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masking/data entry issue

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    #16
    Re: masking/data entry issue

    Hi Gabe,

    As this was in the V9 section I did not look to see how it was before.

    I always find that as a useless piece of information when buying a new product, "this is how it was in the old product". All I need to know is how does it work in the product I'm buying now.
    It's a bit like the salesman saying, "if you bought this car last year it only had 3 cylinders now it has 4". As if that should be a consideration as to whether I shall buy it now or not. The choice surely is "is it the right colour"?

    However, I have looked at V8 and can concur, the mask does get saved when the box is checked not to.

    The mask I used in the thumbnail posted earlier was just to test the field rule. In the UK we do not have a standard phone mask. London has 4 digits and almost the rest of the country has 5.
    Regards
    Keith Hubert
    Alpha Guild Member
    London.
    KHDB Management Systems
    Skype = keith.hubert


    For your day-to-day Needs, you Need an Alpha Database!

    Comment


      #17
      Re: masking/data entry issue

      Keith,

      I always find that as a useless piece of information when buying a new product, "this is how it was in the old product". All I need to know is how does it work in the product I'm buying now.
      Have to disagree with you on the testing in a previous version. It is sometimes useful to find out if this is a newly introduced problem or one that has been there all along. I am sure this information would be of benefit when supplying a bug report. In addition to this there will be developers who own V9 but still have software created with V8 which may need amendments and updates. When working with multiple versions of Alpha its good to know when something doesn't work in one of them.

      Comment


        #18
        Re: masking/data entry issue

        Hi Geoff,

        I defend your right to disagree with me. Only on the basis that a user has the previous version.

        If they do not, then being told what now works in the current version that should of worked before, I cant see that is being of any useful information.

        When suppling a bug report , the "Fix It" team are only looking at the version that the bug report is from, not from a previous version.

        With regards to applications already out in the work place, as it has been said before, "If it aint broke, dont fix it".
        Regards
        Keith Hubert
        Alpha Guild Member
        London.
        KHDB Management Systems
        Skype = keith.hubert


        For your day-to-day Needs, you Need an Alpha Database!

        Comment


          #19
          Re: masking/data entry issue

          When suppling a bug report , the "Fix It" team are only looking at the version that the bug report is from, not from a previous version.
          The fix it team might want some clues where to start looking. It is not uncommon for an update to cause a feature or function that was working to not work. This is because Alpha is an intricate piece of software and making a change in one place can have some unforeseen consequences somewhere else. Now if you can tell the fix it team that the problem was also in an earlier version then they can rule out that anything they did in the latest update causing the problem. Now this may or not be applicable to the problem in this thread but I believe it can only help to provide such information and let the fix it team decide its relevance.

          With regards to applications already out in the work place, as it has been said before, "If it aint broke, dont fix it".
          Not quite sure where you are coming from with that statement. Do you not have customers that may want an extra little feature or a change? Do you refuse and say if it ain't broke don't fix it? Do you demand they upgrade all the licenses to V9 or you won't support them? I'm no sales and marketing guru but this doesn't sound like a winning formula to me. Maybe that's why I'm not a millionaire:)

          Comment


            #20
            Re: masking/data entry issue

            Hi Geoff,

            Just a quick couple of replies if I may.

            let the fix it team decide its relevance
            That is a fair point, but I feel that could be clouding the issue, as the Fix it team would be looking at the problem in the current version regardless if it was or was not in an earlyer version. Please dont get confused between update and version.
            Do you not have customers that may want an extra little feature or a change?
            Yes I do, but a change is not a fix.
            you demand they upgrade all the licenses to V9 or you won't support them?
            No not at all.
            Maybe that's why I'm not a millionaire
            Neither am I.:(
            Regards
            Keith Hubert
            Alpha Guild Member
            London.
            KHDB Management Systems
            Skype = keith.hubert


            For your day-to-day Needs, you Need an Alpha Database!

            Comment


              #21
              Re: masking/data entry issue

              Yes I do, but a change is not a fix.
              Hmm, who mentioned a fix. I was responding to your statement below with regards to applications already in the workplace.

              With regards to applications already out in the work place, as it has been said before, "If it aint broke, dont fix it".
              Which I believe was a response to my statement.

              In addition to this there will be developers who own V9 but still have software created with V8 which may need amendments and updates.
              Still no mention of fix. Just amendments and updates which covers a wide range of things?

              It looks like we will have to agree to disagree on this subject. The world would be a boring place if everyone agreed on everything (although more peaceful perhaps).

              Regards

              Geoff

              Comment


                #22
                Re: masking/data entry issue

                Hi Geoff,

                Originally posted by gmeredith17 View Post
                ...It is not uncommon for an update to cause a feature or function that was working to not work. This is because Alpha is an intricate piece of software and making a change in one place can have some unforeseen consequences somewhere else.
                Actually, I'd say that it is rare when Alpha Software adds a bug in creating a fix. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened, and I'll admit my code is one of those "unforeseen consequences somewhere else", because I use functions that are less documented (or undocumented) that most do not.

                But in general, except for enhances to speed, or major changes in algorithms, or new features, I rarely see new bugs introduced.
                Regards,

                Ira J. Perlow
                Computer Systems Design


                CSDA A5 Products
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                Comment


                  #23
                  Re: masking/data entry issue

                  Hi Ira,

                  Yes you are probably right. The use of 'Uncommon' was a little harsh on Alpha as it is probably only a relatively few problems amongst many changes. I'm probably thinking back to the updates that follow the introduction of a new version when it sometimes feels like there is an influx of issues, but in reality considering the many changes and improvements a new version brings the bugs are few.

                  I still believe it is better to err on the side of to much information than to little. It is a constant among the threads on this board of requesting more details to help solve a problem. I would think it is the same for Alpha and would imagine it is a very rare situation that they complain about being given to much information to help solve a bug.

                  Comment


                    #24
                    Re: masking/data entry issue

                    Too many posts and too much to read, I will pass.
                    Not sure what the contension is. I thought it was a simple matter untill Keith came up with an answer that I couldn't fathom so I dropped the subject and decided to move on.

                    It's still a simple matter. Maybe this will put an end to it:

                    1-Forget about v8 and all of those who elected to continue to use v8. It is still a free country and the police will not raid your house or office because you chose to use an older version and demand that you use the newer one and it is also still a free country where if you bought 2006 Ford and it has a problem, Ford will not say we will not fix it, we only fix the newest model only, you have to buy 2008 Ford. But let's forget about the 2006 Ford and v8. In act, I don't expect nor care if alpha fix the issue in v8 or not, but what about v9?
                    2-Keith, you say in v9, which I don't have and would be utterly rediculous of me to report a bug on a version I don't even have, you say you have to add an extra space for the mask to work. The question is, being the proud owner of the newest and best delux version, do you or do you not see that as a bug? and in light of the fact that it was not necessary in previoius versions to do so, once again: do you or do you not see that as a bug?

                    All the other stuff you say about "useless information", quite frankly I don't even know what you mean and please don't bother explaining. It is not the issue here. The issue is, does the fact the mask doesn't work unless you add an extra character, does that represent a bug that needs to be fixed?

                    It is no skin off my nose either way, I don't have v9 and I don't care if it is fixed in v8 either.
                    Last edited by G Gabriel; 07-17-2008, 01:10 PM.

                    Comment


                      #25
                      Re: masking/data entry issue

                      Hi Gabe,

                      Thanks for your extra input.

                      Sometimes your messages on this forum make me smile, I'm sure you would be a very entertaining dinner guest.

                      If it makes you happy to call this a bug in V9, because it is not documented to have at least one extra character than the number of characters in the mask then, call it a bug.

                      I was just pleased for Bob A and others that they got the mask to work.

                      Just as a matter of interest, if you do not have V9, why are you here telling us about old bugs in V8 when Bob who does have V9 needed some help with that version? Please do not answer, this is not what this forum is for.

                      Lets just keep on helping each other getting our applications to work.
                      Regards
                      Keith Hubert
                      Alpha Guild Member
                      London.
                      KHDB Management Systems
                      Skype = keith.hubert


                      For your day-to-day Needs, you Need an Alpha Database!

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Re: masking/data entry issue

                        Originally posted by Keith Hubert View Post
                        If it makes you happy to call this a bug in V9, because it is not documented to have at least one extra character than the number of characters in the mask then, call it a bug.
                        It is not a question of being documented it is a question if it is needed. I was making the pointed that it shouldn't be needed and I referenced v8 for that reason (that it was not needed in v8. So if it is was not needed in v8, why would it be needed in v9). That's the point I was trying to make which I thought was a very simple point to make but evidently it's taking forever to register.

                        In 2006 Ford, you didn't have to kick the tires to get the engine to start, but when the engine starts it makes noise. The noise is a bug. On the other hand, in 2008 Ford, the engine's noise is gone (bug fixed, mask works), but you have to kick the tires to get the engine to start.

                        Question: is kicking the tire a normal thing or is it a bug?
                        If you say it is a normal thing, then how come it was not a normal thing in the 2006 model? Wouldn't you expect the newer model to be even better than the older one?

                        And that's why I am introding on the elite v9 crowd which seems to bother you a great deal.
                        Last edited by G Gabriel; 07-17-2008, 01:56 PM.

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Re: masking/data entry issue

                          Hi Gabe,

                          I said you make me smile. Now you make me laugh, over here we start our cars by turning the ignition key.

                          We gave up kicking the wheels years ago. That was more than a bug. And it scuffed your shoes.
                          Regards
                          Keith Hubert
                          Alpha Guild Member
                          London.
                          KHDB Management Systems
                          Skype = keith.hubert


                          For your day-to-day Needs, you Need an Alpha Database!

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Re: masking/data entry issue

                            Ok.. When you get done laughing, report it as a bug before a dozen other people start asking the same question.

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Re: masking/data entry issue

                              Hi All,

                              I reported this as a bug to Alpha.

                              I can't get Keith's suggestion to work. I changed the length of the field in the table to 11 and the mask literals still are there when I browse the table.

                              A better solution, until this is fixed, might be to create a "User Defined Format".

                              View the following link for details on this.
                              http://support.alphasoftware.com/Wha...d%20Formatting

                              This would eliminate setting a mask in the field rules altogether.

                              I created a UDF and used the 'transform' function to format the field, but that didn't work. If anyone tries this and comes up with a function that works please post it.

                              Thanks,
                              Bob A
                              Robert Adler
                              Alpha Anywhere Programmer/Developer
                              Eagle Dbase Solutions, LLC
                              http://www.eagledbasesolutions.com/

                              sigpic

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Re: masking/data entry issue

                                I was about to suggest to use transform() in the ondepart event, which is what I would do. Don't know what sort of trouble you had with transform() though.

                                Comment

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