xlr8 developeruser guide · 2016-12-13 · 1. locate local.xlr8forms in the xlr8 navigator view. a....

Copyright © 2006-2009, U2logic, Inc. All Rights Reserved

A PUBLICATION

Installation Guide

Developer XLr8

Copyright ©2007-2009, U2logic, Inc. All Rights Reserved Page 1

© 2006-2009, U2logic, Inc.

XLr8 Developer Users Guide Wendy Reed Version 1.1 Updated October 23, 2009 Printed in the United States of America U2logic, 13963 Powhaton Road, Brighton, CO 80603 All rights reserved. This product and its documentation are protected by copyright and are distributed with licensed copies of the respective software system. This document and the confidential information contained within it may in no part be distributed, reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or means without the express written permission of U2logic, Inc. U2logic is not responsible for errors or omissions in this guide. U2logic reserves the right to change the information described herein at any time without notification.


I. Introduction

XLr8 Developer is a web-forms development tool for UniData or Universe databases. Built from open source technologies, U2Weblink™ middleware provides the access path between UniData or Universe databases and web applications. U2Webink™ uses the same open source technologies as those found in Yahoo™. XLr8 Developer runs in most web browsers, including Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome. XLr8 Developer uses the Object Oriented Programming (OOP) model to develop browser-based applications for the U2 environment. An XLr8 application consists of a collection of business objects and forms. The XLr8 business object connects with U2Weblink and UniObjects to give you access to data and dictionary items, while an XLr8 form provides the user interface.


II. XLr8 Business Objects An XLr8 Business Object gives you access between the database and a form. You set properties on an object to tell it the data file and dictionary (for non-string objects). You also set properties for the data fields or strings to a collection of properties that you want to use in a form. After creating a business object, you can create a form using the object. In the form, you add controls to the form and assign one of the properties in the collection on the object to each control. In the object, you add properties to each property in the collection and those properties default to the properties on the control.

1. Create XLr8 Business Object

1. Locate LOCAL.XLr8Objects in the Project Explorer view.


2. Slide down the tree until you find LOCAL.XLr8Objects.

3. Right click on XLr8Objects and click on XLr8 – Create New U2 item...


Figure 1 - Create New Item

4. Complete the Create New Item Wizard.

5. Refresh the node.


6. Scroll down to find the new object. Double click to bring it to the main window.


2. Define XLr8 Business Object To define an XLr8 object, you set properties on the object to state the data and dictionary files, the object you want to inherit, and the program you want to run from the form at runtime. You also define a collection of properties to indicate each field, string, or I-descriptor property type that you want to use on the form. Use fields to write data to the database from forms. Use strings to gather report parameters or hold calculations. Use I-descriptors to access derived data to use for calculations, displays, or for holding other information. Applications created from XLr8 Developer write only to properties that are field type.

Object Name The system displays the name of the object. Description Enter a description of the object to appear on the XLr8 Help form. When users click the question mark

icon on the associated web form, they will see the text you enter. Data File Name Choose the data file name from the drop-down list that you want to access in the form. Leave the entry

blank if you will use only strings on the form, such as for reports. Dictionary File Choose the dictionary file name that you want to access from the drop-down list. Name Leave the entry blank if you will use only strings on the form, such as for reports. If you enter a data file

name, you must also enter a dictionary file name. Inherit From

Choose XLr8Base.xobj from the drop-down list. XLr8Base.xobj gives you the XLr8 foundation for your object.

Program Name

Enter the program name you want to run from a form using the object.

Created By The system displays the logon name of the person who created the object.


Created On The system displays the date the object was created.

Last Updated The system displays the last date someone updated the object.

3. Click on the New Property button to add a new property. The XLr8 Property Wizard guides you through the

property entries.

Entry Information

Property Name Enter a name for the property without spaces. If you are entering a property for the record Id, enter

IdCode as the property name, no space allowed. This is a required entry.


Type Choose the property type from the drop-down list. Use field or multi-valued field types to access a field in

the data file with read / write privileges. Use string or multi-valued string field types to gather information from a form, such as for report parameters, or other calculations with no read / write privileges. Use the I-descriptor field type to access derived data or for other calculations, with no write privileges.

Dictionary Name Choose the dictionary item of the field you want to access if the type is a field, string, or an I-descriptor. If

you are entering a property for the record Id, choose @ID as the dictionary item. The system deactivates the dictionary name entry on string types.

Default Entries The remaining entries are default values for the Key Properties wizards you can optionally use while

adding controls to the form. If you choose to use the wizards, your entries made below will appear as the values in the wizards. You can override your entries in the form properties. If you will not use the wizards, you can leave the entries blank, as the system will not use them.

Default Value This version of XLr8 does not use this value. Default Prompt Enter the prompt name to appear in the Key Properties wizard while creating the form, or leave the entry

blank. Default UI Control Choose the default UI control to appear in the Key Properties wizard while creating the form, or leave the

entry blank. Req. If you choose to use the Key Properties wizard adding controls to the form, check the checkbox if the

property is a required entry, otherwise leave the entry blank. Your entry appears in the Key Properties wizard.

Default Help Text The Default Help Text is an exception to the Key Properties wizard use. Enter the text you want users to

see when they hover over a field or click on the question mark for full help text. Unlike other object properties, the default help text does not appear in the form properties and you need to make subsequent changes on the object, not the form. To have the text appear on the web, compile the form, done by saving the form after you have made a change to the form.

Button Information

Click on Finish to create the property.

Click cancel to cancel the property addition.


The added properties display in the collection of properties in the lower portion of the object view. Click in a cell if you need to modify it and the choices you can make per cell display in a drop-down list. Click in a cell of a row that you want to delete and press the delete key to remove the property from the collection.

Figure 2 - XLr8 Object Editor

4. Save Changes.

If you have made changes to the object, XLr8 places an asterisk before the object's name in its tab.

or


III. XLr8 Forms XLr8 forms consist of controls and properties. Everything placed on a form is a control, such as data entry fields, checkboxes, drop down list boxes. Most controls are visible to the user, but you can hide controls to use to gather information that you want to use to calculate the value of other controls. Each visible control has a label to tell the user what to enter, such as Name, Address, or City. Traditionally, the label is also a control. XLr8 re-defines each label from being a control to being a property of a control. Properties of a control are the characteristics of the control. Properties identify characteristics such as the name of the control, the type of control (data entry, drop-down, checkbox, etc.), whether entry is required, how to validate an entry, prompt-level help text, and others.

1. Create Form 1. Locate LOCAL.XLr8Forms in the XLr8 Navigator view.

a. Double click on the server where XLr8 Developer resides.

b. Double click on the account you want to use for the application, or click on the plus sign to open the folder.

c. Double click on Directory Files, or click on the plus sign, to open the folder.

2. Open New Item Wizard

a. Right click on XLr8Forms. b. Click on XLr8 Environment and Tools. c. Click on New Item.

Figure 3 - LOCAL.XLr8Forms

Figure 4 - New Item


2. Create Form with New Item Wizard

1. Choose the server from the drop-down list where XLr8 Developer, Eclipse and the data reside. The drop-down

list contains the registered servers. 2. Choose the account from the drop-down list that contains your data. The drop-down list contains the registered

accounts. 3. Choose LOCAL.XLr8Forms as the File Name. The Developer finds only the forms located in LOCAL.XLr8Forms. 4. Enter the name of your form with no spaces or special characters. Enter "xlr8" as the extension. 5. Click on Finish to complete the wizard.

Figure 5 - Create New Item Wizard


3. Open the Form

1. To open a form, locate it under LOCAL.XLr8Forms in the Navigator view, and double-click on it.

a. Double-click on the server name where the form resides, or click on the plus sign (+). b. Double-click on the account where the form resides, or click on the plus sign (+). c. Double-click on Directory Files, or click on the plus sign (+). d. Double-click on LOCAL.XLr8Forms, or click on the plus sign (+). e. Double-click on the form you want to open.

Figure 6 - Open Form

If the form you want is on the system but does not display in the folder tree, you may need to refresh the folder tree. To do so, find the folder node, or parent folder, in the tree, LOCAL XLr8Forms in the example. Right click on the node, then left-click on XLr8 Environment and Tools � Refresh Node. The system regenerates the forms list for the parent node you chose.

Figure 7 - Open Form


4. Form Setup After selecting the form, the system displays the form designer. The form design consists of two tabs, Setup and LineUp. The Setup tab contains information about the form itself, while the LineUp tab contains the controls and their properties that you want on the form.

Figure 8 - Setup Tab

Form Name The system displays the name of the form as was entered in the Create New Item Wizard. Form Type Choose from the drop-down list whether you want to create a data entry form, a report viewable from the user's

queue, or a report viewable at runtime. Output Type Select HTML from the drop-down list to access the form in a browser. Module Name - Deprecated Select XLr8 Objects from the drop-down list. Object Name Choose the object containing the properties you want to use in the form from the drop-down list.


Form Title Enter the title you want to appear on the form. Focus In Enter the object property name that you want to have focus when the user initially enters the form. Focus After Enter the object property name that you want to have focus when the form displays either a new or an existing

record. Style Sheet Name - Deprecated Accept XLr8.css as the cascading style sheet, or enter the name of your custom cascading style sheet. Java Script Name Accept i_U2logic.js as the JavaScript file name. The i_U2logic.js file contains the functions XLr8 needs to serve

the form correctly. If you want to use a different file, make a copy of i_U2logic.js, modify the copy as needed, and enter the copy file name as the Java Script Name.

New Button Enter the location where the system can find the next available Id number for the record. Variants are:

$NEXTNO

The system uses the $NEXTNO item in the dictionary of the object. Example: $NEXTNO

FN,Id,Pos or D_FN,Id,Pos

The system uses the data (FN) or dictionary file name (D_FN), record Id (Id), and the dictionary position (Pos) that you specify. Examples: CUSTOMERS,NEW,1 First attribute of the record NEW in the CUSTOMER file.

D_CUSTOMERS,NEW,1 First attribute of the record NEW in the dictionary of the CUSTOMER file.

About Tabbed Forms Use tabbed forms to split up a lengthy form, or to group tightly related forms together. Each tab represents a form that becomes visible when the user clicks on its tab. Figure 30 shows tabs Master, Log Work, and Attachments with the form for the Master tab active. You can link the Id to the forms so that the user enters an Id on the first form and the system stays on that record as the user traverses the tabs. Below, the user enters an Issue No on the first form, Master, and then the user can access different portions of the same Issue record on the other linked forms.

Figure 9 - Tabbed Forms


Active Tab In a tabbed form, enter the position number where you want the tab for the form to display. Position numbers

are from left to right, starting with zero. The form in position zero is the master form. The master form can automate some entries to other linked tabbed forms. The master form is the initial active form when a user accesses the set of forms. The active tab numbers in Figure 9 are zero (0) for Master, 1 for Log Work, and 2 for Attachments. Leave the entry blank if the form is not a tabbed form.

Tabbed Linked Id Check the checkbox to link the form to the other tabbed forms in the set by Id. The linked Id keeps the user on

the same record as he or she traverses the other tabs that have the linked Id checked. The system places a save changes button on the forms with the linked Id checked that requires the user to save the record or discard changes before leaving the form. All of the forms in Figure 30 have the tabbed linked Id box checked allowing the user to keep the same Issue No active. Leave the entry blank if the form is not a tabbed form or you do not want to use the same record in another tab.

Tab Name In a master form (active tab set to zero), enter the text you want displayed on the tab for each linked form in

active tab number order, separated by semi-colons. The tab name entry in Figure 30 on the Master form is Master;Log Work;Attachments (0, 1, 2 active tab number order). Leave the entry blank if the form is not a master form.

JScript Tabs In a master form (active tab set to zero), enter a JavaScript tab name without spaces for each of the linked

tabbed forms in active tab number order, separated by semi-colons. The JScript tab name is an internal variable for JavaScript to use to create the form. You can use the same names as the tab names leaving out any spaces. The tab name entry in Figure 30 on the Master form is Master;Work;Attachments (0, 1, 2 active tab number order). Leave the entry blank if the form is not a master form.

Tab Programs In a master form (active tab set to zero), enter tab program names in the format of <ProgramName>.html for

each of the linked tabbed forms in active tab number order, separated by semi-colons. The program name is case sensitive. The tab programs entry for Figure 30 is: Master.html;Work.html;Attachments.html. Leave the entry blank if the form is not a master form.

JTab Custom In a master form (active tab set to zero), enter custom JavaScript file names in the format of

<JavaScriptName>.js for each of the linked tabbed forms in active tab number order, separated by semi-colons. The script name is case sensitive. XLr8 appends the web page address with the JavaScript return value, such as ?action=ReadData&IdCode=01. If you do not have custom scripts for all tabs, enter a semi-colon to advance to the next position. The entry for custom scripts for the second and third tabs would be: ;<ScriptName>;<ScriptName>;;. Leave the entry blank if the form is not a master form.

Last Update The system displays the date of the last update made to the form. Display Column Click in the checkbox to have every other column be a display-only column. You can use display columns for

passing strings between the form and JavaScript. Grid Type Choose DHTMLx grid type from the drop-down list.


Tab Sequence Choose from the drop-down list whether you want the cursor to advance across or down the form when the

user enters a tab to exit a field, or, choose manual to number the tab sequence manually. Audit Check the checkbox to have XLr8 auditing performed on the form when you turn on auditing in the company

record. With auditing enabled, XLr8 captures the images of the data before and after writes, and before deletes. You can turn off auditing system wide in the XLr8 Release record.

Security Check the checkbox to have security checks made on the form. Security options are on user profiles and on

the company record. Allow Deletes Check the checkbox to permit the user to delete records while using the form. Company Check Check the checkbox to have the application verify that the user's logon company matches that of the data

requested. Leave the entry blank if you do not have multiple companies. Open Internal Tabs Check the checkbox if you want all internal tabs displayed at once when the user enters the form. Leave the

checkbox blank if you want the user to navigate tab by tab on the form. JS Custom Id Enter the name of your custom JavaScript name that you want to use in place of XLr8Custom.js. You would

create custom JavaScript code if you want the form do something outside of normal read and writes. JS Package Id Enter the name of your custom JavaScript name that you want to use in place of XLr8Package.js. JS Global Id Enter the name of your custom JavaScript name that you want to use in place of XLr8Global.js. Tab Linked Name In a linked tabbed form, enter the master form (active tab set to zero) name, in the format of <FormName>.xlr8.

The name is case sensitive. The system updates the Tab Name, JScript Tabs, Tab Programs, and JTabCustom entries for you from the entries on the form that you enter. Leave the entry blank if the form is not a tab linked form or is a master form.

Max Columns The system displays the number of columns on the form. Max Multi Columns The system displays the number of columns in the grid with the most columns. The system displays zero if no

grids are on the form. Max Rows The system displays the highest number of rows not in a grid. No of Grids The system displays the number of grids on the form. Clone Button Check the checkbox to add a clone button to the form. The clone button allows the user to copy the current

active record to a new one. No Save Button Check the checkbox to prevent the user to save a record on an entry form. No Clear Button


Check the checkbox to change the Clear Form button to a Close button. Popup Close Check the checkbox to add a Close button to the form. JS Form Action Enter the JavaScript function name you want triggered when the user clicks on the button you name in the

Submit Button Name field. Submit Button Name Enter the name of the button you want to trigger the function entered in the Js Form Action field. Linked Object Enter the name of the object for a secondary file you want to access in the form. The primary and linked

objects must have the same Id and the primary object must have string placeholders for each field you want to access from the linked object.

The save diskette icon is active If you have made changes, allowing you to save your changes. Upon saving a form, the system saves the form definition and creates the html code. See the Save Form section for help on saving a form.

5. Form Lineup

The XLr8 Developer philosophy is based on columns and rows. In the form Lineup, you add fields, or controls, to the form in columns and rows. The result is much like the grid you would see in a spreadsheet. Because XLr8 Developer forms are preset in a grid format, you do not need lineup functions such as 'snap to grid' or 'align top', and so on. Controls are anything you add to the form. Examples of controls include text prompts, checkbox prompts, buttons, display fields, hidden fields and more. Each control has a set of properties that tell XLr8 the type of control, how to validate an entry, what to do with the input, and where to put the result.

5.1 XLr8 Toolbar

The XLr8 toolbar contains the functions to add columns and rows, delete columns and rows, and delete regions. Using the XLr8 toolbar, you can change control types on the fly and XLr8 will refresh the list of properties in the properties view with the respective set. Additionally, the XLr8 toolbar allows you to swap positions of a control with another. The options on the XLr8 toolbar are also available on the XLr8 menu.

Figure 10 - XLr8 Toolbar

From left to right, the icons take the following actions: 1. Insert a row above the current row. Click on a control in the row below where you want to insert a new row and click the icon. 2. Insert a row below the current row. Click on a control in the row above where you want to insert a new row and click the icon. 3. Delete the current row. Click on a control in the row that you want to delete and click on the icon. 4. Insert a column to the left of the current column. Click on a control in the column to the right of where you want to insert a new column and click the icon. 5. Insert a column to the right of the current column. Click on a control in the column to the left of where you want to insert a new column and click the icon. 6. Delete the current column. Click on a control in the column you want to delete and click the icon.


7. Swap two cell positions. Click on the first control you want to swap. Click the icon. Click on the second control you want to swap. Click the icon. The two controls will trade positions. 8. Set the current control to alpha display. Text you enter will display on the web form. 9. Set the current control to a button. You can specify action to take when a user clicks the button on the form. 10. Set the current control to a checkbox. You can choose whether the control should default as checked. 11. Set the current control to a display field on the form. 12. Set the current control to a drop-down list. You can create selection criteria to populate the drop-down list.


13. Set the control to "none". You can use the none control as a spacer to skip a cell in the rows and columns. 14. Set the current control to a radio control on the form. You can convert radio controls to a drop-down list in the

properties. 15. Set the current control to a text field on the form. Text fields are text allow for one text line entry. 16. Set the current control to a text area field on the form. Text areas allow for multiple line entries. Text areas

can have scroll bars. 17. Set the current cell to a hidden field on the form. User hidden fields to hold data that you do not want the

user but need for things such as calculations on the form. 18. Delete the region of the current control. This will delete everything in the Main section if a cell in the Main

area is current, or in the Grids section if a cell in the Grids area is current.

5.2 Change Control Type

The Eclipse environment uses views to present different ways to view a project. Two views recommended for use in XLr8 Developer are Outline and Properties. If you have not opened them yet, see the Object section for instructions if

needed, and open the views. Figure 11 shows the LineUp tab of a new form with the Outline view. The Outline displays a tree-like view of the controls on the form. You can click on any control in the view to advance to that control in the LineUp tab.

Figure 11 - New Form with Outline View

The LineUp tab shows the controls added to the form. Xlr8 Designer has two regions, Main and Grids. The Main region is for single-valued data elements while the Grids region is for multi-valued data elements. XLr8 Developer places a 'None' control in each region. This allows you to get started with adding controls to your form. You can change the 'None' control to another control type and insert rows or columns to add additional controls to the form. Note that the Outline view shows the cell coordinates beside the control: (1,1) means the first row, first column. The view shows the property name beside the associated icon.


Each control on the form has a set of properties displayed on the Properties view as you click on a control. If you change the control type, the set of properties change accordingly. XLr8 Developer places one 'None' control in each region. To start creating a form, you would click on the 'None' control in the Main region and change it to the desired control type. The associated properties in the Properties view change according to the control type after you press the tab key to move out of the Entry Type field. To illustrate,

Figure 12 shows the 'None' control changed to a text field called Credit Type in the Main region and the respective properties in the Properties view. Note that the Entry Type in the Properties view is Text.

Figure 12 - Change 'None' Control to Data Control

You can change control types on the fly by either clicking on the control in LineUp or selecting the control type from the XLr8 toolbar, or you can change the Entry Type property in the Properties view. In either case, the respective properties will change when you use the toolbar, or choose an Entry Type and tab out of the field in the Properties view.


5.2 Add a Control

To add a new control to a form, you need to either add a row or add a column. To add a row, click on a control that is either above or below the position where you want the new row. Click the insert above or before icons from the toolbar and the system inserts a new row. To add a column, click on a control that is either right or left of the position where you want the new column. Click the insert to the left or right icons to add the column. The above example has a text control for an Id. To add a control for a description below the Id, you would click on the Id control, and click on the insert row below icon. The system places a 'None' control under the Id. You can use the XLr8 toolbar to change the control type, or you can change the Entry Type property in the Properties view. After you click on the new entry type icon on the XLr8 toolbar or changing the entry type directly in the Properties view and tab off the field, the system changes the property set in the Properties view. Note that controls can only use the data elements that are on the object, and you must add all of the data elements on the object to the form. If you have an undesired data element on the object, you need to delete it from the object before you can successfully compile the form.

Figure 13 - Highlight Row to Insert After

Figure 14 - Insert Row

Figure 15 - New Row Inserted


5.3 Properties

Properties give the controls meaning. XLr8 builds the HTML code largely from the properties of each control. In the properties, you can identify the data element to use in the control, determine the valid user entries, start events, determine what to do with the result and the like. The properties vary from control to control. Each group of properties has an identifier and they are described below in the order of the identifier. There are two ways you can enter properties. You can use the XLr8 property wizard that prompts you for all properties applicable to the control you are adding, or you can enter them directly in the Properties view. Required properties have an asterisk to the left of their name. If you enter the properties directly in the view, be aware of the required entries. The properties view shows the applicable properties for the control type highlighted in the form LineUp tab. Properties are grouped by category, i.e., group A01 contains the properties relative to the Id of the control you are

adding to the form. Not all properties categories appear in the property view in Figure 16, but rather it is the set of properties for the Id on the form. All properties are described below in category order. You can toggle the category headings to display or not.

Figure 16 - Properties for IdCode Control


A01 - ID Name

The system displays the field and the object property name. Property Name

Choose the object property from the drop-down list that you want to use in the current field. Entry Type

Choose the entry type from the drop-down list, such as text, drop-down, or checkbox. Alternatively, you can click on the field in LineUp and click on the entry type icon from the XLr8 toolbar. The properties available for the field may change depending upon your choice.

B01 - Alpha Display Text Prompt

Enter name to display for the prompt on the form. You can leave the entry blank. Alpha Display Text

Enter the display text that you want displayed on the form. Users cannot change the text you enter.

B02 - Button Prompt

Enter the text you want displayed on the button. Image URL Enter the URL of an image to display the image as a button.

OnClickEvent Enter a JavaScript function or function call that you want done when the user clicks on the button.

B03 - CheckBox Prompt

Enter the prompt name. Default Checked

Choose true from the drop-down list to have the checkbox checked when the user accesses the form; otherwise, choose false.

B04 - Display Prompt

Enter a label to display beside the value on the form.

Display Color Enter an RGB number in the format of RGB {R, G, B}, or click on '…' to choose a color to display the value in color.

Display Bold

Choose true from the drop-down list to display the prompt in bold print; otherwise, choose false. Default Value

Enter the default value for this display item. Enter a value with double quotes unless you enter a JavaScript function.

B05 - DropDown Prompt

Enter prompt name. Select Statement

Enter the U2 select statement that will provide the values for the drop-down list. Surround your statement with double quotes. Single quotes will cause your application to fail.

Field Position Enter the field position to use for the select statement that will populate the drop-down list. For example, to create a drop-down list of descriptions that are in field position 2, you would enter the number 2.

Conversion Code Enter the UniBasic conversion string needed to convert the selection results for the drop-down list. Leave the entry blank if the values do not need a conversion.

Additional Value Enter “0” to add Pick-A-Value to the drop-down list.


Auto Complete

Choose true from the drop-down list to display a text box that shows values as the user types instead of displaying a drop-down list; otherwise choose false.

Allow Multiple Select Choose true to allow the use to choose multiple values in a drop-down list; otherwise, choose false.

Height Enter the number or rows to display if the field is a drop-down list. If the field is in a grid, enter the width of the column heading in pixels.

Default Value Enter the default value you want displayed for non-display fields. Enter “`~” to use Pick-A-Value as the default value. The entry to have Pick-A-Value as the default value is: double quote, grave accent, tilde, double quote.

B06 - Radio Prompt

Enter the prompt name. Radio Codes

Enter a code for each radio button choice separated by commas, in the same order as descriptions. Radio Descs

Enter a description for each radio button separated by commas, in the same order as radio codes.

Radio Default Enter which radio button you want selected when the user initially enters the form. Enter 1 for true, and 0 (zero) for false.

Radio Convert Choose true from the drop-down list to convert the radio buttons to a drop-down list; otherwise, choose false.

B08 - Text Prompt

Enter the prompt name to display on the form. Width

Enter the number of pixels wide to display for the entry. Max Length

Enter the maximum number of characters you want the user to be able to enter. Leave the entry blank for an unlimited length.

Validation Type The validation types allow you to control the type and format of data that the user can enter in the field in a text field. For example, you can ensure that an entry is a date, an email address, a number with decimal control and more. You enter a validation type and any respective options in a popup wizard. When you complete your entries in the wizard, XLr8 populates the Validation Type and Validation Options as needed. To access the wizard, click on either the Validation Type or Validation Options fields, then click on the ellipsis button.

Figure 17 - Validation Type Entry


The Select Validation Type wizard lists the text validation types on the left and the validation options for the selected type on the right. As you choose a type, the options change according to the text type. If a validation type does not take any validation options, a message displays that the type has no configurable options.

Figure 18 - Validation Type Wizard, Date Type Selected

The first step in the wizard is to choose the validation type. The type is the kind of text you want the user to enter. If the type you choose has associated options, those options display in the right section. Not all types have options. Type Description

Date Validate the entry is a date. There are no validation options. Email Validate the email address is in the correct format. There are no validation options. Number Validate the entry is a number.

Figure 19 - Number Validation Options

Decimal Places Enter the number of decimal places allowed in the field. Allow Negatives Check the checkbox if you want to allow negative entries. No Focus Check the checkbox if you want to display a warning but let the user continue working on the form. Uncheck the checkbox to keep the

user in the field until he or she makes a correct entry.


Convert Option Enter 'Days' (in SINGLE quotes) to allow the user to enter the number of years or the number of months followed by Y or M (upper or lower case allowed) and the system will calculate number of days. The system multiples years by 365 and months by 30, e.g. 2y = 730 days, an months by 30, e.g. 2m = 60 days. Enter 'DecQtr' (in SINGLE quotes) to restrict decimal places to a

quarter of a percentage, e.g. .00, .25, .50, or .75. Valid entries can be any number to the left of the decimal, but the decimal places can only be a quarter of a point.

Password HTML encrypts the user's entry. Exist Validate the entry exists in the file.

Figure 20 - Exist Validation Options

File Name Choose the file you want to compare the user's entry to from the drop-down list. The user's entry must exist in the file to be valid.

Readfield Use to return data from another file.

Figure 21 - Readfield Validation Options

File Name Enter the file name you want to read. Field Pos of Description

Enter the field number you want to return. Convert Expression Enter a U2 conversion expression if needed. Return Desc To Object Enter the name of the property on the object you want the receive the value returned.


Writefield Use to write data to another file.

Figure 22 - Writefield Validation Options

File Name Enter the file name where you want to write. Id Field Enter the property name (field on your object) that is the Id to the file where you want to write. Field Pos Enter the field position on the file where you want to write. Field Value Enter the property name on your object containing the value you want to write.

ReportColor Choose report color to display a color chart where the user can choose a color for the field on reports. Time Validate that the entry is in the format: of hh:mm:ss. Range Validate that the entry falls within a range of numbers or letters.

Figure 23 - Range Validation Options

Start of Range: Enter the beginning alpha or numeric value that the user can enter. End of Range: Enter the ending alpha or numeric value that the user can enter. No Focus: Check the checkbox if you want to display a warning but let the user continue working on the form. Uncheck the checkbox to keep the user in the field until he or she makes a correct entry. UpCase Forces the entry to be in uppercase.

Validation Options

The same validation entry wizard available in Validation Type is available in Validation Options. Please see Validation Type.

TabIndex Enter a sequential number of the order in which a user will advance through the form when using the tab key. Leave the entry blank to use the XLr8 default of column-by-column, left to right. When you click on the Tab Index in the Setup tab, the system orders the field by the Tab Sequence you chose (Down or Across) and updates the TabIndex entry.

Key Validation If the field is an Id or a portion of an Id, choose the appropriate part of the Id for the field: whole record Id, the first through fourth part of the Id. Make no choice if the field is not an Id. You must have an Id field or all of the fields that together make up the whole Id on the form for entry forms to work.


Key Validation Options Enter the character you use as a separator for multi-part keys. If you make no entry, and you have multi-part keys, XLr8 will use an asterisk. Make no entry if you will not use a multi-part key for the form.

Required Choose true from the drop-down list if the field is a required entry; otherwise, choose false.

Read Only Flag Choose true from the drop-down list to allow a user to view the entry but not change it; otherwise, choose false.

Notify when changed By default, XLr8 will notify the user when each field is changed and the record is not saved. Choose true

to keep the default; otherwise choose false. Default Value

Enter the JavaScript routine to determine the default value, or enter a string value enclosed in double quotes.

Lookup File Choose the lookup item created in LOCAL.XLr8Lookups for the field that will give the user a cross-reference list of existing valid records.

C01 - Entry Info Title

Title is for bubble help; however, XLr8 uses the default help text on the object as the bubble help. Td Align

Choose from the drop-down list whether you want the value left justified, centered, or right justified. Td Vertical Align

Choose from the drop-down list whether you want the value aligned from the baseline, bottom, middle, or top of the field.

TD Column span Enter the number of columns you want the field to span on the form; the default is one.

TD Row span Enter the number of rows you want the field to span on the form; the default is one.

D01 - First Column Only Properties You can group fields together and gain real estate on your form by using internal tabs. Internal tabs allow you

to put more fields on a form than would fit otherwise. The tabs appear between regular fields and grids. The user clicks on the tabs to reveal the additional fields.

To set up internal tabs, assign an internal tab name to the first field in a row. All fields in the row will then be included on that tab. You may need to move fields around to accommodate which fields you want on a tab. When you assign internal tab names to rows, assign them in order. If you want a Contacts tab, a Credit tab and a Tasks tab, you might assign Contacts to rows 5-8, and Credit to rows 9-11, and Tasks to rows 12-15. You cannot assign rows out of order, such as Contacts to rows 5-6, Credit to rows 7-8, Contacts to rows 9-12, Tasks to rows 13-14, and Credit to row 15.

Internal Tab

Enter the name of the internal tab where you want the field to reside. All fields in the row will reside on the internal tab.

Internal JavaScriptTab Enter a variable name without spaces for the internal tab that JavaScript can use.

Internal ActiveTab Enter true if you want the tab to be the default tab when the user enters the form; otherwise choose false.

Internal Grid Link

Choose a grid number from the drop-down to tie the internal grid to a specific multi-valued tab.


D02 - Grid First Column Only Properties Enter the following grid properties only on the first column of each grid. The first column is the controlling column. Grid Sort

Choose from the drop-down list whether you want to allow the user to sort the column in Ascending or Descending order or none.

Grid Allow Append Enter true if you want to have an icon that allows the user to append to the grid.

Grid Allow Insert Choose true from the drop-down list to allow the user to insert rows into the grid; otherwise choose false.

Grid Allow Delete Choose true from the drop-down list to allow the user to delete rows from the grid; otherwise, choose false.

Grid Tab Text Enter the name of the grid that you want to appear on the tab for the grid.

Grid JavaScript Tabs

Choose from the drop down list the name of the grid. Grid ActiveTab

Choose true from the drop-down list if the grid is the active tab; otherwise, choose false. G01 - Events

OnClick Add any JavaScript function you would like to use for button and images types only. OnFocus Add any JavaScript function you would like to trigger on this event. OnChange Add any JavaScript function you would like to trigger on this event. OnBlur Add any JavaScript function you would like to trigger on this event.


5.4 Save Form

If you have made changes to the form, XLr8 places an asterisk before the form's name in the tab.

Figure 24 - Asterisk Prefix

The system also enables the diskette button that you use to save a form. To save a modified form, click on the diskette icon, located in the icon bar below the menu. Alternatively, you can click on File � Save.

Figure 25 - Save Form from Icon Bar

Figure 26 - Save Changes from Menu

Figure 27 - Save Changes Dialog Box

If you exit a form that without saving changes, the system displays a message indicating you have made changes to the form and asks whether you want to save the form. Click the Yes button to save the form, click the No button to disregard any changes, or click the Cancel button to return to the form.

xlr8 developeruser guide · 2016-12-13 · 1. locate local.xlr8forms in the xlr8 navigator view. a....

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