Sorting consistency

[LaRetta]

If I am working on a found set of sorted records and evoke the Show All Records command, the records always revert to unsorted. But if I am viewing ALL records (and they are sorted) and I Show All Records, they remain sorted. I understand why the found set can't sort when all records are included but I find this inconsistent behavior, ie, why doesn't it change to semi-sorted then?

I think that, any time a Show All Records is initiated, the record set should unsort. At least that's my current stance although I am open to being convinced otherwise. Even a checkbox within the Show All Records script-step which allows (when checked) to Unsort or Remain Sorted would allow the Developer more control. I would bet this inconsistency has bitten a few Developers before.

[Lee Smith]

Show all records isn't available when all records are found.

[LaRetta]

It is when it is a script step.

[Lee Smith]

IMO, if it isn't available in the Menu, the script step is being bypassed in your Script. Since, it is bypassing it, then nothing is changing in the status of the records.

Lee

[LaRetta]

Thanks, Lee.

If it is being bypassed then it should throw an error. It doesn't. When I have a script which needs to export all records in their natural sort order of creation (unsorted) then I cannot simply do this:

Show All Records

Export

I must do this:

Show All Records

Unsort

Export

.. or test either for the current sort state, whether found records equals total records or just include an unsort automatically all the time. If it can't Show All Records when all records are shown then it should produce an error at least. My point is that the behavior is inconsistent and unexpected because we are used to see record sets switch to UNSORTED when showing all records manually.

TO CLARIFY ... I think you're probably right about it being bypassed and I wondered that myself (and that's why I error tested it). If a step can't run then an error is supposed to be produced ... if nothing else, it could produce 951 'unexpected error.' The fact that it behaves differently depending upon the number of records displayed means scripting must be different depending upon that fact and that is what seems improper to me.

Edited September 5, 2008 by Guest
Added clarification ...

[Lee Smith]

You make an interesting point about the Error. I'm not sure it is an error, but it is not expected behavior either. I think that using the Unsort script step is the easiest solution.

Would be nice to see a note in the Debugger when it is skipping a step. At the very least, some kind of explanation in the Help would be nice.

Show All Records

If [ Get ( SortState ) = 1 ]

Unsort Records

End If

As a side note, I've always felt that the Sorted Status could be better. The simple Sorted or Unsorted message below the Rolodex could tell the user more.

Lee

[LaRetta]

Yep, I came across this PIB when scripting a full-solution export for recovery and import into a new clean clone from recovered files. It's a totally hands-off process which takes 3 hours to run.

I had (wrongly) assumed Show All Records unsorted because that's what I always saw when I manually showed all records on a found set and it is also what always happened when I scripted a Show All Records and was working with a found set, ie, they always unsorted. But one of the tables was already displaying all records AND was sorted and it exported/imported the records out of their normal 'creation order' and imported them according to the sort.

Bummer.

I think other Developers might be caught by this (I'm strange but not THAT strange). So it would be nice if FileMaker addressed the inconsistency of it.