Thanks Razzak! Very informative and extremely helpful.
Much appreciated,
Doug
On 8/26/2015 1:00 PM, A. Razzak Memon wrote:
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Tip of the Day: Choosing the Right Form Control
Product: R:BASE eXtreme 9.5 (32/64) and R:BASE X (Version 10)
Build..: 9.5.5.20806, 10.0.1.10820 or higher
www.rbaseupdates.com
www.rupdates.com (Mirror Site)
www.rbaseX.com
Section.: Forms
Keywords: Controls, Combo Box, List Box, List View
With the growing community of R:BASE users migrating their legacy DOS
databases and
applications to R:BASE eXtreme 9.5 (32/64) for Windows and now R:BASE
X (version 10),
it can be overwhelming when upgrading and/or designing forms.
There are so many controls and so many options.
A few have asked, and I felt inspired. So, here you go ...
At times, application developers may be unsure what control/object to
add to a form,
when end users are requesting a menu to select from a list of preset
values.
Based upon the how the list of information is to be displayed, where
the list of
available data resides, and if the selected item will be stored or
only captured,
there are different form control types that can be used to display the
perfect
option to the users.
Control Display
---------------
The type of control to add to a form depends on the amount of
available space on the
form and how the list of information is to be presented to the users.
When limited space is available on forms, a "Combo Box" control is
ideal, as the list
of options to select is "dropped down" and visible when the control is
selected.
If space is not a factor, "List Box" and "List View" controls are
available to present
a box-type object with a list of selections initially displayed. The
List Box presents
the list of data to select in a single column, and perhaps separated.
The List View
presents a list of data selections in multiple columns within a
grid-like display. The
objects consume a larger amount of space but can be sized accordingly.
When the content within the Combo Box, List Box, or List View is
larger than visible
listing, a scroll bar is available to browse further content.
Source of Data to Select
------------------------
The source of data populating the control will determine the type of
control. If the
source is stored within a table, a "Lookup" control is to be used.
Otherwise, if the
list of options will be manually added and stored within the control,
a "User Defined"
control is used. A User Defined control can contain a small selection
of items
(e.g. Yes, No, Maybe) or a large list. In most cases, a "Lookup"
control is assigned.
End Result for Selection
------------------------
Another factor to decide what control to use is the "end result" to
take after the
item, or items, is selected by the user. If the selection is to be
stored directly
into a table, the "DB" control is used. If the selection must be
captured into a
variable, use the "Variable" type control.
Controls and Examples of Use
----------------------------
DB Lookup Combo Box - Displays a drop-down menu list of data pulled
from a table. The
selection is stored in another table. An example is a list of job
titles that can be
assigned to employees. The titles are stored in a different table than
the employees.
DB Lookup List Box - Displays a box of listed data pulled from a
table. The selection
is stored in another table. An example is a list of vendors that can
be assigned to
an order. The vendors are stored in a different table than the orders.
DB User Defined Combo Box - Displays a drop-down menu list of options
defined and
stored within the control. The selection is stored in a table. An
example is a drop-
down menu of predefined answers for a questionnaire.
DB User Defined List Box - Displays a box of listed data defined and
stored within
the control. The selection is stored in a table. An example is a full
displayed list
of predefined answers for a questionnaire.
DB Lookup List View - Displays a grid of listed data pulled from a
table. The selection
is stored in a table. An example is a grid of companies, with the city
and state aligned
in separate columns, that can be assigned to an order. The company
data stored in a
different table than the orders.
Variable Lookup Combo Box - Displays a drop-down menu list of data
pulled from a table.
The selection is captured into a defined variable. An example is a
drop-down menu of
employees where the selection is used in further form processing.
Variable Lookup List Box - Displays a box of listed data pulled from a
table. The
selection is captured into a defined variable. An example is a list of
dates where
transactions occurred for a specific month where the selection is used
in further form
processing.
Variable User Defined Combo Box - Displays a drop-down menu list of
options defined and
stored within the control. The selection is captured into a defined
variable. An example
is a drop-down menu of print output options used in report processing.
Variable User Defined List Box - Displays a box of listed data defined
and stored within
the control. The selection is captured into a defined variable. An
example is a list of
available reports used in report processing.
Variable Lookup List View - Displays a grid of listed data pulled from
a table. The
selection is captured into a defined variable. An example is a grid of
transactions,
with details of quantity, prices, etc., aligned in separate columns.
The selection is
used in further form processing.
Additional Controls
-------------------
Many other control types are available and can be added to R:BASE
forms based upon the
data presented to users. Be sure to review the other available
controls to provide the
best available appearance of the displayed data.
Very Best R:egards,
Razzak.
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