Sort by Column Heading Is Lost If List Is Refreshed

[kingcarol]

I have a list that I am using to do bank reconciliations that is a list of the uncleared items. When user check marks that an item has cleared, I refresh the list with the List Control Action to Refresh Data (to get the current record to disappear from the list of uncleared items). The problem I have is that IF the user has clicked a column heading to sort the data in a way they need, the Refresh of the list loses their sort and goes back to the Order By sort that I have in my query for the list. I do want the list to first open based on my Order By, but then if a user has done their own column sort, I don't want them to lose their sort when the list is refreshed.

I should also mention that I am using Group Breaks in the list to separate Deposits from Checks.

Bottom line: I need to keep the user's current sort order when a list is refreshed. Any ideas?

[frankbicknell]

Re: Sort by Column Heading Is Lost If List Is Refreshed

Here is just a quick thought. Store the current sort order to a variable then re-sort after the refresh. There may be a method to get the current sort order I'm not sure. It seems kind of the long around about way. Ultimately it should be done client side by surgically removing the row. While I am certain that can be done I have never tried that myself. You could very easily use a dynamic style, maybe gray it out or something. Besides don't they loose there place in the list when it is refreshed?

I just leave the rows in the list and checked in my reconciliation form. I update the totals in the onclick of the cleared checkbox control. That way if a mistake is made it can be uncleared. I have a button that marks the cleared items reconciled when everything balances.

[kingcarol]

Re: Sort by Column Heading Is Lost If List Is Refreshed

You've given me some good things to think about, Frank. For now, I'd like to know if there is a way to capture the current sort order and resort after refresh. Does anyone know if there is a method for that? It almost seems like it could be an option for the list refresh method.

[Davidk]

Re: Sort by Column Heading Is Lost If List Is Refreshed

You've not stated your Alpha Version/Build but I'm guessing it's not current because I believe the current version maintains the sort order after a List Data refresh. Always good to list your version.

However, you could try this. It's get's a bit hairy because you don't really know when to sort a List Control after you've refreshed it... because you don't know when that refresh is complete. This code looks after the simplest form of a List sort.

In the UX client-side event onRenderComplete, set up some namespace vars we'll need...

{dialog.Object}.__listSort = {};
{dialog.Object}.__listSort.orderField = false;

In the button where you invoke the List refresh...

var lObj = {dialog.Object}.getControl('LIST1');
var sOrder = lObj.order;
if(sOrder){
	for(var orderField in sOrder) {
		if(sOrder.hasOwnProperty(orderField)) {
			var orderDir = sOrder[orderField];
			{dialog.Object}.__listSort = {};
			{dialog.Object}.__listSort.orderField = orderField;
			{dialog.Object}.__listSort.orderDir = orderDir;
		}
	}
}else{
	{dialog.Object}.__listSort.orderField = false;
}	


{dialog.object}.refreshListData('LIST1');

Here, we are getting the List control object, and getting it's "order" property which is a name/value pair consisting of the column being sorted and it's direction. 1 for Asc, -1 for Desc. If no sort is set, then "order" is false.

So... we test "order" to see if we need to sort. If so, we grab it's name/value pair and assign it to our namespace variables. Then we refresh the List.

I'm not sure if there's a better way to tell when a List is finished refreshing. If someone as a tested method other that what follows, please post. For now, I'm using the List event, onListDraw. But... onListDraw fires before there's actually data in the List... so we need to get around that.

if(data.length > 0){
	if({dialog.Object}.__listSort != undefined){
		if({dialog.Object}.__listSort.orderField != false){
		   var orderField = {dialog.Object}.__listSort.orderField;
			var orderDir = {dialog.Object}.__listSort.orderDir;
			var sortObj = '{' + '"' + orderField + '"' + ':' +  orderDir + '}';
			var sortObj = JSON.parse(sortObj);
			{dialog.Object}.__listSort.orderField = false;
			this.setOrder(sortObj);
		}
	}
}

Here, we test for List data. If we have data, then check for our namespace vars. If they are in place, then get them. Build a string that with our sort details that we can turn into JSON and call the .setOrder method of the List. Since we're in a List event, we get to use 'this'.

Finally, before we actually set the Order, we need to set our namespace var 'orderField' to false. This is because as soon as we call .setOrder() onListDraw fires again.

[kingcarol]

Re: Sort by Column Heading Is Lost If List Is Refreshed

Thanks so much, David, for taking the time out for this. I did try to use your code but just couldn't get it to work (probably due to my own ignorance). But I dug a little deeper into the List Events and started playing with the AfterServerSideSort event and decided to make 2 hidden fields (USER_SORT_DIRECTION with a default of 0 and USER_SORT_COLUMN with a default of NONE) in my ux component to set both of them based on that events parameters for column and direction, and came up with the following. (I am only letting the user sort on 3 different columns in my list.)

var colSort = e.column
var colDirection = e.direction

if(colDirection == 'a'){
	{dialog.object}.setValue('USER_SORT_DIRECTION',1);
}

if(colDirection == 'd'){
	{dialog.object}.setValue('USER_SORT_DIRECTION',-1);
}

if(colSort == 1){
	{dialog.object}.setValue('USER_SORT_COLUMN','GL_DATE');
}
if(colSort == 3){
	{dialog.object}.setValue('USER_SORT_COLUMN','GL_DOCUMENT');
}
if(colSort == 6){
	{dialog.object}.setValue('USER_SORT_COLUMN','TOTAL');
}

Then right after the list is refreshed using Action Javascript, I added an action with the following code and made sure to check mark to Run Actions Synchronously. I tried using the variables below in the line for the sortObj but that didn't work, so I had to hard code them and make 3 different If statements for my 3 columns.

var colHeading = {dialog.object}.getValue('USER_SORT_COLUMN');
var colDirection = $u.s.toNum({dialog.object}.getValue('USER_SORT_DIRECTION'));

if(colHeading == 'GL_DATE'){
	if(colDirection == 1){
		var listObj = {dialog.object}.getControl('LIST1');
		var sortObj = {'GL_DATE' : 1};
		listObj.setOrder(sortObj);
	}
	if(colDirection == -1){
		var listObj = {dialog.object}.getControl('LIST1');
		var sortObj = {'GL_DATE' : -1};
		listObj.setOrder(sortObj);
	}
}

if(colHeading == 'GL_DOCUMENT'){
	if(colDirection == 1){
		var listObj = {dialog.object}.getControl('LIST1');
		var sortObj = {'GL_DOCUMENT' : 1};
		listObj.setOrder(sortObj);
	}
	if(colDirection == -1){
		var listObj = {dialog.object}.getControl('LIST1');
		var sortObj = {'GL_DOCUMENT' : -1};
		listObj.setOrder(sortObj);
	}
}

if(colHeading == 'TOTAL'){
	if(colDirection == 1){
		var listObj = {dialog.object}.getControl('LIST1');
		var sortObj = {'TOTAL' : 1};
		listObj.setOrder(sortObj);
	}
	if(colDirection == -1){
		var listObj = {dialog.object}.getControl('LIST1');
		var sortObj = {'TOTAL' : -1};
		listObj.setOrder(sortObj);
	}
}

This seems to be working well. It is only based on the last column sort, but that is going to be ok. ALSO, I have often noticed that sorting by clicking on column headings sometimes quits working after sorting a couple of columns, SO I went and added that last section of code to the AfterServerSideSort list event, and that is helping that issue, too!

The version I am using is 2800-4476 from April of 2015 (I think). Everything has been working well for me using that version, so I haven't wanted to rock the boat ... :)

Thank you all!! I think I have this solved.

[Michael1954]

Re: Sort by Column Heading Is Lost If List Is Refreshed

You can try hiding the row with CSS. That way there is no need to refresh.

[frankbicknell]

Re: Sort by Column Heading Is Lost If List Is Refreshed

You can try hiding the row with CSS. That way there is no need to refresh.

Now that is a great idea. That would definitely surgically remove the row.

[kingcarol]

Re: Sort by Column Heading Is Lost If List Is Refreshed

I probably don't want to hide the row in my case because i am using Group Breaks in the list and showing the summary total of the remaing records n each group.

[frankbicknell]

Re: Sort by Column Heading Is Lost If List Is Refreshed

I think the totals would still be correct if you are calculating client side.