Alternate form appearance for database copies?

[abackstrom]

We have a pretty common practice of copying our database for various reasons: training copies, development copies, backups, etc. I have an Autoexec script that can detect an alternate database, and I would like to change the form appearances to make the change immediately obvious to the user. My preferred method would be changing our standard teal background to, say, orange.

What are some possible ways of making this change? Are stylesheets the way to go? (I'm not familiar with their use inside Alpha Five.) Is is possible to iterate through the forms using a5.form_enum() and modify the background color during Autoexec? Possibly some other way I'm not familiar with?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[Steve Workings]

Re: Alternate form appearance for database copies?

For one client I put a conditional object at the top of each form, with one condition displaying Practice. The autoexec was hard coded to set a global variable depending on the drive & directory of the database, and used to make the choice in the conditional object.

[abackstrom]

Re: Alternate form appearance for database copies?

I'm loathe to do it per-form, since we're up to 128 forms at the moment. :) It would have to be something added to each form programatically, like a modification of the <form>.OnInit method.

[Al Buchholz]

Re: Alternate form appearance for database copies?

Adam

Note that the form.load() method allows you to designate a stylesheet.

So in combination with Steve's idea, you could change the stylesheet to change some colors also.

[Steve Workings]

Re: Alternate form appearance for database copies?

The database I referred to has over 200 forms, but lots of menus and submenus. So we didn't change 'em all -- just those key parts. You might consider whether you really need to do this with all forms.

I like Al's suggestion of selecting the stylesheet.

Another thing you can do is adjust the a5.window_title. Use lots of asterisks, etc. to help draw attention to the difference when needed.

One more thought: I'll bet the majority of your forms use the same two or three toolbars or custom menus. You could make use of them quite easily.

[MoGrace]

Re: Alternate form appearance for database copies?

Hi Adam,
I use several shortcuts with the -include= statement to load Alpha with a text file for each of my copies that changes the A5 title bar. I also have a conditional object on my Main Menu form that displays a button when it is the Server copy - setting a global variable in the Autoexec. This could easily display text instead. Another advantage of the window title is that the taskbar will show it when the program is minimized in case two or more copies are open. You can also add different splash screens or icons in the text file that would give a visual reminder.

[Tim Kiebert]

Re: Alternate form appearance for database copies?

I created a small example that I thought may be relevant to this discussion but it doesn't fully work. I wonder if someone would have a minute or two to confirm the nonworking status. If confirmed and I haven't made a glaring mistake I will submit a Bug Report. What the sample does is use the database custom colors. Once a custom color is defined it is then available where ever a color needs to be chosen. If this custom color is used throughout the application and the definition is changed then the change is reflected throughout. Pretty handy I thought. There are also a couple of functions that can be used to redefine this color with xBasic. I figured code in the autoexec could check for a condition and set this custom color. In my sample the code I have actually does alter the definition but the color does not change unless the Settings dialog is opened to the color paramater Option and then closed with the Ok button. To see this do the following:

--Open Form1
--press the 'change color' Button 'the value that appears should be the current green value.
--enter a new value and press OK 'tip--change the value by a lot so the color change is obvious
--close the form
--open the form 'the color hasn't changed
--go to the main Alpha menu->view->settings->expand the Database branch and choose color. ' you will see that the green value is changed to the value you entered and the color in the dialog is the new color.
--Click OK to close the settings dialog 'without doing anything else in the dialog.
--adjust the size of the form so that it repaints and voila the color updates.

If the Settings dialog is closed with the cancel button the color does not update in the app even though the definition has changed.
It is as if the info is not getting written into a definition file somewhere.

TIA for any assistance

[Tim Kiebert]

Re: Alternate form appearance for database copies?

I'm loathe to do it per-form, since we're up to 128 forms at the moment. :) It would have to be something added to each form programatically, like a modification of the <form>.OnInit method.

Have your autoexec code dim a global character variable to a color name. Then put the following in the OnInit of your forms

Dim Global theglobalvariable as C
topparent.Fill.Forecolor  = theglobalvariable