Adjust Window: Hide Not Working

[ShosMeister]

Okay, I know that the "active" window has changed significantly from FM < 7 to FM => 7.

The solution that I've had in place since 1991 for a company is causing me lots of headaches. The navigation is via a "Main Menu" that I setup. There is a common "Button Bar" across the top of every file (table/db/whatever you want to call it) used to navigate the 27 files in the solution.

Previously, I had the navigation scripts in each file. The steps were simple: I had a Goto Main Menu script that would hide itself and then execute the script in Main Menu to go to the appropriate layout. WORKED GREAT! It kept the screen clean and only 1 file was visible at a time.

After the upgrade to FM 9, I decided to change the navigation buttons to execute the scripts directly in Main Menu (since it's now allowed to do that) and will delete all of the navigation scripts in the other 26 files (once all is working). The issue though is that I can't hide the original window.

I've been fighting with this for months. My solution to get the upgrade done and deployed was to use the close window script step. The issue with this now is that the user is complaining that when they navigate away from one file and then go back, they are back at the first record so I need to fix this.

Here's what I've tried to troubleshoot what's going on. I have my Goto xxxxx script setup to call a Hide Current Window script so that I can edit that easily and not have to change all of the other navigation scripts. In there, I displayed a custom dialogue to show me the current window name, state, etc. As suspected, all shows the Main Menu because that is where the script is executing from. Not a problem so far.

I have a global that contains the name of the DB that the user last navigated to, Patients for example. So I tried using the Adjust Window: Hide step using the name as defined in the global. I included the value of this global in the custom dialogue so I could be sure it was accurately reflecting the file/window I wanted to hide and it is.

So now the script displays the dialogue, selects the window based on the global and then attempts to hide with the Adjust Window: Hide step. The problem is, it does not get hidden. If I manually hide the window from the menu, the name shows up in the Show Window menu. When I run this script, it is still visible on the screen and in the main Windows menu.

Any help? Anyone else find a workaround for this? I'd hate to have to write a bunch of scripts to manage what record a user was currently on when they leave a db and then go back to that record when they re-enter it.

All this is on Macs running OSX 10.4 and 10.5 and the server is FM Server 9 on a OSX 10.5 box as well.

Thanks for any insight, thoughts, condolences, solutions, flowers, beer, etc.

[ShosMeister]

Bump :)

[Inky Phil]

I seem to remember tussling with this one when I converted my solution a couple of lifetimes ago.

I cannot for the life of me remember for sure how I got around it but you might try the following.

Instead of hiding a window, just position it off the monitor (give it a minus 1000 pixel position horizontally and vertically) effectively hiding it from view but not changing its status in any other way. Just move it back when you want the user to see it again and it should be as last used.

Sorry if that doesn't help but I am a sucker for a weepy bump

Phil

[ShosMeister]

Hey Phil,

Thanks for the input!!! I'd thought of that, but, I'm wondering if that would work since the script step to hide it doesn't. Since they are both in the Adjust Window step, why would moving it work and not hiding it?

The only solution I've found so far is to actually close the window. The issue with this is that when the user navigates back to that file/db, they are back at the first record. That's the problem I'm trying to solve.

I may resort to just leaving the windows there as they are all sized nearly (within a couple of pixels) the same and stacked on top of each other. Only way it would mess up is if the user moves them (which they usually don't). Since It's been running for 15+ years, they are pretty comfortable with the windows they way they show up and I'm trying to get that functionality back.

Thanks again for replying to the weeping bump :)