Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns

[forskare]

Does anyone know of better/clearer instructions for Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns?

Thanks,

kenn

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns

Morning, Ken. Not sure what fuzzy instructions you're talking about. Not sure what "Placing Dynamic Content" means. In a sense that's what columns do by default, displaying whatever field values are present in the records at runtime. You must be talking about something else. What do you have in mind?

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns

Tom,

He's probably talking about Placing Dynamic Content

It would be helpful to have some idea of what the issue is. The documentation seems sufficient to me.

[MikeC]

Re: Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns

Stan,
While you're waiting for Ken to respond, maybe you could enlighten me as to how the second example Static and Dynamic Text differs in any way from a standard browse row with two buttons added--I see nothing dynamic shown.

Ken,
If what you need is to know how to incorporate a button into a browse-- I followed Tom Baker's instructions and it was fairly simple--see text attachment.

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns

I believe the second example illustrates the use of static text as the button's labels and dynamic text in the text object just to the right of the buttons. That ojbect displays the name such as "Winston Abrams"

Once you start editing the display format and adding controls, the field's contents are not part of the browse column display. To show the contents you must put them in a text object, dynamically.

[MikeC]

Re: Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns

Thanks Stan,

On(c)e you start editing the display format and adding controls, the field's contents are not part of the browse column display

Now if this had been placed in the docs it would have been so much clearer!

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns

Thanks for the typo correction.

Just for clarification. When I encounter something in the documentation that is not immediately clear, I start experimenting.

If you create a browse and place a button in a column, the field's contents are no longer visible. How do I get them back?

But then I've been doing this so long it is likely just second nature to me.

[forskare]

Re: Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns

Thanks for the typo correction.

Just for clarification. When I encounter something in the documentation that is not immediately clear, I start experimenting.

If you create a browse and place a button in a column, the field's contents are no longer visible. How do I get them back?

But then I've been doing this so long it is likely just second nature to me.

Tom, Stan and Mike C,

"Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns" is the topic in v9 Help as Stan noted. I did some experimenting as well (before posting) and met with the same results as Stan. This is what the Help states:

To create dynamic content for a browse column:

Open a browse in design mode.

Select Column > Properties.

Display the Other tab of the Column Properties dialog.

So far so good, but........

Click Edit Display Expression to display the Conditional Expression Builder.

There is no Edit Display Expression button but rather a Edit Display Format button. NOTE: Right clicking on the column will also show the Edit Display Format right below the Properties.

Click OK to save your edits and exit from the Column Properties dialog.

Each column of the browse has a .displayequation property. (Hmmmmm, I can't find it.) This property defines the button format. Here are three examples.

Alpha Five Version 8 allows you to embed buttons (and their attached Action or Xbasic scripts). This picture shows a browse with two buttons with constant text. You may place one or more buttons into any column of a browse. The button style may contain any combination of:

static text
graphic
dynamic text (computed from data in the current row)

Each column of the browse has a .displayequation property. This property defines the button format. Here are three examples.

No, I did not repeat the last sentence. V9 Help did which I suspect is an oversight in the proof reading. Anyhow, look up this section of the Help and see if you can follow it as it is worded. It'l challenge most everyone.

I will check out the link provided by MikeC.

Thanks, kenn

[forskare]

Re: Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns

Stan,
While you're waiting for Ken to respond, maybe you could enlighten me as to how the second example Static and Dynamic Text differs in any way from a standard browse row with two buttons added--I see nothing dynamic shown.

Ken,
If what you need is to know how to incorporate a button into a browse-- I followed Tom Baker's instructions and it was fairly simple--see text attachment.

[ATTACH]16955[/ATTACH]

Hi Mike,

I checked the link and I have no problem creating a button. The problem is following v9 Help. See my other response.

Thanks, kenn

[forskare]

Re: Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns

Morning, Ken. Not sure what fuzzy instructions you're talking about. Not sure what "Placing Dynamic Content" means. In a sense that's what columns do by default, displaying whatever field values are present in the records at runtime. You must be talking about something else. What do you have in mind?

Hi Tom,

Sorry, I should have made it clearer as I did in my other response.

kenn

[programsplus]

Re: Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns

I just upgraded from V5 to V9 and my learning curve is overwhelmed...
I can't quite get the last connecting piece to the new button / actions that are described here... If i want to place a button in a browse that can run a script i create = is that possible? Do i put a button in the column.. then if i do, how do i attach the script? So, if i want a browse (not embedded on a form) to run a report, or go to another form... how would i do this? I've also seen how you can now create an "on double click event" in a browse (not just embedded like before) but it doesn't seem to work? Is it still only on embedded browses that you can use the double click feature.. i thought this was one of the new improvements.
I am sure it is quite simple, but not seeing the final piece... any help?

[programsplus]

Re: Placing Dynamic Content into Browse Columns

So, on a regular browse (Not embedded) - i put in the double click event
dim ptr as P
ptr = form.view("Customer - MGMT")
ptr.Quick_Search()

With this code, i can double click in the browse and go to my customer form...
but if i put an action script on the double click event to open a form it doesn't work?
Why does it work on the above but not on the action script to open same browse?

And just curious - but why does the double click event only work on embedded.. i'd much rather just create a browse with the same feature, than go to the hassle of creating a form, embedding the same "browse" information and then creating the double click... why does it matter?

And if i can't use the action script to call a form... how can i modify the above xbasic that does work, to open the form...but to the record that matches the customer number in the browse line i double click?