Date: prev next · Thread: first prev next last
2011 Archives by date, by thread · List index


Dear Tom

Base reminds me of a great strategy game I used to play (well still do occasionally! ) called MUST, where you click on every thing, but, unless you click in a particular sequence nothing happens. However, when you know the sequence its "so simple, so obvious" - that's Base I assume

/I got that field by:

1. using the form wizard to quickly generate a set of text boxes linked to each field in my main table - containers.
2. rearranging the boxes.
3. changing the label field from "IDContainer" to something more human - "record ID". /

When I use the Wizard (on Forms), to generate a new form, it generates a spread sheet style page with field names ( i.e. IDContainer) as headers, no text boxes - nothing to play with, nothing would re-arrange - if only it would!. So I now have a completely blank page with just the field names as headers contained within a box. When I click on each header, I only get a drop down box to "Add a column", "delete a column" etc.

You see it's the very 1st step (that very 1st sequence) - I just cannot see it.

When I use Lotus Approach, the design wizard generates all the Fields individually in the first place, I can pick them up, move them around and place where I like, delete, edit etc etc. - simple - You can make professional Forms very quickly. I am sure that this must be possible in Base.

Again when you say
/
Here, I ran the table through a view, to attach aliases to each field that needed one, then used the view as the form source, and so automatically got the alias as a text box label. /

Its easy to say, but unless there are buttons that says: "make aliases" and "Attach aliases through a view", "use view as form source" (and there is not), I am no closer.


/Does that answer your question? (This is all so simple that I have to wonder if somehow I completely misunderstood your question. If so, please try me again.) /


Help!, I take up your offer - that's why I need a "step by step walk through" to make my 1st (movable) field box.


regards

John B
MS XP pro sp3
LO 3.3.3.1 & 3.4



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 23/06/2011 01:29, Tom Cloyd wrote:
John,

On 06/22/2011 04:23 AM, John B wrote:
Dear Tom

I have had my own problems with Base - still to be resolved, but I thought I would check out your trials.

I downloaded your file to my desktop, auto-loaded and up came 2 forms:- containers - Old & Containers > items

Result:-
the drop down boxes in  "containers - old",  works 100%
Yes indeed. But then I started over, so I could have a subform. At that point, using the form wizard was the only way I could see to get one. Still is, dammit.

But none of the drop down boxes work on "Containers > Items" Also sometimes the record shows 1 of 4 or 1 of 3 then back to 1 of 2 ( it was random) I could not get this to repeat. - you are absolutely right about this faulty form - I just think that it has become corrupted - IMHO delete and start again.
Corrupted? Good thought. I wonder why I didn't think of that? It sure looks like that could be the problem. I haven't yet knowingly had that problem with Base, so I didn't think of it.

On opening either form, the icons on the left (on my system) were greyed out, so I could not enter the design / edit mode - which may be a problem with my system - and has thus so far prevented me from designing a form something similar for myself. I realise now (thanks to you - with a form to play with) that you must close the form, return to the front page, right click the form and enter it in Edit mode.
Yes. Opening it first, there is no way to go to edit mode. If you think you might want to edit the form, after opening it, you must first open it in edit mode, then switch to execute mode. You can then switch back to edit mode if desired.

But this is really annoying as you should always be able to edit / personalise the form on the fly, hence the design / edit icon should never be greyed out. It seems the only way to achieve this is to always open in edit mode!.
Agreed on both counts. An interface design flaw, IMHO. In MS Office, you can always turn on "design mode", and that's a good feature, I think.

When you have time, perhaps you could send me a step by step account of how did you make your 1st field? "record ID" on the form, I have clicked on everything that looks a likely target but no luck so far. I have many dBase files I would like to import, but Base has proved to be such hard work; and I hope it will be more stable than your 2nd form.
This field and its label appear on the first form - "containers - old". ("old" because I gave up on it when I could find no way to attach a subform to it. I could create it, but could not make it appear - a problem to which no one has yet offered a solution. You can see the created subform in the form navigator - "ItemsForm".)

I got that field by:

1. using the form wizard to quickly generate a set of text boxes linked to each field in my main table - containers.
2. rearranging the boxes.
3. changing the label field from "IDContainer" to something more human - "record ID".

The same field is handled a little differently in the next form, the one we both agree must be corrupted. Here, I ran the table through a view, to attach aliases to each field that needed one, then used the view as the form source, and so automatically got the alias as a text box label.

Does that answer your question? (This is all so simple that I have to wonder if somehow I completely misunderstood your question. If so, please try me again.)

Re: importing dBase files: I think I would consider outputting the dbase tables in CSV, then inputting them to calc. From there it's easy to import them via by doing a copy of the spreadsheet table, then a copy/append to a blank table in Base. While I've not seen this functionality documented, I haven't looked for it either, as I discovered it early on.


I would also like to use the "Create form" instead of the wizard - it looks a better option than the wizard with its grid system for lining up fields. But I cannot make head nor tale of it.
Well, getting started with it isn't hard. You can put various controls on your form - usually it would be text boxes, and ideally some list boxes, and point them to records on the table you've attached to the form. I just find it simpler to let the form wizard do this for me, then modify the result to suit me.

Hope some of this helps. Thanks for your response.

t.


regards

John B
MS xp pro sp3
LO 3.3.3.1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


On 22/06/2011 08:59, Tom Cloyd wrote:
My list box disaster just don't quit.

To this point, I've learned that the only quick, simple way to get a list box onto a form is to use the list box wizard. Last night it worked. Tonight it worked. Then, it stopped.

I now have a form with 5 list boxes. Three have spontaneously, quite without reason, disabled themselves. They passively display the value in their source table pointed to by the key value in the linked main table fie.d. BUT, the display is now a ghostly gray. I have had to change the background color just to see it at all. They also no longer are a part of the tab order and you cannot click into them at all. Also, the drop down no longer works at all. It is now just a data display field, not a list box. Worthless. I have poured over their properties for over an hour, trying to find the problem. No luck.

Another formerly working list box appears still to work, but will not update the main record field to which it is linked (this is the problem I was having last night, before I started using only the wizard to make list boxes).

Finally, I find that I can no longer CREATE functioning list boxes, using the wizard, which puts me out of the list box business altogether.

I just rebooted, hoping it might help, but it didn't (small chance!).

You can download this troubled database for examination HERE <http://www.tomcloyd.com/misc/storage_containers.zip>. Look at the "storage containers > items" form.

You'll see that my subform is working fine, The three brown-background list boxes are now duds. The "quadrant" list box appears to work but actually does nothing to the main table. The "macro-container" list box is recently created, and does exactly what the brown boxes do: nothing.

Any ideas, anyone?





No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 9.0.901 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3714 - Release Date: 06/19/11 19:33:00







No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 9.0.901 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3714 - Release Date: 06/19/11 19:33:00



--
Unsubscribe instructions: E-mail to users+help@global.libreoffice.org
In case of problems unsubscribing, write to postmaster@documentfoundation.org
Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette
List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/
All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted

Context


Privacy Policy | Impressum (Legal Info) | Copyright information: Unless otherwise specified, all text and images on this website are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. This does not include the source code of LibreOffice, which is licensed under the Mozilla Public License (MPLv2). "LibreOffice" and "The Document Foundation" are registered trademarks of their corresponding registered owners or are in actual use as trademarks in one or more countries. Their respective logos and icons are also subject to international copyright laws. Use thereof is explained in our trademark policy.