Re: Forms 4.0 : Questions on transition

From: Sean Stasica <v045101_at_procyon.stortek.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 15:12:07 GMT
Message-ID: <CMCq89.JKC_at_stortek.com>


Steven P. Muench (smuench_at_oracle.com) wrote:
> SEAN -- To say that your key triggers "become completely invalid" is
> incorrect and misleading. You are neither forced to remove key
> triggers, nor forced to recode them in button triggers.
 

> Our upgrade utility takes your 3.0 application and brings it
> intact to 4.0, preserving all of your code, logic, screens,
> etc. There's no reason a bitmapped user would *not* want to
> use the keys, but there is a *big* reason why they might want
> to use the mouse. So, you can code new functionality to
> hook into the existing key-driven logic with Buttons and Menu
> Items that exercise the key-logic with the DO_KEY() built-in.

Let's just say that if you take a Forms 3.0 form and put it through the 4.0 conversion utility, it DOES work the same as 3.0... But the problem is, if you have KEY-NXTFLD triggers that do some kind of validations or constraint checking (a common practice in 3.0 forms -- And don't bother mentioning any "recommendations" from oracle about using ON-VALIDATES instead...ON-VALIDATES don't allow navigation).

If you run a converted form in 4.0 the problem occurs when you use the mouse to click on a particular field, or a particular block. No key triggers fire with any mouse clicks. Sure the functionality is there, but ONLY if you use they keys alone.

I know you realize this, so I won't go into great detail. The reason I said key triggers become completely invalid is because users tend to use the mouse instead of the keyboard. In that sense they do become invalid.

> The one optional thing you might consider regarding key
> triggers is removing block-coordination logic and adding the
> new, more-powerful, relation object into your form. This will
> coordinate arbitrarily complex hierarchical relationships
> (with declarative coordination behavior that changeable
> programmatically at runtime) driven *either* by the keys or by
> the mouse.

Yes, when creating a Forms 4.0 form from scratch, or modifying a Forms 3.0 form, you can take advantage of these new features. My original post stated that straight conversion causes problems because triggers that previously could not be avoided in 3.0 can be avoided in 4.0.

> Hope this clears things up.

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Received on Tue Mar 08 1994 - 16:12:07 CET

Original text of this message