Delete Records peculiar issues

[[email protected]]

Has anyone experienced peculiarities with the Alpha DELETE function?

For example, I have a button outside an embedded browse that executes the standard Alpha DELETE function. The form is based on a stand-alone table (not a set) and the embedded browse reflects this.

Trouble is, when I press the delete button, sometimes the record deletes properly. Sometimes the browse deletes the record but only displays one record (even though the table has several more than one record). Today I found that the table had actually duplicated the deleted record and I had two records when I should have had none.

Is there another command that I need to add here? I have tried refreshing the display and resyncing, without success.

I realize that this is pretty fundamental stuff I'm asking about, but I would sure appreciate anyone's advice.

Thanks.
Tom

[Keith Hubert]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Hi Tom,

Have you tried with a button in the browse to perform the delete?

[[email protected]]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Keith,

No I have never tried it that way. Do you embed the delete command within the browse somehow? I'm not familiar with this at all. Could you explain a bit?

Thank you.
Tom

[Keith Hubert]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Hi Tom,

Putting buttons onto a browse was a great new feature introduced in V9. There is a video of how to do this somewhere but I cant seem to get onto the page where I thought I had saved it.

This is one of those tasks to learn how it is done, you do need to see how it several times. Well I did anyway.

Maybe someone has got a copy of it, I shall have another look in the morning.

[Keith Hubert]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Found it, FYI, this was new for V8 not V9 as I mentioned before.

You can view the video here.

To delete a record, go to the insertion point and with action script, select Delete record. This will show as Xbasic and you simply click Insert Code and the job is done.

Let us know how you get on.

[[email protected]]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Keith,

Thanks for your help.

I watched Selwyn's demo of the new v8 features for browses but I didn't see 'delete' addressed specifically. Are you saying that I would put a checkbox column in the browse called DELETE and let the user check it (or not). I presume there would be a button at the bottom of the screen that would then delete all marked records.

If that is correct, I have two questions. First, how do I set up the field DELETE. Is it a simple variable or a calculated field?

Second, I'm still giving the browse an 'external' Alpha command to delete the rows that have been marked. How does that differ from having a button that deletes a row at a time such as what I'm presently using?

Clearly, I'm missing something here. Is it the embedded browse vs the stand-alone browse that makes the difference?

What do you think?

Tom

[Keith Hubert]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Hi Tom,

Are you saying that I would put a checkbox column in the browse called DELETE and let the user check it (or not)

No, I'm suggesting that you put a button on the row and make that your Delete action.

Second, I'm still giving the browse an 'external' Alpha command to delete the rows that have been marked. How does that differ from having a button that deletes a row at a time such as what I'm presently using?

With a button in the browse, this would only require one mouse click and it would always be the row that has focus.

Selwyn's video demonstrates how the button works with some simple code to prove that the button worked. Instead of his code you would use your own, but in the same place.

First you have to create the button then you put in the code for the Event when the button is pressed.

[[email protected]]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Keith,

Thank you once again. I think I've got it now. The key is when one puts the delete functionality in a button on a row, it insures that that row (and hence that record) is the one in play. It's not the Alpha DELETE function that matters as much as keeping focus on the record. What's more, I can use any field within the record as my vessel for storing the button and the script...probably the record key would be the best place to start.

I will further assume that if I convert the Action Script to xBasic, I can then take away the Alpha 5 text in the "Are You Sure" dialog box.

What do you think?

Tom

[[email protected]]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Keith,

The advice you gave worked fine. Thank you.

I did notice that I was unable to remove the Alpha Five text from the Delete dialog (Are You Sure?).

Do you any suggestions on that?

Tom

[Tbaker]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Tom

I'll jump in here right now since it is 4:05 PM in UK, and I am sure Keith would not mind

If you are using action scripting to delete a record, action script will usually use something like this

topparent:browse1.record_delete()

There is no way to turn off the message box asking if you really want to delete this record.

If you do not want the confirmation message (which I would suggest that you use, just in case one of your users inadvertently pushes the delete button.

If you do not want a confirmation message you would have to use xbasic
in the browse events event

Dim tbl as p
tbl=table.get("yourtablename"  
       tbl.change_begin(.t.)
           tbl.delete()
       tbl.change_end(.t.)

This code will immediately delete the current record (the record in the row that the button was pushed) with no confirmation message.

But again I would suggest that if you have users working with the browse, that you keep the confirmation message - so at least they get a second chance to not delete.

Tom Baker

[[email protected]]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Tom,

Two questions about your script.

Shouldn't the line...
tbl=table.get("yourtablename"
have a right paren after it?

And secondly, If the script is saying...
tbl.delete()
would that not delete the entire table? I'm confused over what actually directs the pgm to fetch a specific record and delete it?

Thanks,
Tom

[Tbaker]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Tom

First, you are right, there should be a right paren after the "yourtablename". I was typing directly into the post (not a cut and paste sample) and just forgot to finish the line.

As far as tbl.delete - here is a link to the help file for .delete()

http://support.alphasoftware.com/alp..._.DELETE().htm

You would be using the tbl.delete() function on a button on a row in the browse which reports a specific record (current row record). The code would delete the current record (the record being in the row that the button is located)

Once again, I would suggest if users are deleting records (or entering records) that you allow for the confirmation of the delete. Sometimes you need a second chance to cancel a delete inadvertently made. Just my way of thinking though.


I have attached a zip file showing a embedded browse on a form with buttons to delete the record row.

Look at the code for the browses events events to see the actual code for the delete.

Tom

[MikeC]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Another aspect to be aware of is by using the .t. argument in tbl.change_begin(.t.) you are telling Alpha to honor any field rules you may have set...which may or may not want to be done. The .t. in the tbl.change_end(.t.) simply tells Alpha to commit the change even though the default is .t. when left blank (I also add it explicitly as Tom did to not leave it to chance if Alpha ever got confused!).

[[email protected]]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Thanks Mike. :)

[[email protected]]

Re: Delete Records peculiar issues

Hi Tom,

You responded to a posting of mine on Alpha Forum and I needed a little clarification with something if you wouldn't mind taking a look. I have a form (not a browse) where I need to be able to delete the current record without Alpha's confirming dialog statement appearing. So I added your script first and when that failed, I tried the script straight out of the Alpha operators manual to delete the record.

In both cases I got the message that is attached. I tried taking out the change_begin statement and, of course, that didn't work.

I'm completely confused.

Your help would be greatly appreciated here.

Tom