening may not have been saved the server yet. Am I stuck with using a Repeating Containers? Should I switch to using an ID that can be generated client-side, like a GUID perhaps? Does AlphaAnywhere somehow handle this for you already?

Also, the client has expressed that they'd like this application to be offline-capable, if that makes a difference.

What would be the best approach to use in this situation?

[lgrupido]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

My suggestions would be:

1) Don't allow the user to create a diversion plan unless the screening has been saved. That eliminates the issue of not having a screening ID. And who wants to create a screening, then create a diversion plan only to have something go wrong and lose all that work? You could even save the screening automatically if the user elects to create a diversion plan.

2) If you are going to be doing offline stuff, then the IDs should be taken care of during the upload process once the system reconnects. Worst case scenario, you can write a trigger (if this is a sql system) to update the foreign key in the diversion table with the new Key from the screening table when that gets changed in the upload process.

[nimrand]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

A Screening record, including any diversion plans it has, is usually created and entered by the user all at once. So this would be a very common usage scenario. Additionally, users can only see and edit their own data, so there basically is no risk of edit conflicts or something "going wrong" to cause data loss.

Auto-saving when the user wants to add a diversion would be an acceptable solution except, unless I'm mistaken, this is impossible if the user is offline. If that is the case, option #1 wont work.

I'm not sure how suggestion #2 would work either. A user might created multiple screening records, each with their own diversion plans, while offline. How would the trigger determine which Screening each Divsion Plan goes with if multiple Screenings and multiple Diversion Plans are uploaded all at once?

[peteconway]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

Diversion List is a child of the Screening List.
Both Lists can exist in the one UX each having a detailed view.
NOT a bound UX. Binding is done in the LIST.
Set an argument for the ScreeningID you can call it ScreeningID
In the Diversion LIST filter the SQL against the :ScreeningID argument Say Where Diversion.ScreeningID = :ScreeningID
Set the Has Parent in the Diversion List to yes and name Screening as the Parent
Nominate the Fields that link the two. (This is how the child gets the Parent ID)
And basically your done.

Cheers, Peter

[lgrupido]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

Even though the system is offline, it knows what a primary key is. And it does allow you to "save" edited data.

The difference is that it is storing it to temporary storage on your phone instead of back to the live server.

It will create temporary PKs for each record.

When the system syncs with the live server, it will get new PKs and use them throughout.

That is my understanding of how it is supposed to work, anyway. I don't have any offline systems myself at the moment, but I've seen some videos.

Perhaps someone more in the know will chime in!

[nimrand]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

Diversion List is a child of the Screening List.
Both Lists can exist in the one UX each having a detailed view.
NOT a bound UX. Binding is done in the LIST.
Set an argument for the ScreeningID you can call it ScreeningID
In the Diversion LIST filter the SQL against the :ScreeningID argument Say Where Diversion.ScreeningID = :ScreeningID
Set the Has Parent in the Diversion List to yes and name Screening as the Parent
Nominate the Fields that link the two. (This is how the child gets the Parent ID)
And basically your done.

Cheers, Peter

Thanks. I will test that and report back.

[Scott B]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

Hi Kevin - any luck with Peter's method? I'm attempting to do something very similar and still getting a zero where the foreign key should be.

[PaulAmmoun]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

Hi,
It's been a while I am banging my head with a similar scenario.
I need a parent-child screen entry, While I need the child section to be edited directly (like a grid) so the user don't have to click on "new record" each time.
for 1 screen I used a repeating section, while it is working I have a feeling that repeating section are not as flexible as other form of entries.
I am thinking to use a list with an embeded grid (with live link). but now I am having issues with the primary key (being zero).
Maybe a guid is good along with a trigger to updated the forein key???

Thank you for your help

[amitloh]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

Grid does not work in mobile apps, I am also trying to find better grid alternative(there is this list but it lacks all features of grid), I hope alpha adds touch events to grid(save, edit, sort and filter.

[PaulAmmoun]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

Grid does not work in mobile apps, I am also trying to find better grid alternative(there is this list but it lacks all features of grid), I hope alpha adds touch events to grid(save, edit, sort and filter.

Hi,
I am not specificaly looking for mobile compatibility,
This is what I am trying to reproduce:
imm.png

[amitloh]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

is this android or iphone mobile app? I see you are looking for a grid with inline editing. If you are not looking for inline editing then you can use I guess lists provided you do want app to be published(not browser based application).

[PaulAmmoun]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

Hi,
Thank you for your answer,
This is a browser app, Not a mobile one.
and I am looking for inline editing.
That's why i cant use list

[GGandhi]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

i am just curious,
if this is just a browser app, why you are not able to use an ux
with header and a repeating section?

[PaulAmmoun]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

Hi Ghandi,
I can use a ux with repeating section and works perfectly (I have done some other screens).
I am just afraid that at a certain point those repeating sections becomes obsolete and start giving errors :(
I am probably wrong and should keep doing it the old way "repeating sections".

Thank you for you answer

[GGandhi]

Re: Parent-Child Records In A Mobile-App

I am just afraid that at a certain point those repeating sections becomes obsolete and start giving errors :(

would you be willing to elaborate?