Embedded Browse - Hide Column

[jdtwright]

I reviewed the information on "Hiding Browse Columns" in the help file. I am fairly new to Xbasic and am having problems getting the correct fieldname for my column. I would appreciate any help on my syntax!

Error - Not found "Topparent:browse1:accounts_receivable->temp_adj"
when trying to run the code:
width=Topparent:browse1:accounts_receivable->temp_adj.object.width

I have an embedded browse displaying records from my One-to-Many linked table "accounts_receivable". The field from accounts_receivable that I am displaying in the column is temp_adj.

I have tried to refer to this column as temp_adj without the table reference and I get the same error. What is my fieldname?

Thanks!

[Tom Cone Jr]

Traci,

You're passing the fieldname from the table to a method designed for objects in the form and browse.

Instead of:

width=Topparent:browse1:[COLOR="Red"]accounts_receivable->temp_adj[/COLOR].object.width

Use the column name, like this:

width =Topparent:browse1:[COLOR="Red"]your_column_name[/COLOR].object.width

It's the difference between interrogating the table field directly, and in interrogating the object in your form that is displaying the field. And, remember that while the column name is the same as the field name by default it need not be, so use the actual column name. Ok?

-- tom

[jdtwright]

Thanks, Tom! I think I finally figured it out. First of all you were right about the column name and I started using apply_adjustment instead of the table field name. I figured out the column name by going to the interactive code window and using the quick short cut names that it provides when you begin typing in a name.

I also was using the wrong reference to my form. I was using Topparent and I should have been using Parentform since it is a one to many relationship.

So, my final code was:
width=parentform:browse1:apply_adjustment.object.width

Thanks for your help!
Traci

[neil_albala]

This is good!

browse1:field_name.object.width = 0 'makes the column invisible
browse1:field_name.object.width = 1 'makes the column visible as 1 inch

[Bob Arbuthnot]

Nice touch, Neil. Works slick and is simple and easy (2 of my basic requirements!).

Bob Arbuthnot

[CALocklin]

I also was using the wrong reference to my form. I was using Topparent and I should have been using Parentform ....

More people should be aware of the distinction between these two references. In most cases there is only one form so they refer to the same object (form) BUT...

- Parentform refers to the form that the current object (often a button you pushed) is actually located on. If this form happens to be the only form, then it is the same as TopParent. BUT, if the current object is on an embedded form sitting on another form, then Parentform refers to the embedded form and TopParent refers to the main form.

- TopParent is always the highest level form of all forms currently on the screen. If there is an embedded form inside another embedded form, TopParent still refers to the main form and the intermediate form would have to be referred to by name with something like TopParent:embedded_form1:Some_field.text.

This is all described in the Help files but it's easy to overlook.

In my opinion, 99% of the time you really only need to use Parentform because you seldom want to refer to something higher up than on the current form. Then, for those unusual situations where you do want to refer to something higher up, use the "unusual" TopParent reference. (I suspect the use of TopParent with many of the AS genies has to do with AS itself and the need to automate the construction of the script. However, when coding it myself, I find Parentform much more descriptive of what I'm actually doing.)

[neil_albala]

Thanks for the clarification on the difference between ParentForm and TopParent. That was helpful.

Most projects, like Alpha Sports, have a null Menu Form which only has buttons to all the other Forms in the project. If as you said, "TopParent is always the highest level form of all forms currently on the screen," wouldn't it aways point to the null menu Form?

[CALocklin]

I'm sorry, I should have said "currently visible on the screen" or, perhaps more correctly, currently active. However, I'm not sure if the TopParent would truly be active when you are clicking a button in a subform so I'm not sure what the correct description is here.

At any rate, it should be easy to see that the TopParent of Subform_1 which is on Form_A is really Form_A because another form that is open but not visible, Form_X, has no direct parent/child relationship to Form_A. A button on Form_X may have been used to open Form_A but that doesn't mean there will be any other relationship. In fact, I believe (but I haven't checked this one) it will be treated as a separate session in reference to SHARED variables. In that case, I suppose "current session" would be the correct description.

I suppose it would be possible to give some type of name to the first form that was opened in an application then try to keep track of the relationships below it but it would be very complex; especially with a windowed (vs. maximized) application.