How to set default value for web input field?

[Fulltimer]

I have a date and a time field that I would like to default to today's date and time.

I'm using a web grid to add new records and this grid is loaded on a regular A5W page.

How do I set today's date and time (2 fields) on data that may or may not be altered by the user during the ADDING of a new record (to speed input).

Hint: Setting default in "field rules" does not work for the web components.

[Rich Hartnett]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

Tom I had a need for the same thing, and here's how I did it -

In the Events Section, click on "BeforeValidateNewRecords," or "CanUpdateRecord" depending on your situation, and insert the following code in place of what's in there now:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

function BeforeValidateNewRecords as v (DataSubmitted as P, Args as p, PageVariables as p)
with PageVariables
DataSubmitted.DateEntered=date()
DataSubmitted.TimeEntered=time()
end with
end function

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
My date field is called "DateEntered," and my time field is called "TimeEntered." My time field is just a character field, 9 wide.

You should know of course, that this date and time will not show up until the Submit button has been pushed. Others have expressed a need to have the two fields pre-populated with the current date and time as soon as the form is opened, and as far as I know, there has been no known (or at least easy) method of doing that.

By the way, there are a few field rules that do work with the WAS (after the submit button has been pushed), such as incremental numbering, and numeric calculations, but for the most part you're right, they do not work in web applications.

[Fulltimer]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

Tom I had a need for the same thing, and here's how I did it -

Rich,

Thanks for the input. Since my original post I actually implemented something almost exactly like what you suggested.

My desire however was to have the fields "prepopulated" so that the data entry person would know that those values were already there YET they could change them if need-be.

This would appear to be such a desirous feature I hope the gang at Alpha have taken notice and might include it in their next release.

[Rich Hartnett]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

Yes having them populated "in advance" is what a lot of developers have been trying to make them so, but I didn't think anyone have figured out how to do it, at least not in a grid.

Did you come up with some way to do that??

[Fulltimer]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

Yes having them populated "in advance" is what a lot of developers have been trying to make them so, but I didn't think anyone have figured out how to do it, at least not in a grid.

Did you come up with some way to do that??

Nope! No such luck on my part. For Alpha, the grid simply needs a field by field "initial value" property. Then that value can become part of the Input tag's "value=" attribute. I mean they are already "building" the HTML for the rest of the tag, I can't imagine that adding another attribute would be a real technical leap.

[Rich Hartnett]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

I'm pretty sure I read on a prior posting that it can be done in a dialog component, but not in a grid. I suppose if you were well versed in java, you could add in some script that would pull that information from the client's computer and fill it in on the front end via the browser, but that's over my head, and I'm not sure how that would play out with different time zones anyway.

I DO wish there was an easy way to do that though.

[Rich Hartnett]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

FYI Tom, this is from the Alpha Five Help Manual entitled:

Setting Grid Control Properties

Select each field in the Selected Fields list to display its Field Properties menu. There are many optional properties for each field's control. The default values for these properties produce a useable starting configuration for your grid. This means that you can largely ignore these optional properties when you are learning to build grids or you expect to gradually refine your design in later revisions.

Note : It is not possible to display a default value for a field in a grid's new record row. However, you can insert a default value if the user leaves the field blank by inserting a script into the grid's BeforeValidateNewRecords event.

:(

[Fulltimer]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

After some careful thinking I came up with a "theoritical" way in which to accomplish the default value scenario.

We could actually create a new record "behind the scenes" and store the values into whatever fields you want. THEN, display that newly created record to the user with all the rest of the empty fields awaiting input. Of course the fields with the default values could also be displayed at this time.

To the user, he/she never sees the "trickery" going on. I've not done this yet, but in theory it should work.

[Rich Hartnett]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

Well if you can get it to work, I'd be eager to see how you did it!!

I have a need for the exact same thing right now.

[Phil Rolf]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

Tom, I have run into the same problem. I had thought about what you are trying to do behind the scenes. However, Depending on your code, you may wind up with a bunch of blank records. The person may go to the page to enter the info but then decide not to enter anything in and BINGO you have a blank record other than the time and date.

[Cheryl Lemire]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

Tom,

Phil would be correct. You could however add a query before entering the new record with the default value. Query your table to see if there are any records where the field you are storing your default value is not blank, but all other fields are blank. If there are any, then fetch the first matching record, change your default value in the field for what you would need it to be with the current date, and then load your form with that record in edit mode. If there are no matching records, then proceed with creating the new record before loading the form.

This would require a lot more programming behind the scenes, not sure if there would be any noticeable time differences in load time, but it may be worth it.

[Fulltimer]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

Thanks all for your comments. Ultimately, I think the real solution needs to come from Alpha. I have since needed to move on and tackle some other perplexing problems. This problem will, however remain at the top of my list to find a viable workaround.

The depressing thing is that this problem is a five minute programming task in my native ASP. I've spent 10 times that amount of time trying to find a A5 solution. So therefore while A5 can offer some real efficient code generation in many repects, it still presents some real roadblocks in other areas.

Like life itself, it's a matter of tradeoffs.

[Steve Workings]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

Here's one way to do it.

I put a grid with an alias "MyGrid" on a page. The grid contains a date field named "Date_Created".

When the grid is published, and you look at the source, you'll find snippets of of html that look like this in the new record lines:

DATE_CREATED" value=""

What you want to do, of course, is insert a value so it's not blank.

Here's the Xbasic code on the A5W page. Make sure it's after the component is loaded but before the string is dumped into the page.

<%A5
' Define the string to be modified:
findstr = <<%a%
DATE_CREATED" value=""%a%

' Define the modified string:
replacestr =<<%a%
DATE_CREATED" value="%a%
replacestr = replacestr + dtoc(date())
replacestr = replacestr + <<%a%
"%a%

' Use stritran() to insert the replacement value:
x_MyGrid.Output.Body.Grid_HTML = stritran(x_MyGrid.Output.Body.Grid_HTML, findstr, replacestr)
%>

The result is new records with today's date as the default. This isn't all that difficult. I and several others use this technique a lot to fill in holes where yeah, it would be nice if Alpha gave use the gui, but we still need to do this anyway.

[MikeC]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

Tom,

The depressing thing is that this problem is a five minute programming task in my native ASP. I've spent 10 times that amount of time trying to find a A5 solution. So therefore while A5 can offer some real efficient code generation in many repects, it still presents some real roadblocks in other areas.

Inevitable frustration when learning a language I think...but the more time that passes with people creating web based Apps the easier it will be to find these types of answers on this messageboard...so I thank you for presenting this for when I end up having to try and do exactly as you are later on! A simple search now for "default value" should result in this thread coming up.

You say you could do this in five minutes in ASP...and I do not doubt it. Consider this now that (hopefully) a solution has been given. I, and others, could most likely do this in Alpha in five minutes but those of us who do not know ASP it most likely would take 10 times longer to do in that language!

[Fulltimer]

Re: How to set default value for web input field?

Here's one way to do it.

I put a grid with an alias "MyGrid" on a page. The grid contains a date field named "Date_Created".

When the grid is published, and you look at the source, you'll find snippets of of html that look like this in the new record lines:

DATE_CREATED" value=""

What you want to do, of course, is insert a value so it's not blank.

Here's the Xbasic code on the A5W page. Make sure it's after the component is loaded but before the string is dumped into the page.

<%A5
' Define the string to be modified:
findstr = <<%a%
DATE_CREATED" value=""%a%

' Define the modified string:
replacestr =<<%a%
DATE_CREATED" value="%a%
replacestr = replacestr + dtoc(date())
replacestr = replacestr + <<%a%
"%a%

' Use stritran() to insert the replacement value:
x_MyGrid.Output.Body.Grid_HTML = stritran(x_MyGrid.Output.Body.Grid_HTML, findstr, replacestr)
%>

The result is new records with today's date as the default. This isn't all that difficult. I and several others use this technique a lot to fill in holes where yeah, it would be nice if Alpha gave use the gui, but we still need to do this anyway.

Steve,

My hat off to you for your elegant solution to this problem. The code also brings to mind how such an implementation could be used to solve other potential problems.

Just one final word (question) on this issue. If you needed to set defaults for several fields, would you have to initiate several stritran() functions to solve it.

Tom

Tom