Please critique this process!

[Tom Patten]

Hi,

By copying previous processes, I have accomplished what I want to accomplish, but I doubt I am doing it right or most efficiently.

I want to place a button on a form to duplicate the last record entered in a browse. (I am entering training information, and the same info needs to be entered for many staff).

1. I go into the action properties of the browse, click on the tab for variables and define my variables.

2. I go to the field rules for the table used in the browse table and in the OnWrote event for each of the four fields I want to replicate, I set the variables - defined in step 1. Example: Var->v_date = Formname:browse:field.value

3. I go back to the form and place a button on the form that opens (gets) table, enters the variables into the fields of a new record (t.date = v_date).

Seems round-about. I tried the Value Get and Value Set Actions scripts, but couldn't get it to work.

Is there a better way to do this? I'm betting there is.

Thanks for the education

Tom

[Peter.Wayne]

RE: Please critique this process!

you can repeat the values in the last record by just
typing ctrl-shift-R when entering new records.

if you don't want to type it but want to press a button, y
you can program the button with


browse1.activate()
browse1.new_record()
sys_send_keys("{shift-ctrl-R}")


assuming that your browse is named "browse1"

[Tom Patten]

RE: Please critique this process!

You're Kidding!!!

I worked all day on my version.

I'll give it a try, but I don't think it will work because I am changing the parent record, by clicking on the next staff name, then entering the training data in browse2.

I'll let you know.

Tom

[Tom Patten]

RE: Please critique this process!

Nope.

I had to try it though. I'll save the script for another occasion.

Thanks for your comments though - Having Dr. Wayne critique my work - I'll have to put that on my resume.

I know there is a better, more efficient way of doing this, without leaving the form and ones "fingers never leaving their hands".

Tom

[Tom Patten]

RE: Please critique this process!

It would seem I could eliminate step 1 - defining variable in form under browse2 table under actions/variables since using the Var->name in field rules seems to define and fill the variable all in one operation.

Tom

[Stephen Williams]

RE: Please critique this process!

A Dr Wayne variation...
I have this script in the onkey event for the form

if a_user.key.value = "{F12}"
a_user.key.handled = .T.
sys_send_keys("{CTRL-SHIFT-F}")
end if

Pressing F12 copies the FIELD value from the last record...

[Tom Patten]

RE: Please critique this process!

I can see where this would work IF one was not working in a set and not changing parent records then wanting to copy the previous record to this new parent.

Tom

[Jeff Moses]

RE: Please critique this process!

Tom, Maybe I'm missing something but can't you just use some standard scritping like:

t=table.open("your_table")
t.fetch_last()
x1 = t.field1
x2 = t.field2
x3 = t.field3
x4 = t.field4

t.enter_begin()
t.field1 = x1
t.field2 = x2
t.field3 = x3
t.field4 = x4
t.enter_end(.t.)
t.close()

Seems to me that putting this on a button would duplicate only the fields you need from the last record entered in your_table into a fresh record?
Jeff

[Tom Patten]

RE: Please critique this process!

Now this is what I was looking for. Let me "go to school" on it and get back to you.

But wait; remember, I want to copy a 4 fields from a child record in a browse, on a form, to a new parent and THEIR child. So If I fetch last fields, it will fetch the last fields from the current parent, not the last fields from the previous parent that I want to copy.

But I think there must be way to do it all from the form, and not set variable on the form, then go to field rules, then come back to the form to set a button that ignores the form and enters records directly into the table then refresh the form.

What do you think?

Tom

[Jeff Moses]

RE: Please critique this process!

Tom, To start, the variables in the sample scripting do not have to be set in your formpropertiesvariables. They will be created automatically in the script and then be gone when the script has finished. This is whats nice about scripting like this. Second: By scripting in this manner you can copy and move any data from any fields in any tables to any fields in any other tables in your app. For example if you wanted to use the last sample script I posted but wanted to get your data from a child table instead and then move it to some other table, you could modify it to read:

t=table.open("child_table")
t.fetch_last()
x1 = t.field1
x2 = t.field2
x3 = t.field3
x4 = t.field4
t.close()

t=table.open("some_other_table")
t.enter_begin()
t.field1 = x1
t.field2 = x2
t.field3 = x3
t.field4 = x4
t.enter_end(.t.)
t.close()

If one of the tables in the action is the parent table in the form you would use a table pointer of:
t=table.current()

As for which record you get the data from would depend on how you identify it. If the data you want to copy is in the last entry in the child table you would still fetch_last() after the table pointer is identified. If it is some other record(s) you could query the table in the script and go from there or you could use a fetch_find(). If you would like more help on this you can email me with you table names and fields and I'll help you get the script together.
Jeff

[Jeff Moses]

RE: Please critique this process!

Tom, This button could be run on the form.
Jeff

[Tom Patten]

RE: Please critique this process!

Thank you Jeff,

This is what I wanted. I see how it would work and want to study it more. I knew I was working too hard, and not working smart. I don't want to learn "bad habits" and since I admit that I am just learning, I want to learn right.

Thanks, and thanks for the offer to get back to you...

Tom