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Variables variables global, session or layout?

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    Variables variables global, session or layout?

    I must admit that I am having a really hard time getting my head around A5's use of variables. I understand that some people feel that globals are evil and should be avoided at all costs. The sad thing is that although I have tried, I consistently fail at getting session or layout variables to to work when it comes to passing values between forms.

    For example I have an invoice form that contain a partnumber field and a description field. On this form is a button that calls up a lookup browse form that is related to my inventory table. The idea is that the user will choose a row from the inventory browse form and the partnumber and description values will be transfered to the calling invoice form. Normally , I would just declare global variables for this task and be done with it. But just this time I thought that I should try session or layout variables.
    Anyway I don't know if it is me or what but I couldn't find a way to make it work. The worse part of it is that I do this to myself repeatedly!
    How does everybody else do this? I have read and re-read the manuals and I still can't get the difference between session and layout variables and whether or not they can be seen by a called form or a script within the called form.

    #2
    RE: Variables variables global, session or layout?

    Greg:
    I use as many global variables as possible.
    I seem to get less errors that way.
    Did you know that you can show half the screen with one table and the other half with a different table.
    I do it in my tool room app.
    I show the transaction table on the left and the Inventory table on the right.
    When I double click on the inventory item that I want, it enters a that item as a new record into the transaction table.
    Charlie Crimmel

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      #3
      RE: Variables variables global, session or layout?

      Greg, if you know the calling form will always be open, then the script which closes the called form can pass values back to objects on the calling form directly. You should do this just before the called form closes, not just after it closes. I think of this as looking 'back' at the calling form from the point of view of the called form.

      This does not pass values directly to the calling form's table, mind you, but to objects on the calling form itself. Check out the discussion of absolute addresses, incomplete addresses, and object paths in Chapter 6 of the xbasic ref. manual.

      The same approach can be used in reverse. i.e. to stuff values into objects on called forms, too. I think of this as looking forward to the called form, from the point of view of the calling form.

      It works quite well. Just be careful that you don't permit more than one instance of either form in the current session, otherwise the object names start changing as Alpha Five strives to keep them separate from each other.

      -- tom

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        #4
        RE: Variables variables global, session or layout?

        Hello Greg,

        >>How does everybody else do this? I have read and re-read the manuals and I still can't get the difference between session and layout variables and whether or not they can be seen by a called form or a script within the called form.

        Comment


          #5
          RE: Variables variables global, session or layout?

          To build on Jim's point that global variables aren't inherently evil; they just become evil....

          I use global variables regularly BUT it is important to 'keep track of them'. I think of them as 'standard' variables and use names like User_name, User_level, Start_date, End_date, Rpt_title, Rpt_subtitle, etc. This way I know that EVERY report that uses or displays, for example, a starting date will use the variable Start_date and I will re-define the value for that variable every time I print the report. If I used a different variable name for each report, I would go crazy very quickly.

          This may not be the most memory efficient way to do things but it works for me.

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