Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

[Selwyn Rabins]

We will be releasing an update to A5V9 later this week.

Here is a preview of the next update.

http://downloads.alphasoftware.com/a...chdownload.htm

[Bill Griffin]

Re: Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

So far so good!!

A couple of things I have come across that may be of help to others:

For MySQL novices - check out Navicat.com. They have a great utility for dealing with MySQL databases. There are utilities for just about everything that I need to do with tables, including scheduled imports (or exports) of data.

If you have a set, make sure that your joining fields are indexed in MySQL. This increases performance tremendously.

[Anis]

Re: Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

Selwyn;

In the preview I didn't see the point to fix the query if you had an ask variable returning 0 records !
Is that still included in the coming update ?

[alanc]

Re: Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

Sorry if this is out of place, but the mention of Navicat prompts me to mention SQLyog - excellent MySQL GUI manager, has a brilliant 'notification' (i.e. email reporting) utility. There is a free community version.

[DRW]

Re: Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

Listed as one of the new features for the next v9 update:

New Form Genie - Field Labels - When a new Form is created using the Form Genie, if a field label for a field is not specifically set in Field Rules, Alpha Five uses the field name as the label. Previously, if the field name contained an underscore in it, Alpha Five would use the fieldname as is in the label. Now, the underscore is replaced by a space."

How about making a similar change to the appearance of the popup lookup tables that are created by alpha? Right now popup lookup tables use the field name for column headings and not the optional field label defined in field rules - meaning that whatever cryptic acronyms, including underscores, that were used as the field names are what Alpha displays as the column headings for the auto generated lookup tables it creates. This can make for make for some pretty untidy looking look up tables and mitigates the benefits of the built in pop upookups for many purposes, especially when consistency of the table design appearance relative to other application table design elements is important ( and it typically is). I know that we have do the option of specifying our own custom browses as the popup table which circumvents this design deficiency, but how much simpler and better it would be if Alpha just utilized the defined field lables or in their absence at least dropped any embedded underscores in the field name.

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

Doug, while double posting is discouraged you may wish to post your suggestion in the Features Wishlist forum. -- tom

[Selwyn Rabins]

Re: Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

Listed as one of the new features for the next v9 update:

New Form Genie - Field Labels - When a new Form is created using the Form Genie, if a field label for a field is not specifically set in Field Rules, Alpha Five uses the field name as the label. Previously, if the field name contained an underscore in it, Alpha Five would use the fieldname as is in the label. Now, the underscore is replaced by a space."

How about making a similar change to the appearance of the popup lookup tables that are created by alpha? Right now popup lookup tables use the field name for column headings and not the optional field label defined in field rules - meaning that whatever cryptic acronyms, including underscores, that were used as the field names are what Alpha displays as the column headings for the auto generated lookup tables it creates. This can make for make for some pretty untidy looking look up tables and mitigates the benefits of the built in pop upookups for many purposes, especially when consistency of the table design appearance relative to other application table design elements is important ( and it typically is). I know that we have do the option of specifying our own custom browses as the popup table which circumvents this design deficiency, but how much simpler and better it would be if Alpha just utilized the defined field lables or in their absence at least dropped any embedded underscores in the field name.

good idea. thanks. it is too late for the patch that is coming out this week, but we will get it into the next patch after that.

[martinwcole]

Re: Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

also, hopefully, the issue will be looked at regarding the inconsistentcy between using a dropdown vs a table lookup in a modal form for continuously entering child records. Where the child table is populated by a field rule, currently, the dropdown lookup does not put the form back to a modal state after entring a child permitting multiple entries, whereas the table lookup does put the form back to a modal state, thus requiring the user to click edit for each child entry.

[Selwyn Rabins]

Re: Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

also, hopefully, the issue will be looked at regarding the inconsistentcy between using a dropdown vs a table lookup in a modal form for continuously entering child records. Where the child table is populated by a field rule, currently, the dropdown lookup does not put the form back to a modal state after entring a child permitting multiple entries, whereas the table lookup does put the form back to a modal state, thus requiring the user to click edit for each child entry.

ok. this if fixed now. it will be in the next v9 patch.

[martinwcole]

Re: Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

most excellent - thanks

[kthibeault1965]

Re: Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

This is great news. I just read the release notes on the change in the way active link mysql tables are displayed and retrieved to the user. The changes are important and necessary. Thanks S & R !

[NoeticCC]

Re: Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

I don't know how you've done it but the speed of queries etc. has increased tremendously againt our Oracle 8i database, both for active link tables as well as on WAS! :)

[fddizon]

Re: Pre-release of next A5v9 Update

Doug, while double posting is discouraged you may wish to post your suggestion in the Features Wishlist forum. -- tom

tom,

i wonder why my wishes wont come true? (on the wish list forum)

****************
Alpha being a RAD tool

it will be a great help if i can copy control panels objects security to another example, copy tables security to another or to all selected tables.

setting a tables group security is a very tedious job. copying ones security to another will give the developer less time setting security.

i know that there is a way but adding this feature would be a huge help to developers.

(anchor tool bar doesn't work)
****************

Alpha being a RAD tool
some features id like

form, report design mode

-ability to move between controls/objects freely while viewing property of a certain control/object.
-ability to center text vertically on browse objects
-ability to select multiple controls on a report on multiple section or region of the report
ex. id like to move controls from detail section and footer section at one time.

kind regards to alpha developers

******************
new wish - form genie

-if the text can be vertically centered by default.
-preserve other property when multiple text fields selected.
(for example, i have 2 type_in fields: one character field type (left aligned), and the other is numeric f-type (right aligned). when i select these two objects and try to change the top alignment, right alignment of numeric object will change to left aligned.)

i've been wishing for the browse a long time since v6 came out...
ability to center the text on a row despite its row height.
(haven't seen v9 browse lately to try this)

hopefully these little wish will be granted this time in both v8 and v9

regards to all