How to Update a Field if a form has been changed

[Geoff Skerrett]

I would like to update two fields with the date/time a form was changed.

I have played with the actions scripts, but their doesn't seem to be an event such as "onchange" or "changed". In other words I would like to know if data on the form has changed, and if it has update the field(s).

Something like;

Onchange()
Modifydate.value=date()
Modifytime.value=time()

I seem to be stumped with this, any ideas ?

[forskare]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

Are you sasying you have 2 fields on a form in which you want to keep track of the date and time a form has changed? Does that mean the form's structure?

kenn

[Geoff Skerrett]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

Yes,

I am currently using two fields - one for date and one for time and I would like to be able to update BOTH of them with the current system date/time if ANY field has been changed on the form.

There are approximately 50 fields on the form so I need some sort of "global" event/function that will tell me the form has changed.

I hope the clarification helps.

Geoff.

[Robert Adler]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

Geoff:

If the change is to the data in a field you can update the two fields when you are saving the record.

[Geoff Skerrett]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

Yes, the change is to data in the field.

In other words, the user changes one of the 50 fields on the form, I want to automatically update the "modified date" and "modified time" fields, with out the user having to do anything. As a matter of fact, I will probably protect the fields so the user can never change them, only the system can change them.

So, the question is How do set up the system to automatically update these fields when a user changes any of the 50 data fields on the form ?

[forskare]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

Geoff,

This is what's a bit confusing. We don't know for sure, what it is you want to document. Is it 1) the date and time the form structure is changed or 2) the date and time anytime data has been changed.

If it's the prior, why is it necessary to know the date and time the structure was changed? If you really need that, how about creating a separate table with appropriate fields and use it as a 'log'.

If it's the latter, with that many fields, how will you tell which data was changed? If you can't, what's the point to tracking the change?

kenn

[forskare]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

***As a matter of fact, I will probably protect the fields so the user can never change them, only the system can change them. So, the question is How do set up the system to automatically update these fields when a user changes any of the 50 data fields on the form ?***

So why are you concerned with a user?

Or, am I really confused about what you want? OK, no comments from the peanut gallery!

kenn

[Geoff Skerrett]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

Ken;

It is the later issue. I am not concerned about changes in structure, only changes it data.

I use 50 fields as an example. The application we are building will be used on laptop computers and we hope to build a synchronization back to a master file. So we want to know which is the most current record.

So .... now that have I clarified the mudification, if any data field on a form has changed, how to programatically update a field on the same form?

[Stan Mathews]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

Robert answered your question. Code to the onsave event for the form.

If a user enters the form, and makes no changes, the onsave does not fire, the date/time doesn't change.

If a user enters the form, changes one of the fields, discards changes, the onsave doesn't fire, the date/time doesn't change.

If a user enters the form, changes one of the fields, saves changes, the onsave does fire, the date/time does change.

[Geoff Skerrett]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

Stan;

I originally tried the "onsave" event and that worked ... BUT I found that it also seemed to re-run the "Field Rule" for all field types set to "calculated value".

I had a field that was set to a "calculated value", and each time the record was changed it was recalcuating the field. I was hoping to find an event that would bypass this.

Geoff.

[Stan Mathews]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

Never saw that behavior. I can't see why the "save" would cause different effects if the onsave had code attached, but I suppose it could.

Of course, if one of the fields involved in the field rule for a calculated field was changed, then the onsave should force a recalculation.

[Peter.Greulich]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

Go to Field Rules:

In your Date Field in the first tab check calculated field,
Enter Date() in the expression Box

In your Time Field in the first tab check calculated field,
Enter Time() in the expression Box

You may want to check the back of the Xbasic manual (Functions) for variations of time() expressions. I believe Time() has to be a character field.

Everytime, a user saves a change, the time and date will be updated - positively w/o fail.

[JohnZaleski]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

Peter,
The reason I'm not nuts about that as a method is that the values will change automatically even if not desired. If you have to do some kind of an update operation to fix another field value on the table at some future time, the calculated field values will automatically change when that may not be deisred. You end up with many or all records with the same date and time changed.
I would think that on the AskSaveChange event you could put something like:
Datefield.value = date()
Timefield.value = time()
If you wanted these values on the field as added, you could put the same on the AskSaveEnter or the OnEnter event.
John

[Peter.Greulich]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang

John,
Thanks. That's a good point. You may have saved me from a future disaster.
Peter

[David Mason]

RE: How to Update a Field if a form has been chang


a calculated filed rule will update even if no data was changed. getting into change mode will do that


I would suggest a blob and a check of the blob on save to reset the fields.


Dave