Ensure form is open

[davidv43]

I have a master form which I open and set the global variable "selptID" based on a field in the form. If the user presses a button, a new form based on a table which is linked by ptID field to the master table (which is what the original form was based on) is opened.

I then set the child table key "ptID" to the global variable. I did not try to use a set to handle the copying of the key to the child table because I had had problems doing that in the past, so I set it programatically.

I set the script to set the child key value in the child form's OnInit event. The problem is, if someone opens the child form without the parent being open, the key will get set to whatever value is in the global variable at the time.

I would like to check to make sure the parent form is open before allowing any changes to the child key. That way, the currently opened parent key gets promulgated to the child. Is there a way to check for this?

I'm sure someone has a better way to do this, such as using sets and I am open for suggestions.

Thank you!
Dave

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Ensure form is open

is_object() can be used to determine if a form is already open.

[davidv43]

Re: Ensure form is open

Thanks! Is there a better way to make sure that the child form has the same key as the parent? Sets seem to get confused when they are complicated.

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Ensure form is open

I think your design should guarantee that the only way the child form can be seen by the end user is by running a script from the master form. Separate scripts should be used to open the child form for a new record and for edits to an existing record. Navigation in the called form should be suppressed. lock it down tight. User works on one record then either saves edits or cancels edits. No queries, no finds, no toggles to browses. Locked down tight. This was much easier before Windows made things so flexible.

Alternatively, do your data entry using completely scripted xdialogs.

[davidv43]

Re: Ensure form is open

As always, you are a huge help. Thank you!

Does changing the script to the "OnEnter" event help?

Dave

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Ensure form is open

David, my preference with opening a child form that is being used to enter a related record is to use a button push on the calling form. The OnPush event script loads the called form but keeps it hidden. The script then begins the new record in the hidden form. The script then assigns the link field value to the foreign key field in the new record. This can be done by assigning the field value to the value property of the object in the called form that displays the link field value. That field can then be made readonly by the same script. Finally, the script shows the form to the user.

On occasion my script will commit the newly begun record before showing the form to the user. This is handy when the called form involves a memo field, or when I need to commit an autoinc field value. The user then finishes the "new" record in change mode instead of enter mode.

[davidv43]

Re: Ensure form is open

Thank you. Maybe if I keep at this long enough, I will get good at design. It's not really explained well, but I think I remember in the DOS version, that "Enter" mode is only used for new records, rigtht? It's equivalent to setting the record cursor to the next record past the end of the file.

Dave

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Ensure form is open

"ENTER" mode is simply a descriptor. Used to tell us what's going on in the form at any point. Parentform.mode_get() will return it. Use this to create a new calc field in one of your forms and watch it change as you enter or edit some records. the most common "modes" are VIEW, ENTER, CHANGE. You'll understand this better if you play with the calc field a bit.

Your idea of using the OnSave event to run your script may or may not be a good idea. This event fires when the form saves a record, so it will run the script whether the record just saved is new or even if the user is simply editing a field value. You probably don't want the same script to run in both cases, if you see what I mean.

[davidv43]

Re: Ensure form is open

I'm not using OnSave for anything, except on one form, to recalculate some fairly complicated scores. I put the script setting the key value iin the OnEnter event. That way, it should only fire when I have a new record on the screen.

dave