Re: HELP - Forms 4.5 - character cell forms vs. GUI forms

In article <35c73695.104515164_at_news.services.fccc.edu>, Andrew M. Balshem <am_balshem_at_fccc.edu> wrote:

> In the past, in character cell forms we've developed (where
> virtually all actions are controlled by keystrokes) we have created
> a temporary (non-database) block where the entry clerk enters an ID
> and a TimePoint. A key-nxtfld trigger then determined whether this
> record (based on ID/Timepoint) was already in a table or not. If it
> was not, the cursor moves to the database block (copying the
> ID/TimePoint to non-displayed database block fields) in insert mode.
> It it was, the cursor moves to the database block in update mode.
>
> We are now using GUI forms and I'd like the same control (and in
> fact do have it as long as the entry clerk keys off of the 2
> non-database fields.) However if the entry clerk uses the mouse to
> move to the database block, problems arise (which I will not go into
> here). Is there some way of preventing the clerk from leaving the
> non-database block by way of her mouse???

You cannot prevent the user from using the mouse to navigate to your base-table block. But there are several ways to accomplish what you want. Here is what I would try:

Set up a form-level when-new-item-instance (WNII) trigger, and a flag that indicates when a lookup/display/insert setup needs to be done. In the wnii trigger, if the lookup needs to be done and both key-items are entered and are valid, then go_block to your base-table block, and do the lookup/insert process. Set the flag to indicate the lookup has been done. Then place the cursor wherever you want, or back to where the user clicked (you can store the cursor location when the trigger starts.

On your control block items, use a when-validate-item trigger to make sure they are entered correctly.

Hope some of this rambling helps you out.

Steve Cosner
http://members.aol.com/stevec5088 Received on Wed Aug 05 1998 - 07:10:11 CEST