Field Rules good?

[Mike Wilson]

Re: Field Rules good?

Scott,
Yes, well said and thought, to learn through others mistakes instead of having to go through them yourself. It is funny/very helpful that this message board delivers those journeys from others. MikeC is very correct that there is an unfair bias that problems are presented here so the balance of what is here are problems. And as he suggests, understanding this product is the most helpful of all. Much can be garnered form this board, yet much will also, by natural course, come with the supplement of experience.

[Riverguy]

Re: Field Rules good?

Appreciate your thoughts on that. I was just curious if there are known issues with their use before I start going all out. I have seen where programmatic updates to fields can bypass rules which makes me wonder how that might be a problem. (eg Note : Post operations performed with field rules only occur when data is input through an Alpha Five form or browse, not through an Xbasic operation or Web Application).

It's better to learn from someone elses mistakes before you make the same ones.

[MikeC]

Re: Field Rules good?

Scott,
What Mike said plus...
One aspect of this messageboard that eludes most people when first learning Alpha/using the board, is that it is used primarily for finding solutions to Problems and not about how nice the software is. As a result, most threads are about the problems users come across. For many this somehow gets misconstrued as Alpha having more problems than it actually has, especially for those users coming from other platforms and not being used to the responsiveness that this messageboard has.

Also, an example of a "problem" that many have run across.
Using the "Field Required" feature of field rules. If what is wanted is that when a user enters a form/browse for data entry, that user is NOT allowed to leave the said form/browse until the field has data then it is perfect. I, for one, control the data entry with my own validations which gives me total control (or lack of) of what happens on each form/browse individually instead of universally as the field rules do.

Field rules are just one tool that Alpha gives a developer and understanding them and how they can be used are important....it is the lack of this understanding that makes them seem problematic I feel.

[Mike Wilson]

Re: Field Rules good?

Scott,
It is difficult to be all inclusive in a response about this. Some field rules are very good when used well. I am very comfortable with Field Type autoincrement for generating a record reference value (soley), and some lookups, simple masks, transformations, and Events are quite hardy. Others are problematic, some validations ( I never use them as a field rule), improper uses of a calculated field rules (some can have very unforseen downroad problems that only experience sheds light upon) and some others. It is really about the use that you intend for each to serve. Other folks can shed further/more/different perspectives on this.

[Riverguy]

I have seen a fair amount of comments here about field rules being problematic. I am wondering what anyone thinks about their heavy use? I am particularly interested in how they interact with linked tables, posting, etc. Is it better to avoid this functionality and shy away from these or is this really a basic foundational part of this environment that I need to rollup my sleeves and embrace?
Scott