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“You cannot dream
yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself
one.” James A. Froude (1818 - 1894) |
Read
first then play the video:
FRM-VIDEO -(Hands-On
01) How to use Tab Canvas, Master-detail relationship
Tab canvas, Master-Detail
relationship
Master-Detail Relationship
A master/detail
relationship or parent/child relationship is a relationship
between two data blocks. A primary key of a master table is referenced
by a foreign key in the detail table.
Tab canvas, Master-Detail
relationship (Hands-On)
Hands-on introduction
Having performed Fact
Finding, and determine the user's initial requirements, you are ready
to create a data entry form based on those requirements. Keeping in
mind that this is an iterative process, and the User is closely
involved in the design. During your interviews, you have identified
that tables Customer, Ord, and Items will be required, and you have an
idea of the "Look-and-Feel" of the Form.
Your client asks you to
create an easy to use data entry Form for their “Customer Order”
data entry application.
See Figure 1, 2, and 3 for
screen layout requirements.
Your tasks are:
1- Create a Form that
contains three tabs for each Entity. The tabs should be labeled as
"Customer", "Orders", and "Items
2- Develop a
"Master-Detail" relationship using the "Tab
Canvas" to establish a relationship between "Customer to
Order" and "Order to Items."
3- Review your iterations
with the User as prototypes of the final product.
4- Enhance your prototype.
Working with you, the User has requested a more robust application.
5- Run and test all user
functional requirements.
F In this Hands-On,
you will learn how to use: tab canvas, “object navigator,” “Data
Blocks,” “Layout Editor,” “Property Palette,” “Run Form,”
“Execute Query,” “Auto-Join data blocks,” and Master-Detail
relationship.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Create a Module
In the ‘Object Navigator’
window, highlight module1. This is a default name. Go to the Main menu
and choose “File,” select “Save as” to store the new object in
the “iself” folder and save it as customer order. "c:_orders."
Create a Data Block
In the ‘Object Navigator’
window, highlight "Data Blocks,” and click on the "create”
icon. The ‘Create’ icon is in the vertical tool bar in the ‘Object
Navigator’ window. It is a green ‘+’ sign.
New Data Block
In the ‘New Data Block’
window, choose the default option “Data Block Wizard” and click
"OK."
Welcome Data Block
In the ‘Welcome Data
Block Wizard’ window click “NEXT.”
Type of Data Block
Select the type of data
block you would like to create by clicking on a radio button. Select
the default option ‘Table or View’ and then click “NEXT”
again.
Selecting Tables
Click on “browse.” In
the ‘Tables’ window, highlight the "customer” table; then
click "OK."
Selecting columns for the
Data Block Wizard
To choose all columns,
click on the two arrow signs in the ‘Data Block Wizard’ window. To
choose selected columns, click on the one arrow sign. For this
hands-on exercise select all columns, and click “next.”
Layout Wizard
End of the Data Block
Wizard and beginning of the Layout Wizard
In the ‘Congratulations’
screen, use the default checkmark radio button (Create the data block,
then call the Layout Wizard), and click "Finish." You can
also use the Data Block Wizard to modify your existing data block.
Simply select the data block in the Object Navigator and click the
Data Block Wizard toolbar button, or choose ‘Data Block wizard’
from the ‘Tools’ menu.
Welcome screen
In the ‘Welcome to the
Layout Wizard’ window, click ”Next.”
Selecting canvas
In the ‘Layout Wizard’
window, select the "new canvas" option. Canvas is a place
that you will have your objects such as columns, titles, pictures,
etc. If you have already have your canvas, select the canvas and then
click on the next.
The following are different
types of canvases: Content, Stacked, Vertical Toolbar, Horizontal
Toolbar, and Tab. Think of the ‘Content’ canvas as one flat place
to have all your objects. In the stacked canvas, you can have multiple
layers of objects and it is the same as the tab canvas. You use the
vertical or horizontal toolbar canvases for your push buttons. Check
the different types of canvases by clicking on the ‘down arrow’
box next to the ‘Type’ field. Select "Tab Canvas," then
click “Next.”
Selecting Columns for the
Layout Wizard
In the ‘Layout Wizard’
window, select all the columns. These are the columns that you want to
display them on the canvas. Then click “Next.”
Change your objects
appearances
Change size or prompt if
needed. In this window, you can enter a prompt, width, and height for
each item on the canvas. You can change the measurement units. As a
default the default units for item width and height are points. You
can change it to inch or centimeter. When you change size, click “Next.”
Selecting a layout style
Select a layout style for
your frame by clicking a radio button. Select "Form," if you
want one record at a time to be displayed. Select “Tabular,” if
you want more than one record at a time to be displayed. Select
"Forms," and then click “next.”
Record layout
Type the Frame Title,
Records Displayed, Distance Between Records values and checkmark the
‘Display Scrollbar’ box, when you use multiple records or the ‘Tabular’
option. Then click “Next.”
Congratulation Screen
In the ‘Congratulations’
window, click "Finish."
Now you should see the form
layout.
Create another new tab page
for the customer's order.
Data Block
In the ‘Object Navigator’
window, highlight "Data Blocks,” and click on the "create”
icon.
New Data Block
In the ‘New Data Block’
window, choose the default option “Data Block Wizard” and click
"OK."
Welcome Data Block
In the ‘Welcome Data
Block Wizard’ window click “NEXT.”
Type of Data Block
Select the type of data
block you would like to create by clicking on a radio button. Select
the default option ‘Table or View’ and then click “NEXT”
again.
Selecting Tables
Click on “browse.” In
the ‘Tables’ window, highlight the "ord” table; then click
"OK." You can also type ‘ord’ and then click on the
"refresh” button.
Selecting columns for the
Data Block Wizard
To choose all columns,
click on the two arrow signs in the ‘Data Block Wizard’ window and
then click “next.”
Relationships
You may optionally create
and delete master-detail relationships to other data blocks in your
form. Click on the ‘Create Relationship…’ button to select a
master data block. In this Hands-on exercise is the ‘Customer’
table. Notice that your master and detail items could represent your
primary and foreign keys. Clicking on the ‘Delete Relationship’
button, will remove the relationship. Make sure that if you didn’t
establish the primary and foreign keys, you should unmark the ‘Auto-join
data blocks’ box. Then click "Create relationship" and “OK.”
End of the Data Block
Wizard and beginning of the Layout Wizard
In the ‘Congratulations’
screen, use the default checkmark radio button (Create the data block,
then call the Layout Wizard), and click "Finish."
Welcome screen
In the ‘Welcome to the
Layout Wizard’ window, click ”Next.”
Selecting canvas
In the ‘Layout Wizard’
window, select the "new canvas" option. Change "tab
page" to "new tab page” and click "next."
Selecting Columns for the
Layout Wizard
In the ‘Layout Wizard’
window, select all the columns and deselect “CUSTID” since the
customer is known and then click “Next.”
Change your objects
appearances
Change size or prompt if
needed. In this window, you can enter a prompt, width, and height for
each item on the canvas. You can change the measurement units. As a
default the default units for item width and height are points. You
can change it to inch or centimeter. When you change size, click “Next.”
Selecting a layout style
Select “Tabular” since
there are more than one order for each customer and then click “next.”
Record layout
Type the Frame Title,
Records Displayed, Distance between Records values and checkmark the
‘Display Scrollbar’ box, when you use multiple records or the ‘Tabular’
option. Then click “Next.” Make sure to change the ‘Records
Displayed’ item to be more than 1 and checkmark “Display
Scrollbar.”
Congratulation Screen
In the ‘Congratulations’
window, click "Finish."
Now, there are two
canvases: One for customer information and the other for their orders.
Data Block
In the ‘Object Navigator’
window, highlight "Data Blocks,” and click on the "create”
icon.
New Data Block
In the ‘New Data Block’
window, choose the default option “Data Block Wizard” and click
"OK."
Welcome Data Block
In the ‘Welcome Data
Block Wizard’ window click “NEXT.”
Type of Data Block
Select the type of data
block you would like to create by clicking on a radio button. Select
the default option ‘Table or View’ and then click “NEXT”
again.
Selecting Tables
Click on “browse.” In
the ‘Tables’ window, highlight the "items” table; then
click "OK." You can also type ‘items’ and then click on
the "refresh” button.
Selecting columns for the
Data Block Wizard
To choose all columns,
click on the two arrow signs in the ‘Data Block Wizard’ window and
then click “next.”
Relationships
You may optionally create
and delete master-detail relationships to other data blocks in your
form. In this Hands-on exercise the master table is the ‘ORD’
table. Then click "Create relationship" and “OK.”
End of the Data Block
Wizard and beginning of the Layout Wizard
In the ‘Congratulations’
screen, use the default checkmark radio button (Create the data block,
then call the Layout Wizard), and click "Finish."
Welcome screen
In the ‘Welcome to the
Layout Wizard’ window, click ”Next.”
Selecting canvas
In the ‘Layout Wizard’
window, select the "new canvas" option. Change "tab
page" to "new tab page” and click "next."
Selecting Columns for the
Layout Wizard
In the ‘Layout Wizard’
window, select all the columns and deselect “ORDID” since the
order is known and then click “Next.”
Change your objects
appearances
Change size or prompt if
needed. In this window, you can enter a prompt, width, and height for
each item on the canvas. You can change the measurement units. As a
default the default units for item width and height are points. You
can change it to inch or centimeter. When you change size, click “Next.”
Selecting a layout style
Select “Tabular” since
there is more than one item for each order and then click “next.”
Record layout
Type the Frame Title,
Records Displayed, Distance between Records values and checkmark the
‘Display Scrollbar’ box, when you use multiple records or the ‘Tabular’
option. Then click “Next.” Make sure to change the ‘Records
Displayed’ item to be more than 1 and checkmark “Display
Scrollbar.”
Congratulation Screen
In the ‘Congratulations’
window, click "Finish."
Now, there are three
canvases:
Navigate the Tab pages
Navigate through the tab
pages. Notice that page3, 5, and 7 don't mean anything. Your page
number could be different.
Change the Tab labels
Select page3, right click
and open its "property palette." Change its “name” and
“label” to customer. Press the enter key. Notice! The name always
changes to upper case.
Click on page5 to replace
its properties and do the same for “Orders.” Be sure to press the
enter key to confirm the changes.
Click on page7 to replace
its properties and do the same for “Items.” Then close the window.
Now, the tabs are more
meaningful. Navigate through the tab pages.
Collapse the objects to
view items easier in the ”object navigator” window.
Select “customer_orders,”
and right click to open its "property palette." Change
"First Navigation Data Block" to “Customer.” Then close
the window.
Run Form
Click on the
"Run" icon to compile and execute the module.
Execute Query
Click "execute
query" to query the customer information. Navigate through the
“tab” options.
On the "orders"
tab, select an item by highlighting the item. Then click on the ‘items’
tab. Notice on the “items” tab, all its items correspond to the
selected order.
Repeat this.
On the customer tab,
position the cursor on “Customer ID” and navigate through the
table by clicking on “NEXT Record.”
Do the same for the
previous record.
Enter Query
Click on "Enter Query.”
The items in the form become blank. Type 106, and click "Execute
Query." Navigate through the customer’s orders and its items.
Save the transaction
Close the window. Save the
changes.
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“The meeting of two
personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if
there is any reaction, both are transformed.” Carl Jung (1875
- 1961) |
Questions:
Q: How can you create a
"Datablock" for a form application using the "Form
Builder" tool?
Q: How can you create a
"layout" for a form application using the "Form
Builder" tool?
Q: How can you use a
"Content canvas" for a form application using the "Form
Builder" tool?
Q: Use the "Execute
Query" option to query customer's information.
Q: How can you navigate a
table using the "Form Builder" tool?
Q: What does the "NEXT
RECORD" option do?
Q: What does the
"PREVIOUS RECORD" option do?
Q: What does the
"Enter Query" option do?
Q: How can you manipulate
table's record?
Q: Insert, delete and
update a record.
Q: How can you save a
transaction using the "Form Builder" tool?
Q: What is a Master/Detail
relationship between two data blocks in the Form Module?
Q: Can a Form Module
contain more than one canvas?
Q: Having performed Fact
Finding, and determine the user's initial requirements, you are ready
to create a data entry form based on those requirements. Keeping in
mind that this is an iterative process, and the User is closely
involved in the design. During your interviews, you have identified
that tables Customer, Ord, and Items will be required, and you have an
idea of the "Look-and-Feel" of the Form. Your client asks
you to create an easy to use data entry Form for their “Customer
Order” data entry application.
See Figure 1, 2, and 3 for
screen layout requirements.
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