Activate Drop Down when form opens

[Scott Kurimski]

I have a field on a form that I activate when the form is open. The field is a Record List-Combo Box and I would like to "activate" the drop down so that they items show on when you enter the form.

Basically exactly what it does if you click the arrow but just have it do it "automatically" when the form opens.

In the attached video clip I click the arrow a couple of times just to indicate how I would like the initial form view to look like.

Any ideas?

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Activate Drop Down when form opens

There's an action script element to activate an object. Then you want an inline xbasic snippet

sys_send_keys("{Alt-Down}")

I think.

This would be for the form's onactivate event. Might be better to use the oninit on onfetch events. If you code the onactivate thusly then if you close the dropdown with cancel the form onactivate event fires again and drops the drop down, ad infinitum.

I'll see if I can find an example.

[Scott Kurimski]

Re: Activate Drop Down when form opens

Stan,

I have tried so many things on this it is hard to list them all...but bascially here is what I have discovered.

F.Y.I. - I launch this form from a button from my Main Menu form. I also have the button creating a new record, so the form is sitting on entering a new record.

On the forms OnEnter event I have .....
parentform:vOnBehalfOf.activate()

The OnEnter, activates / places the cursor in the field as needed.

I tried the following......sys_send_keys("{%DOWN}") the following ways.....

OnActivate event: Does not show the drop down but appears as though it attempted since there is a value showing. OnActivate.jpg

OnFetch and OnInit: See attachment OnFetch_OnInit.jpg

OnTimer (timer set to 2 seconds as a test) OnTimer.jpg

The OnTimer was just a test to see if it had something to do with the timing of the event firing the code. (although worked just like I pressed Alt - Down Arrow, which is what I need)

Not sure what else to try. If you have any ideas let me know.

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Activate Drop Down when form opens

sys_send_keys("{%DOWN}")

Add an inline xbasic element to the Main menu button after the action script element that opens the second form and begins the new record. Above code for that inline xbasic.

No event code on the second form dealing with this issue.

[Scott Kurimski]

Re: Activate Drop Down when form opens

I repeated the same method as you have and unfortunatley receive a different result. (see the pic) The field I am trying to do this with is a variable, not sure if that matters but just thougth I would mention it.

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Activate Drop Down when form opens

Works the same with a variable unless I don't understand the intent.

[Scott Kurimski]

Re: Activate Drop Down when form opens

Stan,

I changed your sample around a bit to closer match what I am doing in my actual app although it works in the example but not in my app.

Something else going on in my app but not sure what yet. I am in the middle of another project at the moment and will need to get back to this one a little later.

Couple things I changed in the sample.
1. The variable is on the form.
2. The Lookup is on the form level not the table.
3. The second form opens centered.