Add only table

[leec2000]

I spent yesterday trying to do a simple thing but I met so many obscure errors that I finally gave up and I'm hoping someone here can lead me to the right path.

I'm creating a form that's just to add records. No browse or search, just fields on a form, I want to start with a blank record and when I save I want to go right into the next add.

I can't make it come up with a blank record to start. I'm sure there's an event and an action script to take care of this but I can't find it.

Also I need to fill in a variable that I can't do in the field rules. Every way I tried came up with an error. Either 'not in change or enter mode' or 'already in read mode'.

I'm wasting so much time with this that I think I need to hire someone who can direct my efforts when I get stuck like this.

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Add only table

I'm creating a form that's just to add records. No browse or search, just fields on a form, I want to start with a blank record and when I save I want to go right into the next add.

I can't make it come up with a blank record to start. I'm sure there's an event and an action script to take care of this but I can't find it.

I'm sorry you had such trouble. This is a very easy thing to accomplish using Action Scripting. Use the action to open a form or browse layout and specify your data entry form. Then, when prompted to "show which records in target form or browse" select the option to "enter new record".

There are refinements you can make once you get this going.

For example, you can "hide" your form when it first loads. Then "show" it after you begin the new record.

A button on the data entry form could be scripted (again with Action Scripting) to save (commit) the current record and automatically begin (enter) a new one.

Some time spent reviewing the overview of action scripting in the helps system may pay dividends for you.

Good luck with your project.

[Davidk]

Re: Add only table

I know how frustrating it can be. Coming from decades of Access and VB I still find, after more than a year, that I spend too much time trying to accomplish fairly simple tasks - it's just getting used to a new system. Great help here though.

Zip and post your database here and you'll get versions back with your specific questions answered so that you can see how stuff is done.

[leec2000]

Re: Add only table

Thanks david I've attached a zip file.

There are 3 forms in the database. A menu, a form to add records and a form to view records. The add form is supposed to be a heads down data entry screen that starts with a screen with blank data fields. when the save button is hit the data should be saved and the form initialized to blank. In addition there are two fields that need to be set before the data is saved, Status and trusteeid. I'm setting them in a can save event on the tsnumber field, but it does'nt work at all and throws vague errors.

When I wrote this program in dos there was 1 line of code, namely, Status = 1 but it'll never be that easy ever again.

I sure appreciate your taking a look at this. If I can make a successful rewrite of this I will get a major contract to web enable the companies main program.

[Davidk]

Re: Add only table

Just a few changes to the add form and the menu.

From the Menu, the script opens the form, with the option to enter a new record.

On the form, in your Can Depart event for tsnumber, it now setting the status and trusteeId fields on the form. I added these two fields, and you can hide them.

I've not used the .data property before (just for getting data?). Just easier to add the two fields, hide them, and set their values.

Are these the variables you mentioned?

[leec2000]

Re: Add only table

My first thought was to hide them but I searched high and low to a way to do it. When I came up empty I thought to set them on an event. How do you hide the little buggers because that would be my preferred method?

[leec2000]

Re: Add only table

I found the hide box, never mind

[Davidk]

Re: Add only table

Yeah... all that stuff is in the Properties of the field.

What else do you want to do?

I find response really slow with those linked tables. Do you find the same?

[leec2000]

Re: Add only table

Jeez, I was halfway through with a response when my power supply blew out. So I'm going to build an all new high powered computer. The only thing I have left to do is to set the value of tsnumber. I'm reading it out of an a5 table that will sit on the users machine. I can't use field rules since it doesn't like me using a global variable. When I tried use the default setting in the runtime field rules, it doesn.t work.

When this is resolved I'll be done with this phase of the project.

[Davidk]

Re: Add only table

Are you getting the tsnumber from a dbf file on the users machine?

Is there a key into the file?

In general, how do you want to get it?

[leec2000]

Re: Add only table

I have a dbf table called sysdata that has a single record. There are 2 fields companyid and companyname. I have a function that reads it and assigns the fields to two global variables, thiscompanyid and thiscompanyname. I'm trying to take the value of thiscompanyid and put it into trusteeid in the orders table. I put a trace.writeln statement to make that thiscompanyid has a value and it does. I put it into the run time field rules as the default but it doesn't work. I'm out of ideas right now. Everything that's intuitive won't get the job done.

[MikeC]

Re: Add only table

Lee,

I can't use field rules since it doesn't like me using a global variable

Generally not true....even though a global variable cannot be "seen" by you in field rules, Alpha can see it---possibly add var-> in front of the variable as I seem to remember this being necessary--even if not it won't hurt.

[Davidk]

Re: Add only table

Attached is another version.

With the script you created to open the form, I added a line that run your initUser function. Now your global variable is set. The form then opens and, after you enter your tsnumber, the code in the depart event fills in the trustee Id with the company number.

Lots of different ways to do this. It can be frustrating finding the Alpha way to do stuff.

[leec2000]

Re: Add only table

Thanks Davis, that solved the problem. How in the world di you find out about <form>:<data>.value. I've been researching this for days and never even new that existed. Very helpful to know. Now I just have to speed it up.

Also do you know where there is any info on how to deploy an app when it's done because I need to submit this to the comapny for review.

[Davidk]

Re: Add only table

Found lots of references while looking for other stuff in the help file when I first started. Look here in the help file... "Referring to Form and Browse Objects"

You'll need the runtime to deploy your app... unless they have a development system. If they have Alpha5 then you can, from the Control Panel, go to Tools, and then Zip Database, or Send Database, or Backup Database. I usually just zip it when transferring from one location to another.

Have a look on the Alpha site for runtime information, and in this forum too. There's lots of stuff you can set... Autoexec scripts, splash form, database behaviours and settings.