XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

[Ton Spies]

The idea is to construct a flexible input navigation in XDialog.
I want to use a variable for the 'Max_Chars' parameter. see screenshot.
Not: [30.20Lastname] But something like: [var.20Lastname]

Who can give me a helpfull syntax.

TIA

Ton

[Ton Spies]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

Sorry, but here is the screenshot.

[Tbaker]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

HI Ton

Give a look at this post - especially post 12 and after which shows how to use stritran() furnction to change the a variable in an xdialog


http://msgboard.alphasoftware.com/al...ad.php?t=86630

I think this is what you are referring to

Tom Baker

[Mike Wilson]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

Try this:

dim vtext as C="The number of characters in this line"
vtext=vtext+" will be different depending on the input"
vtext=vtext+" and especially when the input is extremely long"
vtext=vtext+" will there be a difference that the user can actually"
vtext=vtext+" see with their own eyes"

dim vn_text_len as N
dim vn_MaxChar as n
vn_text_len=len(vtext)

if vn_text_len>70
	vn_MaxChar=int(vn_text_len/2)
		'msgbox("Len: "+str(vn_text_len),str(vn_MaxChar))
	vn_lines=int(vn_MaxChar/70)+1
else
	vn_MaxChar=vn_text_len+3
end if

dim dlg_title as C="Text length by Character"
dim dlg_body as C
dim dlg_code as C

dim vn_lines as n
dim z1 as c
dim z2 as C
dim vR as C

z1=<<%dg1%
{background=pale yellow}{font=Arial,10}{justify=top}
{startup=initiate}
{lf};
Text here: [%w%.%dg1%

z2=<<%dg2%
vtext];
{lf};
{line=1,0}
{lf};
{justify=center}<10OK> <10Cancel>
%dg2%

dlg_code=<<%code%
IF a_dlg_button="initiate"
	sys_send_keys("{HOME}")
	a_dlg_button=""
END IF
%code%

dim vLL as C
vLL=alltrim(str(vn_MaxChar))+","+alltrim(str(vn_lines))
dlg_body=z1+vLL+z2
	'msgbox(str(vn_MaxChar),dlg_body)
vR=ui_dlg_box(dlg_title,dlg_body,dlg_code)

if vR="cancel"
	end 
end if

[Ton Spies]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

Hi Tom

Thank you for your reply but it's a little bit different I think. Changing the value of a variable is not the problem.

In a textbox in the dialog you can type in the max chars and also the number to chars to display the Lastname.
e.g. --> [30.20Lastname]

But what I want is to be able to change the 30 into another value so thats why I want to use a variable like: [(var).20Lastname]
Question is how to achieve that. Cannot find the right syntax (if there is).

Ton

[MikeC]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

Ton,
Do as MikeW showed....have your xdialog body as separate text that is set to a variable. Then you can add variables to it as is done for many things...

such as
dlg_body="some text"
dlg_body=dlg_body+s_quote(your_variable)
dlg_body=dlg_body+"rest_of_text"

Is one way.....

[Ton Spies]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your example.
I have examined it and it's another approach as I had imagined. But very instructive.
As the variable is filled during data entry, the dialog is already running at that time.
So I now must find a way how to apply this construction.
I'll give it a try.

Ton

[Ton Spies]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

Hi MikeC

Yes, yes but as I wrote before, it's an alreay running XDialog.
Maybe the solution must be found using a ui_dlg_refresh command.
Have you ever used it?

Thank you for answer.

Ton

[MikeC]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

Ton,
I believe the refresh is what you need....but I have tried to use it in the past without success....maybe others that have successfully used it will chime in.

[Clunes]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

Try
ui_dlg_commit("dialogname") for refresh

[Mike Wilson]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

Hi MikeC

Yes, yes but as I wrote before, it's an alreay running XDialog.
Maybe the solution must be found using a ui_dlg_refresh command.
Have you ever used it?

Like MikeC I have not gotten refresh to work either. I am a bit baffled by what you are trying to accomplish now that you say you want to alter the dialog text box based upon a variable length and this dialog is already opened before the variable value is established? You must be running a modeless dialog?

Maybe alphabet soup in this thread can give you some ideas.
http://msgboard.alphasoftware.com/al...=alphabet+soup

[Ton Spies]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

Try
ui_dlg_commit("dialogname") for refresh

This is in the AlphaFiveHelp.chm:
The UI_DLG_COMMIT() function forces the contents of edit controls to be stored into variables. This is rarely necessary.

I have no idea when you need this and how it works.
Can you be more specific in when, why and how you use it?

TIA

Ton

[Ton Spies]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

I am a bit baffled by what you are trying to accomplish now that you say you want to alter the dialog text box based upon a variable length and this dialog is already opened before the variable value is established? You must be running a modeless dialog?

Hi Mike,

I was looking for additional opportunities for the syntax of a textbox. Hence my simple example with 'Last Name'.

To unbaffel you the story is simple.
In some cities people have a phone number with 7 digits.
In other areas they have a telephone number of 6 digits.
Only when entering an address is known which city it is.
So halfway. can be determined the length of the phone.
To make the story complete:
Each city has its own number. This consists of 3 or 4 digits.
I add these automaticly while data is entered.
This gives everyone a phone number with 10 digits.
So it's not a modeless dialog.


Thank you for pointing me to the alphabet soup. Always nice to get some new ideas with such nice examples.

Can you tell me why your refresh attempt failed?
Documentation about this is very poor.

Ton

[Clunes]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

Why do you want to change that code? The text box will take unlimited characters irrespective of length. If you are trying to restrict the user input to a lenght that may be variable depending on preceding inputs then you can use the controls change/killfocus event to validate.

[Peter.Wayne]

Re: XDialog: How to use a variable in a textbox

Ton,
Rather than trying to use a variable in a control, why not just use {condition=} to show 2 different versions of the control?

Example (try with Postal code ="1" or "2"):

dlg=<<%txt%
Postal code: [2.3postal];

{condition=postal="1"}
Phone: [6.7phone]
{condition=postal="2"}
{start_pos}
Phone: [8.9phone];
<OK>;
%txt%

ui_dlg_box("Test",dlg)