Maximizing form window

[Bob Wily]

I have several main forms that I am trying to keep maximized all of the time they have focus. To do so I have set an oninit event for each form to maximize window. (Note: I have also removed all toolbars, etc., from the main forms to give kind of a "clean page" look.)

My problem is that one of the forms has a button that pops up a little form with an embedded browse. I have set the popup to only fill a small amount of the screen (so that most of the data on the underlying form can still be viewed). When I close the popup window, the underlying form is no longer maximized. I know that general behavior of windows in alpha is to be maximized if the preceding form was maximized, and not if the preceding window was not. However, I am hoping that there is some way around that.

As usual, any suggestions would be appreciated. This forum is terrific.

[Stan Mathews]

RE: Maximizing form window

Instead of the oninit event, use the onactivate or have the try having the onexit of the "little form" maximize the main form.

[forskare]

RE: Maximizing form window

1) Did you use Xbasic or the dialog genie to create the button? If the genie, a form can be opened as a dialog w/o putting code on the form's OnInit and OnActivate events. Works for me all the time, every time.

2) Try compacting the database.

3) Look at all the forms' events, etc and check your code. Is there anything that minimizes a form?

4) When you are in the control panel, did you set the database properties by clicking File and then Database Properties. One of the options is a check box for maximizing A5. I check this as a matter of SOP.

My forms are all maximized unless I put a button on a form to open another form as a 'dialog'. It pops up on the screen with the previous form in the background. The previous form does not change in size.

Assuming you've done the above and it's not helping, the best way to isolate a problem like this is by trial and error. Try this:

1) Put a button on a form that has the tool bar, etc and, using the genie, add the codes to open the form as a hidden dialog. You will need the following snippits:

a. Open Form/Browse - You will need to select 'another form' and set the options tab to hidden dialog.
b. Activate Form/Browse - Again, select another form option.
c. Show the Form/Browse - Again, select another form option.

Depending on what the form is supposed to show or do, you may need to add other snippits as well such as setting a field value or entering a new record, etc.

Hope this helps,

kenn

[Bob Wily]

RE: Maximizing form window

Ken,

Your suggestion about opening the form as a dialog seems to be the secret handshake for this problem. I tried the other workarounds without success, but modal dialog box works beautifully.

It did take me a few minutes to figure out that I would need to add a button to my form to be opened as a dialog. Since that form is "all about the browse" and not about buttons, I added an invisible button that does nothing. That did it, the error message from xdialog disappeared and viola.

Thanks again.

Bob

[Bob Wily]

RE: Maximizing form window

Ken,

If I could ask a follow-up question. Opening the form as a dialog works great for handling the screen positions, etc., but how do I get the data on the popup form to match with the data on the calling form? When I open as a regular window there is an option to match the data on the called form with a field on the calling form, but there is no such option (that I have seen anyway) when opening as a dialog.

Thanks.

Bob

[Bob Wily]

RE: Maximizing form window

Answered my own question. I will post here in case anyone else ever needs the information. If you create the popup dialog through the xdialog action scripting event, you must have a button on the form (even an invisible one), and you have fewer options that if you create it through the "open form or browse" action scripting event. If you use the latter, one of the choices (behind the "options" tab) is to open as a dialog box. If you choose that, you don't need a button on the form and you now have the lovely list of options that includes drawing the focus of the called form to the same record as in the calling form.

And, of course, the popup form as a dialog does not mess the maximization of the calling form, which was the point of the whole thing from the beginning.