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IT 5324 Rapid Application Development Using Colleague Studio Jacob Geluk – Simmons College Rapid Application Development • Focus on Web Advisor • How to update files/tables – Painted on fields – Subroutines • How to navigate – – – – – Screen Chaining from the submit button Static Hyperlinks Dynamic Hyperlinks “Hacked Hyperlinks” MTXT – Miscellaneous text for screens • More thoughts on Navigation Updating Files/Tables • Painted on fields – Leverage Datatel delivered hook code – Self Documenting – Difficult to display/update subsets of data • Subroutines – One subroutine to populate display VARs and another to update – Great for customizing existing screens – Make sure to output error data for screen processing Updating using Subroutines • The classic way to update on Web Advisor • Call subroutines to populate VARs/LIST.VARs from exit hook of the last phantom field • Do Error processing in Prcs End Hook • CALL_SUBR from Post Conf Hook to update the data Updating using Subroutines • Simple Subroutine Calls to populate the VARs and LIST.VARs Updating using Subroutines • Put error checking in Prcs End Updating using Subroutines • CALL_SUBR in the Post Conf hook Updating with Painted On fields • • • • Leverage Datatel delivered hook code Self Documenting – it is what it is Difficult to display/update subsets of data Window Groups “do stuff” behind the scenes • Pointers in window groups are very effective Updating with Painted On fields • For Validated Fields (drop downs) – Leave Field Accept BLANK – Field Input = IGNORE CDD – Field Output = TRANSLATE – Field Attributes • Label text = Enter a nice description • Validation = Table Name or usually custom Valcode since you rarely want users to see the full set of options. Updating with Painted On fields • Sample screen for students to change their own meal plan Updating with Painted On fields • MEAL.PLAN.ASSIGNMENT.ID Fld Accept Updating with Painted on Fields • Populate Display only VAR1 & VAR2 with current Meal Plan Status and Date Updating with Painted On Fields • Window considerations – Make controller an Q pointer to access the target file – Windows do “out of sequence processing” – “IF EDITED.DATA THEN” issues – Difficult to auto populate “required” windows – Multi Values can be accessed for display as additional window elements Updating with Painted On Fields • Using Q pointers to access multi values – Controller is STU.TRANSCRIPT.REQUESTS – STU.REQUEST.LOGS (target file) fields are added as additional process elements Navigation of Web Screens • Screen Chaining from the submit button – The only way to go if you want to do any updating before you “leave the building” – Limited to chaining to other Web Advisor Screens – You can use logic to direct users to other screens based on screen input Screen Chaining • Screen Chaining from the submit button – Put logic in the Prcs Repeat hook Screen Chaining • Screen Chaining from the submit button Screen Chaining • Another approach to populating window data Screen Chaining Edit Address Screen Screen Chaining Navigation of Web Screens • Static Hyperlinks – Good for links to other static pages – Limited to the “get” method – Hyperlink arguments are visible to all – Allows links to be updated without regenerating software Static Hyperlinks Create the Hyperlink in Studio (Formerly HLKM) Static Hyperlinks Create the Hyperlink in Studio (Formerly HLKM) Static Hyperlinks If you have arguments add them on WVUA Static Hyperlinks Resulting link to Registrar’s Office page with Transcript Rush Order Information Navigation of Web Screens • Dynamic Hyperlinks – Target Web Advisor Screens – Open in new window or current window – Arguments bundled up onto one string – Multi Values compacted into Sub Values – Simple and convenient to set up – Again, no processing with hyperlinks when you leave the screen Dynamic Hyperlinks Datatel Delivered Class Roster screen (for Faculty) Dynamic Hyperlinks Adding a link to a screen for faculty to export class roster information Dynamic Hperlinks • WAFORMLINK – (WFLNK) - WA form-to-form link • WAFORMLINK UT.PRCS.DEF and UT.PRCS.CTL records were released to clients by SU39274.81485*04 on 6/10/08 – (WFLNW) - WA form-to-form new window • WAFORMLINKNW. Apparently all delivered for WA 3.1.2. • Check them out on HLKM! Dynamic Hyperlinks • Field Hyperlink Code X.PID = "&PID=Appl-ProcessID“ X.ARGS = “&A.ARG1=“ : X.ARG1 X.ARGS = “&A.ARG2=“ : X.ARG2 X.TYPE = “TYPE=P” X.ARGUMENTS = X.TYPE : X.PID : X.ARGS CALL_SCREEN WAFORMLIND(X.ARGUMENTS) CALL_SCREEN WAFORMLINKNW(X.ARGUMENTS) Dynamic Hyperlinks •Convert Subvalue marks back to Value marks. •This screen can be chained to normally since Value marks will be OK Dynamic Hyperlinks •Submit button will take the faculty back to roster Dynamic Hyperlinks •How to make that nice multi line text box appear: Put “Text” in Field Type Override Navigation of Web Screens • “Hacked” hyperlinks – Only way to link to an external site that requires “Post Method” – Hide a “Form” within a text field – Hyperlink arguments are hidden – Good for secure links to external sites – It is a hack – so use as a last resort Hacked Hyperlinks Hacked Hyperlinks Navigation of Web Screens • MTXT-Miscellaneous text – This is static text/hyperlinks – You can clone “MTXT” to create a custom screen so end user can maintain their own – End users love to be able to control their own web screens – This is a data field so you can export it to other systems if required Misc Text Misc Text Misc Text Misc Text Misc Text Updating on Web Advisor • Use painted on fields where you can – Be aware of window built-in functions – Populate pointers in windows to access multiple records – Populate a phantom key to access a single record • Use subroutines where you have to – Customizations – Be careful of record locks and timing issues Navigation in Web Advisor • Static Hyperlinks – Good for simple jobs • Dynamic Hyperlinks – Linking to other Web Advisor Screens • Hacked Hyperlinks – Behaves like an extra form within the page – Arguments are hidden and secure (Post method) • Miscellaneous text (MTXT) – Don’t neglect this option, end users love control More thoughts on Navigation • • • • Use plain English, avoid jargon Beware the back button Think about workflows not screens Anticipate where the user needs to go next and take them there • Use a switchboard and keep sending them home to the switchboard • Hyperlinks are intuitive • Submit button allows you to update Demo/Questions • Time for a quick Demo and some questions? • If we run out of time then I can be found on the DUG Forums • [email protected] • Please don’t forget to fill out your evaluations!