Xdialog data list not autosizing with %d

[Ray in Capetown]

Maybe I am not using the best method for this but am now at a loss. I create a dialog to show background events relating to a cell clicked. Each record is an event. It works fine except for the number of lines displayed.
For testing I included sample data in the example below. The %d directive should autosize but doesn't work here. The user needs to view the final event (last record) and the recent history above that. This one starts at the first record and doesn't resize - I need to either re-position to the last or display all.
In any desktop version, paste the below to IW and run it.

DIM SHARED sl as C 
DIM SHARED varC_result as C
auto_list_sl = table.external_record_content_get("cusord3_events","Time+\"|\"+Column+\"|\"+Columnstatus+\"|\"+Columncomment","",evflt)
'you haven't got the table for the line above, can populate the var by running block below to test
auto_list_sl=<<%str%
= 28/10/2014 08:58:31 57 am|proforma        |Received OK    |tryu iam
28/10/2014 11:07:18 67 am|proforma        |Pending 1      |
28/10/2014 11:59:42 19 am|Costings        |Rejected       |Reject1
29/10/2014 01:13:24 42 pm|Fit Sample      |REQST   ACCEPT |ZiNJO reqsted a quote 4
29/10/2014 01:20:03 84 pm|Costings        |RECVD   REJECTE|ZiNJO got quote 4 not accepted BINGBONG is lower
29/10/2014 11:58:48 71 pm|Fabric          |Weight  Rejecte|too thin fabric
30/10/2014 11:19:27 59 am|Costings        |Labels  ACCEPT |yyy7543
30/10/2014 11:20:52 21 am|Costings        |RECVD   REJECTE|yyy7543rej
30/10/2014 03:05:38 11 pm|Fit Sample      |2nd     Rec/Hel|Checkselves here
01/11/2014 08:06:27 33 pm|Fit Sample      |1stFit  Rec/Fwd|
02/11/2014 03:42:21 74 pm|ETD             |Ship    APPROVE|Chang Zen
02/11/2014 03:43:08 30 pm|Costings        |REQST   waiting|wAN WI NFACTORY
02/11/2014 04:38:16 21 pm|Costings        |RECVD   waiting|MUNGMIN ZHI sent qte for large quantity
02/11/2014 04:39:49 46 pm|Costings        |RECVD   waiting|LUIS sent qte only for RED
02/11/2014 05:22:43 26 pm|Costings        |RECVD   waiting|Selvin Best so far
03/11/2014 02:37:23 81 pm|Fit Sample      |2ndFit  Forward|Biju consideration so far
%str%

linec=line_count(auto_list_sl) ' in case I can use this in the dlg string?

Dim format as p 
Format.tab_stops="2,3,4,5"
Format.font="Arial,9"
Format.group_size=1
Format.number_rows=.t.

'Apply 'owner draw' formatting information to the list
auto_list_sl = a5_owner_draw_list_fmt(auto_list_sl,Format)
temp_count = w_count(auto_list_sl,crlf())
DELETE a_sl
DIM a_sl[temp_count] as c
a_sl.initialize(auto_list_sl)
varC_result = ui_dlg_box("Alpha Five","| [%d;O={@@}%.140,5sl^#a_sl];")

[Allen Klimeck]

Re: Xdialog data list not autosizing with %d

Ray the 'D' directive :

Causes the line spacing in a list box to be adjusted automatically for the point size of the type being displayed.
It does not expand the number of lines in a list box.

change the end of your code to this:

'change the line count
vclist = "[%O={@@}%.140,**lines**sl^#a_sl];"
vclines =  alltrim(str(round_up(linec*1.1875,0)))'each line uses 1.1875 space per line at 9 points
vcdlgbody = strtran(vclist,"**lines**",vclines)'replace **lines** with new line count
'msgbox(vclist +crlf()+vclines)

varC_result = ui_dlg_box("Alpha Five",vcdlgbody)

to dynamically change the number of lines in the list box.

[Ray in Capetown]

Re: Xdialog data list not autosizing with %d

Allen that's terrific
strtran() I wouldn't have got there. I really appreciate that thanks.

[Al Buchholz]

Re: Xdialog data list not autosizing with %d

to get the list to point at the last value add 2 lines

linec=line_count(auto_list_sl) ' in case I can use this in the dlg string?
[COLOR="#FF0000"]LastRow=strtran(alltrim(str(linec))-word(auto_list_sl,linec,crlf()),"|","")
sl=LastRow[/COLOR]

[Ray in Capetown]

Re: Xdialog data list not autosizing with %d

And that completes the perfect solution to both dilemmas.
Appreciate it Alan.

I was about to try a compromise position with bottom_records() that I've not tried before...

auto_list_sl = table.external_record_content_get("cusord3_events","Time+\"|\"+Column+\"|\"+Columnstatus+\"|\"+Columncomment","","bottom_records(10,evflt)")

But now the user can view all records available.

[Ray in Capetown]

Re: Xdialog data list not autosizing with %d

to get the list to point at the last value add 2 lines

linec=line_count(auto_list_sl) ' in case I can use this in the dlg string?
[COLOR="#FF0000"]LastRow=strtran(alltrim(str(linec))-word(auto_list_sl,linec,crlf()),"|","")
sl=LastRow[/COLOR]

Al, I did exactly that and it worked perfectly. I tried to but didn't understand how it works and what the variable sl actually does. Its functioning is too obscure for me to follow. I just included it verbatim and moved on.

I have had to come back to that now to add button options for further processing within in the same dialog. There are some differences and now that line no longer fetches the last record.
Would you be able to explain how it gets applied?
Or would I give a new sample?

[Al Buchholz]

Re: Xdialog data list not autosizing with %d

Al, I did exactly that and it worked perfectly. I tried to but didn't understand how it works and what the variable sl actually does. Its functioning is too obscure for me to follow. I just included it verbatim and moved on.

I have had to come back to that now to add button options for further processing within in the same dialog. There are some differences and now that line no longer fetches the last record.
Would you be able to explain how it gets applied?
Or would I give a new sample?

sl is the variable that you use to show the values on the xdialog.

varC_result = ui_dlg_box("Alpha Five","| [%d;O={@@}%.140,5[B][COLOR="#FF0000"][SIZE=5]sl[/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]^#a_sl];")

You fill the variable choices with a_sl

The value you pick is stored in sl

The last_row expression calculates the exact value for the last record that are found in sl given it's choices and formatting.

Use debug(1) or the trace window to follow the values in each variable.

[Ray in Capetown]

Re: Xdialog data list not autosizing with %d

So after stripping all "|" the result, stored in sl must match one of the rows (in this case the last) and the dialog will select it?
I noticed that on subsequent opening the line it starts with "remembers" which selection was made in the previous - so that is the mechanism
I'll try out tracing methods. Is this a general principle?
Thank you kindly for your patience.

[Al Buchholz]

Re: Xdialog data list not autosizing with %d

So after stripping all "|" the result, stored in sl must match one of the rows (in this case the last) and the dialog will select it?
I noticed that on subsequent opening the line it starts with "remembers" which selection was made in the previous - so that is the mechanism
I'll try out tracing methods. Is this a general principle?
Thank you kindly for your patience.

The "remembers" the selection made is because you scoped that variable as shared. Sometimes I use global so it remembers even longer....

debug(1) and tracing are always good ways to see exactly what is happening. Saves alot of guessing and going down wrong assumption paths.

The LastRow calculation was based on looking at the variable SL with debug(1) and making a calculation that matched that value for the last row.

So if you change formatting/columns/whatever and the SL value changes the format, you need to change the calc for LastRow to match.

[Ray in Capetown]

Re: Xdialog data list not autosizing with %d

Got it thanks.

[Ray in Capetown]

Re: Xdialog data list not autosizing with %d

To others reading this
The first wrong assumption I made (before the guessing how it works assumptions) was that the solution provided already existed in Al's memory, whereas I realize now that the solution, as simple as it appears, actually came from Al trying the example, testing until it worked. There is quite a distinction.