Calculations: look up possibilities

[michele]

Often you need to specify the name of a layout, value list, database,...in a calculation but there's no way of looking the correct name up starting from the calculation window.

So you have to close the calculation window, look up the names, write them down and make sure there are no spelling mistakes in the name.

It would be [color:blue]great to have a dropdown list above the field names which would include: 'fields'(the fields as we already see them now), 'layouts' (with all the layout names in the db),'value lists' (with all the value list names), etc...

Of course:

- you can click on the name to add it to your calculation

- these names would also change dynamically (as field names do) when you change their names in your database.

Thank you

Edited September 13, 2005 by Guest

[Søren Dyhr]

I have difficulties in grasping the grievance here, isn't it a question of structuring your data and the procedings of you workflow??

A layout is always tied to a TO ...and some developers suggest that since every value can be tunneled along the relational graph of a TOG ...might there be a point in having all calcfields if any in the TO carrying the layout.

But relying entirely on calcfields might be too far fetched if they occure similarly in other TOG's ...one thing that comes to mind is scripted use of following:

FieldNames(Get(Filename);Get(LayoutName)

But it does also make sense to have this expression as Custom Function ...if so could you define all calcs entirely via Let( , Evaluate( and Quote( ...not giving the spelling one thought at all!

--sd

[michele]

Dear Soren,

Well, I didn't get your answer.

Of course it has something to do with naming conventions and structuring. But so do field names and those you can select. Surely you don't expect everybody to be able to remember all field/layout/value list names?

It's exactly about functions like:

GetNextSerialValue ( fileName ; fieldName )

FieldNames ( fileName ; layoutName )

I was talking.

To fill 'fieldname' and 'layoutname' in the function it would be nice to be able to make your choice in a list. Just as you do with fields.

Thought I might not have been clear in my first message so I added some graphics (to the first message).

Maybe I'm missing out on something and there is a way to find these names while staying in the calculation window, if so...I'll be glad to learn about it.

[Søren Dyhr]

don't expect everybody to be able to remember all field/layout/value list names?

By organizing in TOG's and by use of a stringent naming convention, should very few be confused.

But one of my perhaps subtle points was that an exorbitant number of fields in each TOC would be highly unlikely which makes the popup just above you red arrow, a very conveniet way to filter out irrelevant fieldnames ...an lot will be greyed out!

--sd