Urgent! Value Lists won't work when Web Published

[mcschan]

Dear FM Experts,

I have a major problem with my database with needs to be web published. I've defined value lists that displays values from 2 fields, it works perfectly fine until I web published it. Only values from the first field showed up. For example, I have a departments value list, with the first field being the department number and the second field being the department name. I can't just display the department name only because I used the department number to look up other things about the department. Also I've defined fields such that when I select the department, a description for the department is automatically entered. This functionality is also gone when web published. Do I have any work-arounds for this problem? Please help me as this project is nearing its deadline. Thank you very much

Matthew

[Reed]

This is a known issue with IWP. You'll have to use another method, such as a portal, to have users choose the department number. If you have users click on a portal containing the department numbers and names, a script can place the chosen department number into the right field.

[mcschan]

How do I trigger a script without pressing any buttons?

[Reed]

In this case, you don't have to. Just attach a button to the portal row. You can make it invisible and have it cover the entire row. When you click the row, the proper value is chosen.

In general, you have to use a plugin to trigger scripts for events other than open, close file, or buttons. There is a free one called EventScript, but I don't know if works with IWP, and I certainly don't know if it works with server advanced.

[mcschan]

Hi Reed,

Would you be able to attach a template to show how that's could be done? I am sorry I am just a beginner. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Matthew

[Homer]

For your information, EventScript, as every plug-ins that I know, DOESN'T work throught IWP.

Sorry, it is currently compatible with Pro, Developer, Kiosk and runtime distributions.

About your value list issue under IWP, I think Reed is right about his idea to use a portal instead. Using 2 columns, you can display both fiels and place a button in the portal to trigger a script when the user has made his choice in the list.

This button can also use "Script parameters" to pass the number of the corresponding departement.

Parameters are well supported under IWP.

[mcschan]

Hi Homer,

Would you be able to build a template for me? I tried putting a portal on the layout in Layout mode but nothing shows in Browse mode. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Matthew

[Reed]

Maybe you could attach your file and I could modify it for you, that might prove more useful to you.

The problem might be that you don't have the relationship properly defined for the records you want to see. Or that you don't have the related fields in the right place on the portal (enclosed within the first row in layout mode.)

[mcschan]

Hi Reed,

Thanks for offer the help. I have attached the file in .zip format. The file has the username "Administrator" and no password. From the HomePage, press the "View All Order Incident Details" button. This is the layout that I am having trouble with. If you look down about the middle of the layout there's the Incident Root Cause field. I want the user to be able to enter up to 5 root causes for an incident. I let the user choose the root causes from a value list that includes both the root cause code and the root cause type, and values are automatically look up root cause types and root cause description fields. But when I web publish it, the value list only display values from the first field and all the look ups are gone! Right now, when I go into browse mode, none of the fields in the portal will show.

Eventually, I want to be able to choose the department, the sales representative and the exception type, just as the way root causes are chosen and looked up, in the way you described.

I also need to build a similar mechanism for querying the different incidences. If you go to HomePage then press "Select Query to View Counts" button. This will bring you to the query page and I want the user to be able to choose the root cause type and have the root cause code automatically entered. Right now this function works in FM Developer but when it's web published, everything is gone.

I want the users to choose from a list because we want a finite set of root causes for the incidents (as well as sales rep, exception type, department) so the querying criteria is easily matched.

I thank you a million times for helping me with this. Thank you thank you thank you...

Sincerely,

Matthew

Order_Exception_Analysis.zip

[Reed]

Here's the corrected file. There are a few things that I think you're not getting as far as portals.

1. A portal shows related data from another table occurrence (TO). It can be from the same base table or a different one. The relationship controls which records are shown. You must choose one related table occurrence for each portal.

2. You don't want to use repeating fields to show related data (or ever really, except for some UI tricks) Just place a related field (usually from the same TO as the portal itself) on the first row of the portal, and in browse mode, the rest of the data will show up in as many rows as needed.

3. For your portal, I assumed you wanted to see all of the related Root Causes, so I created a second TO for that table and related it to your main layout TO with the Cartesian Product "x" operator. This matches all records.

4. The script button is invisible and is covering the entire portal row. It is just a set field script that set the RC# in the main layout from the portal row you click.

5. In this case you probably don't want to use lookups to show the Root Cause Details, since you're just duplicating it needlessly. You can just show the related fields (This time from the original TO that you created using the equijoin "=" Lookups are usually for things like prices on an invoice that you want to remain constant even if prices change in the future for new invoices. Here you want to always show current RC descriptions so related fields are better.

Let me know if anything is unclear.

Dana

Order_Exception_Analysis.fp7.zip

[CyborgSam]

Reed->

> Just attach a button to the portal row. You can make it invisible and have it cover the entire row.

In my experience invisible graphic buttons do not work in IWP, I assume it's because it isn't trivial to tell the web browser how to implement this. Have you figured out a work-around?

[mcschan]

Hi Dana (Reed),

So in your implementation, does the user click on the portal to select a Root Cause? Where does the Root Causes that the user have picked would show up in the layout? Say I click RC1 and RC3. I only see the latest one from the rounded box that you made on the side. Thanks

Matthew

[mcschan]

Hi Dana (Reed)

I just tested on the web. Instant Web Publishing does not handle the invisible button properly. It takes the portal as a text field.

Matthew

[Reed]

Just use a regular button for your IWP layout, you can put it anywhere on the portal row.

If you need to have more than one root cause per record, then you need to create another table of root causes that are related only to the current record. Then the script would add records to the join table. This would be a many-to-many scenario. I thought you would only have one root cause per record, then you could get away with just a single field for the root cause for each record.