Drop Down Browse Filter using Variable

[Chuck Bytes]

Folks,
I've tried hard but don't understand enough about variables and how they're stored.

I've created a 5 screen pictorial that will hopefully explain what I'm trying to achieve.

I want a Drop Down Browse to filter on the result of a parameter defined when opening a form. Is that Parameter stored as a variable. If so, where is this variable and how do I enter it into the filter defined in a Drop Down Browse.

1 - Form is opened using a dialog - 'Choose PM Name'
2 - Form has drop down browse that currently filters on another field
3 - I want to add the parameter that was used to open the form to the filter of the Browse
4 - Don't know where the parameter is stored in Alpha after the form is opened. If I could find it, I would use it as a "Variable" to the filter.

Does any of this make sense.

[Mike Wilson]

Re: Drop Down Browse Filter using Variable

Chuck,
Lets start with what is it that you are calling a "drop-down browse? Is this a table field rule lookup or is this a form object chosen from the toolbox, and if so which one?

Do you know about the spectacles? When you are in design mode on the form where the script item that calls the dialog for the PM, select that script item and press the toolbar button with the icon of the eyeglasses (spectacle). This lets you see the xdialog code behind the action script. In there will be the variable that is storing the value being selected by the dialog. If you are going between forms, this will have to be scoped as a global variable.

I see that your forms have the system toolbars and menus hidden. Spare yourself a HUGE amount of time and develop with these all showing so you can access them immediately, and remove them at the end when your programming developement of the app is finished.

[Chuck Bytes]

Re: Drop Down Browse Filter using Variable

The Drop Down Browse is a Supercontrol option extracted from the toolbox.
I've attached a picture
It is accessed by my users to drop down the list of projects they are working on. This is shown in figure 4 of my last posts attachments.

Instead of having to always type in the long job number and to avoid human error, we found this to be the best interactive choice to homing in on their projects with a quick click. When you click on the down arrow, it opens a pull down browse which you can specify in the properties. When you use the floating scroll in the slider, it even shows the field names, so a great way of finding something quickly.

The only restriction is that the browse seems to only works at a table level and not a set level. That's too bad, because it would be great if I can pull up fields from various tables.

My drop down browse needs a filter so it doesn't show all records for all users, it defeats the purpose of my form filter.

In my interact screen the parameter is set when opening the form to show records based on a parameter, HOWEVER, the drop down browse does not honor that parameter and shows all records.

If I could place a filter on that browse independantly to equal the same as the parameter when opening the form, that would be the answer to my issues. But I can't find that parameter stored anywhere.
I was hoping that when the user enters the form and sets the parameter, I could find it as a global or session variable and place it in the expression of the browse filter.


Re toolbar.....

I actually do have the system toolbars and menus open, you just can't see them in my screen shots.

I'm very interested in spectacle, I'm going to use it so I can see what the benefits are.