How to make a field read only in a Dialog

[JetLi]

In alpha five forms, fields can be set as read only, especially calculated fields, how do i do this in a Dialog Component?Thanks!

[Keith Hubert]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

Change the control type to Label.

[JetLi]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

Thank you Keith, that is what i tried before but the data on it could not be saved, i want the calculated fields not to be edited but the calculated value does not appear on the dbf table after clicking the submit button in the Dialog Component.

[Keith Hubert]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

Your question should then have been "How do I save a calculated value from a Dialog Component into a dbf table"? A calculated value is already read only.

Off the top of my head I dont know the correct answer, but I suspect you will need the e._set.field_name.value=calculated_field_value.

[Lance Gurd]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

In a dialog component there is a read only expression available in the client side properties of the control settings, if you wish to make a control read only, set this expression to something that will always be true as in 1=1. This way the user can tab into the control but not alter its contents, if you wish to stop the user tabbing into the control put 2=1 in the enable expression box.

[Chet Sapino]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

In alpha five forms, fields can be set as read only, especially calculated fields, how do i do this in a Dialog Component?Thanks!

1. Go to the Dialog Events section and select ClientSide
2. Select the event "onInitializeComplete"
3. Put this code in there and when the dialog opens up, the field will be readOnly

$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.FIELDNAME').readOnly = true;

Where FIELDNAME is the name of your field you want readOnly. Make sure your fields name is typed in all uppercase.

[JetLi]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

Thank you Lance, works fine, the problem now is that the field is dimmed, the user wants to see it clearly. What the user wants is to have the normal view which is not dimmed but the user must not be able to type on it, I tried 1=1 but the it can be still modified.

[JetLi]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

1. Go to the Dialog Events section and select ClientSide
2. Select the event "onInitializeComplete"
3. Put this code in there and when the dialog opens up, the field will be readOnly

$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.FIELDNAME').readOnly = true;

Where FIELDNAME is the name of your field you want readOnly. Make sure your fields name is typed in all uppercase.

Chet, I tried your code but it is not working, I attached an image, pls view it and see what have i done for it not to work. Thanks!

[Chet Sapino]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

You have the wrong code. It should be exactly this:

$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.GRANDTOTAL').readOnly = true;

Do not specify the name of the dialog component name. That's the problem.

I use this all the time and it does indeed work. As soon as the dialog is opened you will find the GRANDTOTAL control read only.

You can use this code with some modification (you have to determine the row number and create the string) in a repeating section too.

[JetLi]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

Chet, I don't know why it is not working for me,I copied your code and paste it in the OninitializeComplete event but I can still type and change the value in the grand total field.

[Chet Sapino]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

This is some code I have in my dialog making several fields read only and setting other properties. There is a grand total field in my code called BALANCE.

This javascript stuff is all case sensitive. You can not say readonly, Readonly, or ReadOnly. It must be readOnly and there must be a semicolon at the end of each line.

The field names must be uppercase and exactly as defined in the component as the variable name up at the top under controls Field Properties.

{dialog.Object}.setFocus('OrderDate');
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.TAXABLE').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.SALESTAXRATE').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.ORDERTERMS').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.FPDSIC').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.FPDAYS').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.NETDAYS').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.PRICELEVEL').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.SUBTOTAL').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.EXTAMOUNT').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.SALESTAX').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.ORDERTOTAL').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.BALANCE').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.TOTALPROFIT').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.DISCAMOUNT').readOnly = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.COUNTY').readOnly = true;

$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.BUTTON_10008').disabled = true;
$('{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.BUTTON_10002').disabled = true;

These are textbox controls and some are calculated fields.

Try making another field in your dialog readOnly or creating a dummy dialog from one of the templates and try it. It has to work. You can click the mouse in a read only field but you can't change the contents. If the field is formatted using a client side format expression such as a dollar sign, you will lose the formatting momentarily and it will return as soon as you click out of the field. The field will look like a normal field in appearance and it will not be dimmed like an unenabled field.

[JetLi]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

Thank You Chet, I was trying in Working preview and it can be edited, after I tried calling it on the desktop with action script, you are right, it can't be edited. Maybe you know the things that are not applicable in working preview, it will help new developers to know the things like these, it has been 4 days till I got what I wanted on the user interface, not until you chimed in, I appreciate your great help chet

Edit:I think the Dialog Component that I am using is behaving badly, sometimes I don't know if I have done the wrong thing in Alpha Five,or I have done the right thing, even if i see actual examples of experts like you that are fully tested and have been working, when i try to do it in my own computer (copy paste so that it will work properly but....), the results are sometimes not producing the right thing, I'm a bit worried now, My comment above was made because suddenly i got it working on two controls,I made the post because prior to it, I can't make it readonly, Now, when I tried to do it on the third control and on the fourth control and so on, my goodness it is not working. Another thing Chet, Is the code that you used applicable in the repeating section of a Dialog Component?

[JetLi]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

Keith maybe you still did not yet experience how to set the readonly of a calculated field on a dialog component. A calculated field in a Dialog component is not readonly by default, you must do what Chet suggested.

[JetLi]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

Chet, I found out that your code works in fields/controls don't work in a repeating section, I added a new control on the repeating section and added your code, it doesn't work, I move the new control outside the repeating section and it works, How do I make a field in a repeating section readonly? BTW, are your codes from an alpha documentation? or ALpha Wiki? I'm just wondering on some of the inconsistencies of the way codes are interpreted in alpha five, although not all to be fair but for this instance in a dialog component, why is the code working in some controls but not working inside of a frame or repeating section, please show me a link where I can read and apply the codes by myself. Thanks.

[Chet Sapino]

Re: How to make a field read only in a Dialog

That code won't work in a repeating section because you have to know the row number which changes as you select it and then generate the correct code from a JavaScript on some other control which sets the readOnly attribute. Here is how to do it. This works very well.

Put this JavaScript in an onChange event on a control preceding the control you want to set as read only. When you tab off of it, it will set the control as readOnly. I use this on a lookup. After it does the lookup, it sets the control as read only. You can of course set as many controls as you want read only

var x = {dialog.Object}.getRepeatingSectionActiveRow('CONTAINER_1');
var fn = 'UM'; //'UM' is the field name in my repeating section I want readOnly
var y = fn + '_A5INSTANCE' + x;
var z ='{dialog.componentName}.V.R1.' + y;
alert(z); //check z to see what the generated string looks like. You can comment this out
$(z).readOnly = true;