Form opening outside Alpha 5

[Paul Main]

Hi,

I have come across this issue where when I open a form, it opens outside the boundaries of Alpha 5. I have recreated it in the attached zip. If you push button 1 then the form is opened outside Alpha 5 and if you push button 2 then it works inside of Alpha 5.

A) The process for Button1 is:-
1) form 1 is hidden.
2) form 2 is opened but hidden
3) the form "restrict enter" is set to .f.
4) a new record is added.
5) the form "restrict enter" is set to .t.
6) form 2 is unhidden.

B) The process for button 2 is:-
1) form 1 is hidden
2) form 2 is opened

For A the form open outside Alpha 5 but for B the form opens in Alpha 5.

Why is this and what can be done to stop it happening?

Paul
form 2 closes and form 1 is then unhidden.

Q.

[Tbaker]

Re: Form opening outside Alpha 5

Paul

When you press Button 1 you are opening form2 as a dialog. The properties for form two "Window" was set to Left 0 top 0. That is why it was set "outside" the A5 Window - it was set to start at the top at 0 inches and at left 0 inches.

Open form2 in design. Click on white space on form to bring up the form properties. Click on the Windows tab. You will see that you have the top and left set to 0 inches. If you want to show the dialog form in the middle of the screen then instead of inches choose default.

If you want to open it as a regular form, then go into the action script for button 1 , click on the second Action script "open a form" go to options and change the hidden dialog to hidden normal (see thumbnail) and it will open the same as pushing button2.

Tom Baker

[MikeC]

Re: Form opening outside Alpha 5

Hi,
Although in this case Tom is most likely correct, I do want to point out another possible glitch that still affects a current application I have...I even started a similar thread a while back with no resolution other than setting each and every dialog form's location with xbasic. I have not yet tried recreating any of the troublesome forms, but doing so usually is a fix for a corrupted form and to have several manifest the exact same symptoms would imply to me that something other is the cause.

Maybe eventually the cause will be found....and is among the reasons I posted a similar issue and tried solutions.

[Paul Main]

Re: Form opening outside Alpha 5

Thanks for the input. The point I am trying to make is that if you open a form in a hidden state, then activate it, it does not follow the expected way of being displayed.

If you want to create an SDI application then this feature inhibits the this.

The example I have presented demonstrates this. Both buttons open the same form. The difference is that one goes through this hidden stage first.

I am tempted to suggest this is a bug. Before I register it what do you think.

Paul

[Tbaker]

Re: Form opening outside Alpha 5

Paul

You now have me confused.

The original question was that a form was opening outside of Alpha5. Now the questions is that there is a problem with opening a form because the form was hidden.

The original questions was answered I thought - if you performed the changes changing the positions on the left and top of form 2 to say left 2 Top 1 inches - the form no longer opens outside the a5 window - OR - change the action scripting for opening that form from Hidden - Dialog to Hidden-Normal after changing the default windows of that form form inches to default.

On button1 I would also add an action script after hiding form1 to hide the control panel also (you already have code (AS) in there to show the control panel afterword.

As far as the SDI look, you have the small boxes turned off in the database properties and they continue to be off in the forms as they now stand.

I think the real problem, is the clunky nature of the forms showing then hiding as when you push button1a, Form1 hides and then a blank box appears with FORM2 as a title before Form2 opens (shows).

With the changes I suggested, the forms act as they should so I don't think that it is a bug - but maybe I am missing something in your question. Maybe you will hear from one of the big guys who know more about A5 then I ever will.

Tom Baker

Edit: I usually do not have the window bar showing, so there lies a problem with understanding your question. When you push button 1, form1 is hidden and does not show in the window bar - however, when you push button1 a, form1 is not hidden and it shows in the window bar along with form2 - so therefore it basically overides the checking the box in the database properties to hide the small icons to emulate SDI. You could change back to form1 without exiting form2.

I tried this and it seemed to work, again with the changes outlined above about placement of the dialog form. On button1a move the action scripting to hide form1 to after opening form2. This will open form2 and then hide form1, enforcing the SDI emulation.

I hope I understand you question in this edit.

[Paul Main]

Re: Form opening outside Alpha 5

Tom,

Sorry for the confusion with the windows bar I left in the example. It was not meant to be taken as relevant. However, using it I have now worked out what was happening. And now have the result I wanted.

I had selected Hidden, Dialog and not Hidden, Normal which it should have been.

As with all these issues taking an alternative view can be immensely useful.

Thanks Paul