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Creating link to file on network

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    Creating link to file on network

    The best I can come up with when wanting to place a link to a file on the network is to copy and paste the path, then add a "/", then copy and paste the file name. There must be a better way.

    In some applications you need only to click on the file and the full path+file name will be selected, but I can't find a way to do this in A5.

    As part of an application, the users need to store the file spec in a field pointing to the proposal file so anyone would need only click on the right side of the "proposal link", which is a control type of URL. Two related questions about which you may be savvy. First, is there a way to have the full field (or button, if there's a way) be the link so the user can click anywhere on the field and be transported to the file? Second, I was asked why the icon at the right side of the URL control is the logo for Internet Explorer. This is confusing to some who know what the IE logo looks like. Is there a way to change this logo to something else more descriptive of what the button does (i.e., it doesn't bring up IE, it links to the file).

    Thank you.

    Jeff

    #2
    Re: Creating link to file on network

    Why not just have the button onpush

    sys_open(field_objectname.value)
    There can be only one.

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Creating link to file on network

      Originally posted by Stan Mathews View Post
      Why not just have the button onpush

      sys_open(field_objectname.value)
      So what would a user do to bring a link to their specific file back to the Alpha screen?

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Creating link to file on network

        You have a field on a form which contains the drive-path-filename-extension of a file they want to open? Put a button beside the field with the suggested code.

        They want to populate the field as easily as possible? Have another button with

        field_objectname.value = ui_get_file(............)
        There can be only one.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Creating link to file on network

          Originally posted by Stan Mathews View Post
          You have a field on a form which contains the drive-path-filename-extension of a file they want to open? Put a button beside the field with the suggested code.

          They want to populate the field as easily as possible? Have another button with

          field_objectname.value = ui_get_file(............)
          No, that's not it. They start out with a blank field and need to bring the link back to the form. If the link is already there, they just click to go to the file if the link is in a URL field. I need an easy way to bring the full link back to the field while the user is in Explorer or some file manager.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Creating link to file on network

            ui_get_file(............) is about as easy as it gets. It displays an explorer style dialog and returns the info you describe.
            There can be only one.

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Creating link to file on network

              Originally posted by Stan Mathews View Post
              ui_get_file(............) is about as easy as it gets. It displays an explorer style dialog and returns the info you describe.
              That's interesting. I'll give it a try. Thanks.

              Jeff

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Creating link to file on network

                Originally posted by Stan Mathews View Post
                ui_get_file(............) is about as easy as it gets. It displays an explorer style dialog and returns the info you describe.
                Oh, wait a minute. I will try it, but doesn't ui_get_file actually copy the file over? I'm just trying to put a link in a field as a short cut to seeing the content of the file. I assume you understand this and that ui_get_file is for the purpose of creating a link.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Creating link to file on network

                  Jeff, get over the idea of a link. Ain't gonna happen.

                  What you can do is copy the filename to the form field and have a button to open the file with sys_open().

                  The result of ui_get_file() is the complete location and name of a file chosen.
                  There can be only one.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Creating link to file on network

                    Originally posted by Stan Mathews View Post
                    Jeff, get over the idea of a link. Ain't gonna happen.

                    What you can do is copy the filename to the form field and have a button to open the file with sys_open().

                    The result of ui_get_file() is the complete location and name of a file chosen.
                    I'm trying to understand what you're saying. You seem to have experience with this.

                    First, are you saying that there is no way to create a link to a file on the network? I'm not sure how you mean this, but I have a URL field set up on a form, and at a minimum, I can navigate to the S drive on the network by clicking on a button to the right of the field, where the button is set to run explorer.exe with s:\ as the parameter. Once I am exploring the S drive and find the file I want to have a link for, I can copy and paste the path, then I can add the "/", then I can copy and paste the name of the file. I end up with the full filespec in the URL field. Thereafter, if I want to open the file, I just click on the right side of the URL field. So, what do you mean when you say "Ain't gonna happen."?

                    Second, your sentence "What you can do is copy the filename to the form field..." is key to what I want to do, but it's not just the file name I need to copy over, it's the full path and file name. Do you know a way to swipe the whole path+filename in one movement into the form field. If so, hallelujah, I'm home. Having a sys_open() is one of several ways to get to that file. The trick is how to easily get the full file spec into the field without confusing the poor user with multiple steps. Will ui_get_file() do this for me? I looked at it and don't know how to make it work since it expects to be fed the parameters needed. I need a way for the user to get the "parameters" in one fluid motion.

                    Thanks.

                    Jeff

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Creating link to file on network

                      Do you know a way to swipe the whole path+filename in one movement into the form field. If so, hallelujah, I'm home.
                      Yes. It's called ui_get_file().
                      There can be only one.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Creating link to file on network

                        Jeff,

                        what do you mean by

                        ...which is a control type of URL
                        I don't see such a thing listed in the design toolbox for desktop forms.

                        -- tom

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Creating link to file on network

                          control.png

                          Actually he could make the control type File Select and then have a button next to the field which sys_open()'ed it.
                          There can be only one.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Creating link to file on network

                            Originally posted by Stan Mathews View Post
                            Yes. It's called ui_get_file().
                            Here's the syntax of ui_get_file(). How does the title, etc. get into this from the point of browsing through a maze of folders until you find the file you want? What do you click to swipe the whole path+filename into this command? Have you done this before, and if so, can you share an example?

                            Result_String as C = UI_GET_FILE( Title as C, File_Type_String as C [, Default_Filename as C [, Exist_Code as C ]] )

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Creating link to file on network

                              Originally posted by Tom Cone Jr View Post
                              Jeff,

                              what do you mean by



                              I don't see such a thing listed in the design toolbox for desktop forms.

                              -- tom
                              Tom, Stan got to it before I had a chance. Once you have the location and file name in the field, a click on that "IE"-type icon at the right opens the file right up. I just need a quick, one-step approach to getting the location and file name into that URL field.

                              Comment

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