Read_only form property on a network

[whanigsberg]

Hi all,

I created a searchable telephone directory for my organization (800 records so it serves a need).

Of course the form users see is read only. Of course, somebody has to be able to edit items occasionally. I set it up with a separate form for data entry/edit. Later I got to thinking--always dangerous--that I could eliminate a form by creating a menu item to change the user form's read-only property to .f. (or allow-edits to .t., or whatever) when editing was required.

I am now wondering whether resetting the form properties dynamically for one user changes them for everyone which obviously must not be allowed to happen. Given that users are running shadow versions their local stations may not see the change in properties so perhaps I would be ok. Does anyone know?

Thanks,
Bill

[csda1]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

Bill,

If you think about it, you should be able to answer your own question. This is how I open up a black box conceptually.

Let's say it did affect the form that everyone uses. What would that mean? That means the data dictionary would have to change. More Network traffic for locking the form while changing etc. Chaos would prevail.

Now the other way may more sense, doesn't it? The user loads the form into his own local memory (it could also be the optimized form copy too). Then changes it. When closed, the changes just go away along with the memory (memory leaks not withstanding!)

In fact, if we could edit the real layouts with XBasic, it would solve a ton of issues for me, but that's another story.

So the answer is, unless you have everyone referencing a common file, table, whatever that specify the dynamic changes you want to make, you are operating on your own, local memory copy.

Regards,

Ira J. Perlow
Computer Systems Design & Associates
[email protected]

[csda1]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

Bill,

P.S.

Always start in the safer mode, in this case Read-only!

Regards,

Ira J. Perlow
Computer Systems Design & Associates
[email protected]

[Peter.Greulich]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

In a sense a form is like a variable. The local changes do not affect others on the LAN - unless you write data to the table.

[whanigsberg]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

Thanks to you both for the answer and to Ira for the lesson. I was almost there. I just wondered whether there was something lurking inside some unknown aspect of A5's implementation which could bite me.

And the form starts out read-only. I'm merely contemplating a menu item to vary the property.

Regars as always,
Bill

[JohnZaleski]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

Bill,
A good way to see this in action is to open the form from the control and change some property with a script. Then open a second instance of the form from the control panel. I believe that the only thing that transcends the window session for each opened instance of the form that you are in is a global variable and of course record locking.
John

[whanigsberg]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

Hi John,

I see your point but I believe one aspect of the analogy does not hold, at least on a network.

If one network user initializes a global with a certain value, others on the network don't see it. In other words, each networked user has his own global variables.

For example, every user of my scheduling application logs on as a user from a specific academic department (eg. Sociology which has a dept_code of D32). Records are filtered on dept_code which allows the guy from Sociology to see his courses and the guy from Math to see only his (hers in this case).

I tested on a network before I set it up this way because it was not obvious (to me, anyway) that when the second user logged on the value of his vDept_code would not be seen by all users.

I find it safer to classify myself as someone who knows nothing about networks since a little knowledge is--as we all know--dangerous.

All the best,
Bill

[JohnZaleski]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

Bill,
You're absolutely correct. I did not mean to imply that other network users share global variables with one another. I was trying to show that the properties behave like session level variables in a form rather than global variables and that seeing this behavior in action was an easy task.
John

[whanigsberg]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

Quite so.

Meanwhile, I did the thing up this aft and it works nicely so I'm pleased.

Regards,
Bill

[Peter.Greulich]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

I probably have said this before, but I wish there were such a thing as a "network" variable, that would be "global" to all users logged on.

[whanigsberg]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

Hi Peter,

I remember you saying that and I also remember agreeing with you.

Do you remember Dr. Wayne's article on kicking users off a network? The essense of it is users check for the value of something; wasn't that a record in a table? So this is sort of a network variable: a script run on the timer event which looks at a table and responds conditionally depending on what's in it.

Obviously a variable would be simpler but we still can put something on the server that is visible to all local stations, something which is functionally equivalent...I guess.

Ever been to Arizona,
Bill

[Stan Mathews]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

Cryptic, but cute.

[Peter.Greulich]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

Bill,
Yes, I use that method as well. Still wishing...
Peter

[Stephen Williams]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

"A key aspect of Alpha Five is its "add-in" technology. This allows the developers at Alpha Software, and you, to add new features to Alpha Five using Xbasic. In fact, many of the new features added in V5 are written in Xbasic. Alpha Five's advanced add-in technology will allow for the development of an exciting third party marketplace for add-ins designed to enhance and extend Alpha Five."

Will it be possible with version 5???

[JerryBrightbill]

RE: Read_only form property on a network

Bill,
I have an app that needed "variables" accessable across a network and the simple solution was a small table with fields that hold "variable values". There is only one record with many fields and all changes are made using xbasic. In this way, every user has access to the same values.

Jerry