Initially Populating a List Box ???

[RobertJWilkins]

Greetings

I have a sub-form that I am showing with the form.load(...) method from my Main Form.

On the sub-form is a Combo Box populated from the properties choices tab with several line items.

With the OnChange event for the ComboBox, I populate the List Box based on the contents of the ComboBox Variable.

This all works just fine and I am happy .....

I Pre Load the choice in the Combo Box with the most popular choice by setting its variable on the form's OnInit() event and that also shows just fine.

My problem is that I cannot see what I am pre-loading in the list box.

I populate the list box settings.dynamic_list in the OnInit()for the form, but it does not show in the list box.

I have debugged and "Traced" the OnInit event and the contents that I want are, in fact, in the dynamic_list, but I cannot get them to show on the form.

I have tried the .refresh() on the list box control, on the form and the refresh_Layout() on the form.

How can I get the contents of the list box to initially show ???

THANKS for your help

Bob

[Scott Emerick]

Have you tried using a variant of your 'OnChange' code in your 'OnInit' or 'OnActivate' event for the form?

[RobertJWilkins]

Thanks Scott for your comments - but YES I have tried both of those events.

I have copied the OnChange() code to both the OnActivate() and OnInit() and I can see that the settings.dynamic_list is being filled as I wish ... if I debug the code or trace.write the list, it is all there - but it just will not show in the list box of the form itself.

I even put message boxes in the OnActivate, OnChange and OnInit events and I KNOW they are fireing ... it is just that the dynamic_list does not show in the list box,

But if I change the contents of the combo box - "voila" there it is.

I even put the code in the OnMouseFlyover event and the list showed just fine, but I have to mouseover the combo box and that is not a natural thing for the user to do ???

I am really stumped with this one (after several hours of "playing")

Thanks again
Bob

[Tom Cone Jr]

Robert, I've never really understood the need for or used subforms. When you try to refresh() the list box in your subform are you using an "address" for the list box that takes into account it's position as child of the main form?

Suggest you use the Object explorer to confirm that you're "addressing" the object correctly.

-- tom

[MikeC]

If the first choice will always be the same then you could do as I have done with Action Scripting.

On the OnActivate event of the form I used the Action Script within the Objects Properties (Set and Get) category called Set 'Text' property of Object(s).

Set the text property to the name of your variable object(mine is called Vcompany_type).

Use the Specify the value now option and simply fill in whatever the choice is that the form is activated with.

This only solves the problem if, of course, your first choice is a permanent one as whatever is named for the choice is not linked to the choices at all---there must be a way to have it so linked with an expression but that is beyond me at this point.
Mike

[RobertJWilkins]

Mike

My ComboBox is linked to a variable "frequency". In the OnInit for the form, I make "frequency" the value that I want the initial entry in the box to be and that seems to work for me.

I put this in the "OnInit" event because it only fires once, whereas, my understanding is, that "OnActivate" will fire much more frequently and may actually change the choice that the user wants in the box.

My OnInit simply says ...
frequency = "weekly"

And "weekly" is one of the choices already set up in the list of choices in properties for the ComboBox. This works for me and when the form shows, my ComboBox contains "weekly".

MY PROBLEM
and after days I still cannot get it to work is that a list box is dependant on the value in the ComboBox and even though I set the variable for the ComboBox to "weekly" and that shows as the choice in the ComboBox, I cannot get the contents in the list's settings.dynamic_list that corresponds to that choice to show in the list control.

My OnInit really says ...
frequency = "weekly"
ChoiceList.settings.dynamic_list = Choices_For_Weekly

Where ChoiceList is the name of the list box and
Choices_for_Weekly is a crlf delimited list of choices.

My ComboBox shows correctly but my choiceList is blank
If I trace.writeln my ChoiceList.settings.dynamic_list
It is populated correctly, it just doesn't show

Mike, I hope this helps, if not ... keep asking ... and somebody will help
(maybe even both of us)

Best Regards
Bob

[whanigsberg]

"a list box is dependant on the value in the ComboBox and even though I set the variable for the ComboBox to "weekly" and that shows as the choice in the ComboBox, I cannot get the contents in the list's settings.dynamic_list that corresponds to that choice to show in the list control."

And the scope of the variable in the combo box is...? Should be at least shared or if you are declaring it in the form editor "session".

[RobertJWilkins]

Hi Bill

Thanks for your reply ...

The scope of the variables on both the ComboBox and the ListBox are GLOBAL.

But, good suggestion, THANKS

Bob

[Tom Cone Jr]

Bob, the method you should use to dynamically adjust the contents of the listbox depends upon which method you use initially to create it. I think the docs have been revised in the last few weeks to clarify this. Suggest you backtrack through the helps and see if you're using the correct method.

-- tom