Code On Time: Designer

Monday, August 13, 2012Print Subscribe

Fields represent properties of business objects. These properties are reflecting physical columns of a data row or a computed value based on other columns.

A complete list of data controller fields can be seen by switching to the All Fields tab on the Home page of the Project Browser.

The Fields tab on a controller page will display all fields of that specific controller.

Clicking on the name of a field or the Open context menu option will display the details of the field.

The Sync context menu option will select the relevant node in the Project Explorer.

If the field is configured as a static item lookup, the items are specified under the Items tab on the Fields page.

Binding of fields to data controller views are called data fields. They can be accessed via the Data Fields tab.

Fields can be dragged to the views to create a binding (data field). When dropped on a form view, the data fields will be appended to the last category of the view. When dropped on any other type of view, the data field is created under the view node itself.

Fields names can be changed using the Rename context menu option in the Project Explorer. The Rename operation will also update all references to the field, including the alias in the command text.

Fields can be deleted using the Project Explorer context menu option Delete.

Fields can be quickly found by their property values using Navigate To window.

Labels: Designer, Web Application Generator

Monday, August 13, 2012Print Subscribe

Overview of Fields

When an application is generated from a database, field definitions are created to match the columns of a table. Additional fields can be automatically added to controllers by configuring a denormalization field map. Virtual fields can represent computed data.

Field Properties:

Property	Description
Activate If Blank	Specifies that the lookup will be activated when the value is blank.
Allow Last Entered Values	Specifies that the most recently entered value by the user will be the default value for the next record. Simplifies mass entry of records with values that are not expected to change frequently.
Allow Null Values	Specifies that the field can blank.
Allow Query-by-Example	Enables advanced filtering options for the field in grid views.
Allow Sorting	Enables sorting for the field in grid views.
Code Default	Specifies the default value that will be applied when the new record form is opened.
Code Formula	Specifies a formula written in the programming language of the project that will return a field value.
Code Value	Specifies a value that will be calculated every time the record is updated.
Context Fields	Specifies which fields, when changed, will cause calculated fields to be refreshed.
Controller	Specifies the controller the field belongs to.
Copy	Specifies a list of fields that will be copied from the selected lookup item.
Data Format String	Specifies the data format string for the value. Available strings are: Standard Numeric, Standard Date/Time, Custom Date/Time, HTML.
Data Text Field	Specifies the field that will be displayed to the end user.
Data Value Field	Specifies the field value that will be saved.
Defines the primary key.	Specifies if the field is the primary key. The client library uses the primary key to select, update, and delete data.
Dynamic Configuration	Specifies fields that can provide dynamic values for the field properties.
Edit Mask	Specifies an edit mask that will validate the entered field value.
Editor	Specifies the name of a custom editor.
Format On Client	When disabled, specifies that the server will format the field using the supplied data format string.
HTML Encoding	Specifies that the field value will be displayed in full. When disabled, HTML in the field will be rendered.
Items Data Controller	Specifies the controller that will be used to look up data.
Items Data View	Specifies the view of the controller that will be used to look up data.
Items Style	Specifies the style that will be used to display items.
Label	Specifies the label that will be displayed in the user interface.
Length	Specifies the length of the field.
Lookup Window Description	Specifies a description on the lookup window.
Mask Type	Specifies the type of edit mask to be used.
Name	Specifies the name of the field. If the field matches a physical column, the name of the field should match the name assigned in the command.
New Data View	Specifies the view that will be used when the New Record icon is selected. If blank, the icon will not be displayed.
On Demand Handler	Specifies a name for an automatically created handler that will retrieve the blob field.
On Demand Style	Specifies the method used to display the blob field. Available options are thumbnail and link.
Page Size	Specifies the number of items displayed in the lookup view.
Read Roles	Specifies which roles are permitted to view the field.
Search by First Letter	When enabled, displays quick first letter filters at the top of the lookup view.
Search on Start	Specifies that the lookup view will have advanced search bar open by default.
Server Default	Specifies the default value that will be applied when the record is saved.
Show In Summary	Specifies that the field will be displayed in the summary when a record is selected.
Source Fields	Specifies primary key fields that uniquely identify the source record.
SQL Formula	Specifies a formula computed on the server that will return the field value.
The value of the field is calculated by a business rule expression.	Specifies that the the field value is produced by a business rule method. Context fields must be specified to cause the calculation.
The value of this field is computed at run-time by SQL expression.	Specifies that the field is not physically present in the table.
The field is included in all data views but remains hidden from users.	Specifies that the field is hidden in the user interface.
Type	Specifies the data type of the field.
Value is retrieved on demand	Specifies that the field requires special handling.
Values of this field cannot be edited	Specifies that the field is read-only.
Write Roles	Specifies which roles are permitted to edit the field.

Learn how to work with fields in the Project Designer.

Learn to drag and drop categories in the Project Explorer.

Common Tasks:

Task	Description
Read-Only Data Access	Learn how to restrict access to fields by roles.
Implicit Filters with Dynamic Access Control Rules	Learn how to filter lookup items based on values in the record.
Creating a New Many-to-Many Field	Learn how to configure a many-to-many field.
Multiple Value Field	Learn how to configure a static multiple value field.