This tutorial's goal is to introduce
the ability to jump from one database's form to a form in another
database as a
new feature in HanDBase Forms version 4.0.This feature's main function is to allow for more complex
database
designs by allowing databases to be interrelated via forms in the edit
view. This tutorial uses related database which utilize the Link and Linked field relationship.In this tutorial, the necessary
steps to configure HanDBase Forms on the handheld device to take
advantage of
this new feature will be detailed.Then,
the results of properly configuring a set of database's forms will be
examined.Finally, additional resources
will be provided should any further information be needed.
To take advantage of the ability to
jump to and from forms, HanDBase and HanDBase Forms version 4 first
needs to be
configured on the handheld device.The
first step in doing so is to launch HanDBase in the manner most
appropriate for
the particular model of handheld being used.Once running, the steps in configuring are:
Step #1:
Once HanDBase is opened, the first step is to create a database on the handheld device or select an existing database with similar field types.
Database Name=Roster
Field 1 - Name=Name, Type=Text
Field 2 - Name=Gender, Type=Popup
Field 3 - Name=Grade Level, Type=Popup
Field 4 - Name=Schedule, Type=Link
The properties of the Schedule field will need to be left blank for now, until the Schedule database has been created.
Step #2:
Once a database is set up with the necessary fields, the next step is to associate a form with it to be used in edit view.
a)To
do this, with the database selected, select the
"details" option in the lower right of the screen.
b)In
the resulting dialog, choose the "forms" option
on the right side of the wheel.
c)The
next action to occur will be an automatic transfer into
the HanDBase Forms program.
d)Select
"new" to create a form for the
database.
e)The
next window that is visible provides the opportunity to
define the initial parameters of the form, such as the background
color, types
of buttons, etc.Once finished with this
task, select the "ok" button to move to the editing window of the
Forms program.
f)In
this window, various UI (user interface) controls such as
text fields, buttons and checkboxes are able to be defined, associated
with a
field in the database and placed graphically on the screen.
Step #3:
As seen in the screenshots below, UI
elements of labels can been created and placed on the form to
correspond to the
field names in the database.
a)To
do this, press the [New] button and choose options for
the popup list.
b)Next,
a text field has been created for the "Name"
field and positioned next to the "Name" label.
c)Popup
items were also created for the "Gender" and
"Grade Level" fields and placed near their respective labels.See the screenshots below for an illustration
of this.
Step #4:
Once the form is created for the
"Roster" database, it will later be linked it to a second database
titled "Schedule".In
HanDBase, create the "Schedule" database with the following field
structure:
Database Name=Schedule
Field 1 - Name=Name, Type=Linked, Other Database Name=Roster, Other Field Name=Schedule
Field 2 - Name=Course_1, Type=Popup
Field 3 - Name=Course_2, Type=Popup
Field 4 - Name=Course_3, Type=Popup
Field 5 - Name=Course_4, Type=Popup
Field 6 - Name=Course_5, Type=Popup
Field 7 - Name=Course_6, Type=Popup
Field 8 - Name=Course_7, Type=Popup
Step #5:
Once the "Schedule" database has been created return to HanDBase and select the Roster database from the list. Tap the Details button to open DB Properties. Select Fields and then select the Schedule field. You will need to finish configuring the Link field in this database.
Field 4: Name = Schedule, Type=Link, Other Database Name=Schedule, Other Field Name=Name, Show Value From=Name
Step #6:
a)After you have modified the Link field in Roster return to the Choose Database screen and select the "Schedule" database,
and then select the "Details"
option.
b)Again,
select "forms" on the right side of the
resulting window.
c)Define
the parameters such as background color, etc and
click "ok".
d)In
the form layout window, create UI element labels to match
each of the field names, as illustrated in the screenshots.
e)Next,
define a text field UI element and position it near
the "Name" label.
f)After
doing so, create pop-up UI elements that are
associated with fields from the "Schedule" database and place them
near their respective labels.See the
screenshots below for a one possibility of layout.
Step #7:
Since the databases with forms have
been created, the next step will be to create a UI control in each form
that
will jump from database form to database form.
a)To
add this control, open the form associated with the
"Roster" database as described above.
b)Select
the "Roster" form and select
"open".
c)Next,
add a button UI element.Configure the
button described below:
-General
Tab
oData
Source = Schedule
oCaption
Source = Other
oCaption
= Add Schedule
-Layout
Tab
oBe
certain to adjust the width to accommodate the width of
the label
-Actions
Tab
oAction
1 = Jump to Form in other Database
oForm
= Schedule
oRecord
= Open First Record
d)Note
that in the Actions Tab, the "action" has
been set to "Jump to Form in Other DB".Choosing
this option creates the contextual
items beneath it, in which the form from the other database is selected and which record to go to.The
option can be made to open the first record, open the last record,
create a new
record, open first/last record or create.
e)Next, add another button UI element. Configure the button described below:
-General
Tab
oData
Source = Schedule
oCaption
Source = Other
oCaption
= View/Edit Schedule
-Layout
Tab
oBe
certain to adjust the width to accommodate the width of
the label
-Actions
Tab
oAction
1 = Jump to Form in other Database
oForm
= Schedule
oRecord
= Open First Record
d)This additional button will now let you View or Edit the Schedule for the particular student, after you've created it using the Add Schedule button.
Step #8:
After setting up HanDBase Forms 4 to
use the ability to jump from one form to a form in another database as
described in the previous steps, the following behaviors in the
software can be
observed:
Pressing the [Add Schedule] button in
the Roster database will now jump to the form in the Schedule database.Pressing the Ok button in the Schedule
database will save your changes and return to the form in the Roster database.
Pressing the [View/Edit Schedule] button in
the Roster database will now jump to the form in the Schedule database, opening the first matching recored.This allows you to view or edit changes for this record. Pressing the Ok button in the Schedule
database will save your changes and return to the form in the Roster database.
To summarize, this tutorial has
introduced jumping from one database's form to another database's form
as one
of the many new features in HanDBase Forms 4.Additional resources, if needed, can be found at:
