Runtime - Menu and Navigation

[Lynda Huddleston]

I have created an app and then created different Menus (Forms) that allow them certain access. I then created the Security / users login. So when sales logs in - they go to the Sales Menu Form but when accounting logs in they go to their menu with different navigation and options... My questions are based on some final clean up / navigation issues.

First, I don't want them to be able to minimize a form when they go to it, but no matter what I select or unselect in the Form's properties, I can still minimize. I want them to be dependent on the form close button to keep them where I want them. Am I missing something?

Second, I want each user to go to a different "Form" menu. So I have taken the On Open of Database open this form feature off. However, now when I call a script (opening a menu form)from the security user setup, on some systems it won't "Maximize" the callup form until you click somewhere on the form page. The Alpha Window is maximized, but the form isn't. The minute I click anywhere, it maximizes and is fine from there on out. The problem again, is that I don't want them seeing the Alpha Menu options (which they can at the very beginning until the form is maximized).

Third, I have created custom menus that are attached to each form. But in the far left corner there is a white square that allows them to restore, minimize, maximize, close, etc. I don't want them to have access to this. How do I get rid of it. It doesn't appear in the code editor when I am customizing the menu.

Finally, Logging changes. They have asked if when they set up a user in security - can the system log what the user does? Who changed something based on who was logged in when it was changed? Is this possible?

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP! Lynda

[whanigsberg]

RE: Runtime - Menu and Navigation

Linda,

YOu should probably put different questions in separate threads.

As for the minimize issue simply uncheck the system menu in form properties.

Regarding user-specific forms you can take care of this in an autoexec (or login) script which branches based on the user's login.

I'll leave your other questions for later.

Bill

[Tom Henkel]

RE: Runtime - Menu and Navigation

As far as logging changes... We use a very simple system in which the user-id of the last user to change anything in a record is placed into the record along with the date of the change. In an on_save event for the data in question, we just place the variable that identifies the user into a field called "cuser" and the date() into a field called "cdate". Cuser and Cdate are defined in all tables where we need to log a change. This is not a true audit type of logging, but it does what we need. An audit of all changes would need before and after images of the record captured to a "logging" image of the table along with the user and date ...and time if needed. That was way more overhead than we were willing to put up with.

hope this helps,

Tom

[CALocklin]

RE: Runtime - Menu and Navigation

Beware. I think removing the System Menu causes other problems with maximized forms. I'm not sure what I ran into but I know I gave up on the idea of unchecking it so run plenty of tests before distributing.

I also know there are many people out there who do it. I'm not saying "don't"; I'm just saying you should check the results carefully.

Cal Locklin
www.aimsdc.net

[Lynda Huddleston]

RE: Runtime - Menu and Navigation

yes, this helps - THANKS! I will work with it and see what I can do. I only need simple, so this should work.

[Lynda Huddleston]

RE: Runtime - Menu and Navigation

I did end up splitting these - but I do have a question on your autoexec response.

Currently, I have created a series of forms that link to each other in different groups. I then created a script that called the "main" form for each "group". Then, using the security in A5 - I created users that point to the script with their "Main" form.

The problem, is that when i log in, type Sales in the user name - the script opens the right form, but in a weird minimized format until I click anywhere in the form. It then maximizes and is fine from there forward. At home it doesn't do this.. I am attaching a word doc showing what I mean. Any feedback would be great.

[Lynda Huddleston]

RE: Runtime - Menu and Navigation

i am apparently not as good as I should be and I am not sure how to implement your suggestion. I created the two fields in the table - cuser and cdate - but what would i write in the onsave event to populate these? Is the login for security saved in a global variable? Where would i access this? Sorry - but if you could point me just a little further, it sounds like what i need.

[Tom Henkel]

RE: Runtime - Menu and Navigation

We developed our own security system whereby the user, upon clicking the icon, is presented with a dialog box requesting user-id and password. There is a table in the system that is used to verify the user-id and password, and, if OK, the entered user-id and password are stored in addin_variable space. This is because we do quite a bit of inter-database communications. You could declare and store them in a global variable. Just be sure that the variables are defined and available where you need them. in the on_save event, you would have the following:

yourtable.cuser = var-"userid
yourtable.cdate = date()

This is how we ddo it, I hope it helps you.

Tom