Help! Global Vars Disappearing?

[Marc Reicher]

I am working on a Small app and when in the code editor i have gone to the view -> global variables and entered in some variables which i then use in the scripts.

But then for reasons i can't understand i all of a sudden start getting errors saying my variables can not be found. I go to the global vars window and THEY ARE NOT THERE!! crazy i think, so i put them back in and it all worked again.

But low and behold a half an hour later or so and they are gone again. some even come and go?

i looked through the docs but to no avail....

i am going crazy or what?

[Jim Chapman]

Hello Marc,

I've never seen nor heard of this. If you open a different database your global variables will be wiped out. Global variables do not persist across database's. Also shutting down A5 and reopening will wipe them out.

Is it possible you've opened a different database then gone back to the origional?

Jim

[Blake]

I've never seen them come back after they've gone BUT perhaps you are seeing this surprising (to me) behavior:

If you go to the Global Variables dialog, you'll see it has two tabs, one for Variable List and one for Initialized at Startup. If you're on the Variable List tab and press add, you can add a variable.

Let's say we add "Xyzzy", a character variable with a value "Poof". You'll see it appear in the list, as you'd expect.

Now, close the window, then close Alpha and restart it. Pull up the Global variables list and--poof--Xyzzy is gone.

If you notice the second tab, you'll see "Initialized at Startup". There, if you add a new global, and press Close you'll get a warning asking you to save. If you save, you can now exit and return, and your variable will still be there.

The thing to take away from this is that variables added on that first tab are temporary, lasting only for the duration of your Alpha session.

I hope this helps.

[Marc Reicher]

Blake and jim,

thanks for your replies.

Blake, i do see the two tabs on the window and have been using the first tab. I just started DIM ing the VARS in my autoexec procedure. However i imagine that if i used the second tab i would get the expected result.

What could a practical application of the first tab then?

Jim, do you use the first or second tab in the global vars window?

thanks

[John Gamble]

Marc

First Tab:
Is for global variables you will use (& possibly change) as long as Alpha is running. e.g. Passing variables between a form & a report.

Second Tab:
Is for variables which are constant EVERY time alpha is running. e.g. A copywrite notice that you wish to appear on all forms & reports.

John

[Marc Reicher]

John,

then it seems that i would want to use the first tab as i want to create a lobal var and then set it's value repeatedly during the course of the program.

however the problem is that unxepectedly (in code that worked fine moments before) i get a "can not find variable" error message and then when i look in the global vars tab they are not in the list anymore ?!

anyway - like i said previously, i'll just DIM them in the autoexec.

thanks

[John Gamble]

Marc

I wonder if the problem is where the variables are set. I have experienced what you described IF I set the variables in either the form or report design. See attached .png.

However, if I set them using control panel - interactive - Global Variables they never disappear. See attached .png

John

[Marc Reicher]

it is the right hand window, tab one i am using..... go figure, i also have used the left hand one a couple of times. for now I'll DIM them explicitly. fortunately the app is really small so not many vars

thanks

[Jim Chapman]

Hello Marc,

>>Jim, do you use the first or second tab in the global vars window?<<
Really don't use either. The only time I would use these would be while I am debugging a script, etc.

Good luck,
Jim