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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) On Form Change Programming (Read 4843 times)
SpencerWulwick
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On Form Change Programming
Mar 4th, 2005 at 6:37pm
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Hi -

I am having a difficult time using programming to be executed "on form change."

My need is simple.  If indeed I make a change to any of the data on a form I need my Last Udate Layout Element to be updated to reflect the current date.

I thought the programming would be simple and used:

Code
Select All
Last Updated = @date


The problem is that if I am simply searching through a stack of records, Sesame seems to think that the form has changed as soon as I navigate to the next record and changes the Last Updated element of the previous (simply viewed but not changed) form.  This, of course, is not acceptable.

Am I overlooking something simple (I hope)?
  
- Spencer

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Ray the Reaper
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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #1 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 6:55pm
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Hello Spencer,

Take a look at your other programming events particularly the Form On Form Entry event and your Form on Form Exit event to see if they are changing any element values.

-Ray
  
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SpencerWulwick
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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #2 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 7:24pm
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Ray -

I have carefully gone through every one of my programming events twice now and cannot find anything that should cause an automatic change to the record.

The only on form entry events that are programmed would be to calculate age (or years since an event occured, such as a wedding, etc.)

The code (in this case for age) is simply:

Code
Select All
if Birthdate <> ""

 Age = @year(@date)-@year(Birthdate)-((@month(@date)<@month(Birthdate))
 or (@month (@date) = @month(Birthdate) and @dom(@date)<@dom(Birthdate)))


I realize now (and didn't before) that if there were a date in one of the programmed layout elements, this would automatically trigger a "form change."

In any event, this does not seem to be the "problem" because even if a form has no dates on it (and therefore no progamming should be executed) the Last Update field is still modified.

It is, of course, possible that I'm overlooking something in the other programming, but as I said, I checked it twice, very thoroughly each time, and just can't see anything that would automatically change a form (except for the date codes as mentioned above).
  
- Spencer

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Bharat_Naik
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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #3 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 7:44pm
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It seems like your calculated age is overwriting the existing value in the Age.

Why don't you assign the calculated age to a variable and then conditionally update it only if it is needed?

var vAge as Int
vAge = (Your Code)

If Age <> vAge then
Age = vAge

See if this makes any difference.
  
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Ray the Reaper
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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #4 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 7:56pm
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Quote:
Code
Select All
if Birthdate <> ""

 Age = @year(@date)-@year(Birthdate)-((@month(@date)<@month(Birthdate))
 or (@month (@date) = @month(Birthdate) and @dom(@date)<@dom(Birthdate)))



Hello Spencer,


The "or (@month (@date) = @month(Birthdate) and @dom(@date)<@dom(Birthdate))) " line in your code isn't going to do anything. You should also use @IsBlank() instead of <> "" so

Code
Select All
If Not @IsBlank(Birthdate) Then


Do you have any unbound combo boxes on this form?

-Ray
  
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SpencerWulwick
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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #5 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 8:38pm
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Ray -

I've said it before and I'll say it again, you guys are GREAT!

I simply replaced:

Code
Select All
if Birthdate <> ""


with

Code
Select All
If Not @IsBlank(Birthdate) then


(I don't think the "then" is needed; however, it makes it clearer for me).

That, alone WOIKED!  I'm assuming that the <>"" was being ignored and, therefore, the programming was always being executed.

That makes me a bit curious though.  If the @isblank is preferred, then why isn't the <>"" simply eliminated from the programming?  Or ... is there an appropriate use of <>"" in preference to @isblank and, if so, could you tell me what criteria should be used to determine which command is chosen?

Also, you said that:

Quote:
The "or (@month (@date) = @month(Birthdate) and @dom(@date)<@dom(Birthdate))) " line in your code isn't going to do anything.


I thought that it was needed to not just consider the current year vs the birth year but also the month and day as well.  Now that I look at it though it seems that there would need to be a "then" portion of the statement (and perhaps an "else" portion, as well).  I know that in Q&A I used similar programming so that the age was accurate "to the day."   It would add a year to an existing age on the birthday only and not a day before. 

Can you suggest how to modify it to accomplish what I want (preferably along the same lines and not using SBasic)?

BY THE WAY, when I went back to my database (after reconciling the DSR file), it was correctly sorted!!!   Grin

You asked whether there were any command buttons but I wonder whether that is still important.  Yes, I have five or six and will be adding more.  The programming for them is executed "on entry" (clicking on the button).   Any special reason for asking (other than for a possible programming problem in one of those layout elements, that might have caused the form change)?

Bharat -

I appreciate your suggestion and it might well work; however, I did not try it.  Since Ray's suggestion made it much easier to change the programming statements (and there were six of them), I simply used it.  Thanks, very much, for helping though.  I appreciate all input and learning alternative ways of accomplishing the same goal.
  
- Spencer

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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #6 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 8:45pm
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Quote:
That makes me a bit curious though.  If the @isblank is preferred, then why isn't the <>"" simply eliminated from the programming?  Or ... is there an appropriate use of <>"" in preference to @isblank and, if so, could you tell me what criteria should be used to determine which command is chosen?


@IsBlank is type-safe. In Q&A, under the hood, everything is really a string (text). In Sesame, a date is a date, a number is a number, etc. Therefore, comparing a non-text value like a date to "" (a zero-length string) may not have the intended result. @IsBlank, however, works on any type of data.
  
- Hammer
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SpencerWulwick
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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #7 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 8:53pm
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Hi "Hammer"

I appreciate the feedback; however, since @isblank is fool-proof and <>"" is not .... I am wondering why it still exists and if there is any occasion when it would be better to use <>"" in preference to @isblank( ).  I have to assume that if it is still available (even though "flawed" so to speak) there must be a reason for continuing to make it available.

Wait a minute:  "Hammer", "Ohio",  "Position: Lanticans."  Are you by any chance Erika Yoxall?  If so, I am extremely eager to speak with you about the upcoming training you are planning.

So, if you are the "right person," I would very much appreciate your letting me know where to call you .. or, of course, you are welcome to call me at (813) 286-8498.
  
- Spencer

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Bharat_Naik
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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #8 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 9:00pm
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Quote:
I have to assume that if it is still available (even though "flawed" so to speak) there must be a reason for continuing to make it available.


I guess to make the programming in Sesame backwards compatible with Q&A.
  
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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #9 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 9:01pm
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Quote:
Wait a minute:  "Hammer", "Ohio",  Business - "Lanticans."  Are you by any chance Ericka Yoxall?  If so, I am extremely eager to speak with you about the upcoming training you are planning.


Yep, it's me. I'll be announcing the class schedules and accepting signups soon. If you have specific questions about the classes, my email address is erika@hammerdata.com.
  
- Hammer
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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #10 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 9:03pm
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Computer languages need to support consistent syntax, even where that syntax may not be the ideal. The construct <> (not equal) can have any legal expression on either side of the operator - much like a plus sign "+" can have any numeric on either side, even though using a plus while operating on a negative number results in a subtraction. In other words, we support it because it would be inconsistent not to.
  
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SpencerWulwick
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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #11 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 9:15pm
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Thanks "Cow" - undstood (I think)!  It seems to me, then, that I am perfectly safe (for Sesame programming purposes) in always "sticking with" @isblank() rather than <>"". 

Erika -  Great - I'm on my way to my e-mail program.
  
- Spencer

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Ray the Reaper
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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #12 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 9:22pm
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Spencer,

I think this is what you want.

 
Code 
Select All
If Not @IsBlank(BirthDate) Then
{
	If (@Month(BirthDate) < @Month(@Date)) Or ((@Month(BirthDate) = @Month(@Date)) And (@DOM(BirthDate) <= @DOM(@Date))) Then
	{
		Age = @Year(@Date) - @Year(BirthDate) + 1
	}
	Else
	{
		Age = @Year(@Date) - @Year(BirthDate)
	}
}


-Ray
  
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SpencerWulwick
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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #13 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 9:48pm
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Ray -

Something very interesting.  I went back to my Q&Answerman database and apparently I had originally gotten that programming (that I had been using) from a Q&A Technical Bulletin which, I guess, was issued by Symantec.  Apparently, it was "flawed" and subsequently updated in a "Technical Tip" which they also issued.

I also found the Symantic Technical Tip on calculating age that goes into more detail and is easier to understand.

I have not yet tried the programming you provided; however, it "sounds" very familiar, so I am hoping that that is the definitive code I was looking for.

I will make the change right away; however, it may be a while before I can do complex "testing" to validate it under all situations.  Once done, I'll provide feedback.

Geez!  You guys sure are keeping me busy.  I am enjoying Sesame so much (as I did Q&A) that I can't seem to tear myself away from it.   Smiley
  
- Spencer

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Re: On Form Change Programming
Reply #14 - Mar 4th, 2005 at 10:51pm
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For every rule there is an exception Spencer:
Don't always use @IsBlank. 

That only works for Layout Elements.

Still need to use <>"" for variables.
---------------------------------
From the supplement documentation, page 22:

@IsBlank(element)
Type: Miscellaneous
Parameters:Layout Element as ElementRef
Returns: Boolean
  


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