disappearing forms

[Allen Krause]

I just tried to open a form that I spent a lot of time making and got the message "cannot open form. opening default form instead". The form I built was gone. Where did it go? Can I get it back?

Allen Krause

[davej]

RE: disappearing forms

Allen,

A number of options come to mind:

1) compact the database and see if that makes the form available.

2) check and see if, for some reason, you deleted the table on which the form is based. If you did, you are SOL (translation provided, if necessary).

3) if 1 and 2 fail, you might have to just bite the bullet and rebuild the form. If you do, periodically save you work as you go to reduce the amount of work that could be lost.

Good luck,

Dave

[Allen Krause]

RE: disappearing forms

Thanks Dave,

I compacted the database and the form didn't come back. I had not deleted the underlying table so all of my data is still there. I guess I'll just rebuild the form. I still have the question: "Why did it disappear?"

Allen Krause

[Tom Cone Jr]

RE: disappearing forms

Allen,

The form layout(s) for a table or set are stored in their dictionaries. Did you move the tables to a new folder and leave the dictionaries behind? This can be non-obvious sometimes, since Alpha will (very helpfully) create new dictionaries automatically ... but, of course, they won't contain your saved layouts.

-- tom

[Allen Krause]

RE: disappearing forms

Thanks Tom:

I didn't do anything (that I know of). Suddenly that form just wasn't there anymore.

Allen Krause

[John Lemisch]

RE: disappearing forms

when you first build the new form, save it immediately (before doing lots of work) and make sure you can open it. if alpha doesn't like the name of the form, it will sometimes give you that message. if that is the case, select a different name for the form

[Allen Krause]

RE: disappearing forms

Thanks John,

The form was not so complex that I can't rebuild it with relative ease. What is so baffling about this is that I have used the form for weeks without any problem. Suddenly it was gone without warning.

Allen Krause

[G Gabriel]

RE: disappearing forms

Allen:
I am unclear about couple of things in your post:
""got the message "cannot open form. opening default form instead"""
1-How did you get that message in the first place ??? Where did you try to open that form from when you got this message ?? Did you click the form icon in the Control Panel? Did you try to open it from a custom menu or some script ?? Can you still see the form name in the control panel but unable to open it?

2-Is that form based on a set or a table??
Thanks
Gabe

[Allen Krause]

RE: disappearing forms

Thanks Gabe:

I tried to open the form from another form. I set up a button so that I could quickly go the the form (which now does not exist). The name of the form does not exist on the control panel. The form was based on a table.

I lost no data, only the convenience of using the form that I had built to enter data.

Allen Krause

[Tom Cone Jr]

RE: disappearing forms

Allen,

I've experienced this twice.

1) I forgot to save the form so it never appeared in the control panel; and

2) I mistakenly opened a different copy of the same database, thinking I was opening the one where the form layout had been saved.

-- tom

[G Gabriel]

RE: disappearing forms

Allen:
This is pretty odd !! Forms do not just vanish.

The error message is not unusual. It is quite possible that your form was either corrupted or had fields or calculations with nonexistent references but alpha does not take it upon itself to delete forms that are not to it's liking !!

If it's any consolation, chances are, the form had big enough problem that it was bound to happen sooner or later.

do not forget to back up!!

Gabe

[G Gabriel]

RE: disappearing forms

Allen:
This continues to befuddle me!

Can you please do the following:
In the interactive window, type:
? a5.Form_Enum()
Do you see the form listed??

Thanks
Gabe

[Allen Krause]

RE: disappearing forms

Gabe:

I did as you suggested and the form is not listed there. Keep in mind that I am not well versed in the ins and outs of computer science. That's why I bought Alpha 5. You don't need a lot of computer programming knowledge to get it to work. After I type in the code you sent do I need to take some other action?

All this having been said, although I am not a computer expert I have been using them for a long time. I still have my Apple II Plus that I bought over 20 years ago. Throughout the years I have seen all kinds of things disappear. I know that it's always something that makes it happen but that something may be buried in a computer code or a defective chip or a power spike or whatever. However to the user, like me, it looks like something disappeared for no good reason.

Stay in touch if you want me to try something else.

Thanks for your persistence.

Allen Krause

[G Gabriel]

RE: disappearing forms

Allen:
Let's try one more thing: In any form based on the same table, ceate a button and on the OnPush event of the button, put the following code:

dim names[40] as C
dim count as n
tbl = dictionary.open()
range.flags = range_index .or. range_filter
range.index_pointer = tbl.index_record_get()
range.filter = "type = 'FRMI'"
tbl.range_add()
tbl.fetch_first()
while .not. tbl.fetch_EOF()
count = count + 1
names[count] = tbl.name
tbl.fetch_next()
end while
tbl.close()
form_name = ui_get_list_array("Choose a Form",1,"names")
if form_name = "" then
end
end if

Now, go to the view mode and press the buton, you should see a windowtelling you all the forms based on this table, see if the missing form is listed there.

Thanks

Gabe

[Allen Krause]

RE: disappearing forms

Gabe:

Nope. It isn't there anymore.

It is probably more important for your purposes to find out what happened. Fortunately for me I lost no data and the form was a relatively simple one.

Thanks again for your help.

Allen