4.15.24 Action ID or F17 (Identification Change)
This action is used in both the screen and report design facilities.
When action ID is used the following steps occur:
- The user is requested to position the cursor anywhere on the field that is to have its identification method changed and press the enter key.
- When a field is selected a pop-up like this will appear in the centre of the screen:
........................................
: Change Identification :
: Use cursor to make selection. :
: Identify by Label :
: Identify by Column Headings :
: Identify by Description :
: No identification is required :
: Ignore request, continue designing :
: Fnn=Help Fnn=Messages Fnn=Cancel :
:......................................:
- If the identification method can be changed successfully the field is changed and the screen/report image is then redisplayed with the changes.
To use function key F17 do the following:
1. Position the screen cursor on the field that is to have its identification method changed and then press function key F17.
2. Select the type of change required from the resulting pop-up (as previously described).
Some points about changing a field's identification method are:
- To select the field to be changed place the screen cursor anywhere on the field or its associated label, description or column headings and press the enter key or use function key F17.
- Fields in the browse list area of a screen panel cannot have their identification method changed. A field in the browse area has an identification method of "column headings" if it is in the first browse line or an identification method of "label" if it is on the second or subsequent browse line.
- Altering the identification method used for a field will alter the shape of the "block" that contains the field. The section that details how fields are moved (action M or F16) describes these "blocks" in more detail.
For instance a field #ORDNUM (order number) has the following "blocks" associated with each identification method:
When using an identification method of Column Headings:
__________
| |
| Company |
| Order |
| Number |
|999999999 |
|__________|
When using an identification method of Label:
________________________
| |
|Order number | 999999999|
|________________________|
When using an identification method of Description:
____________________________________________
| |
| Order number . . . . . . . . . | 999999999 |
|____________________________________________|
When using no identification method:
_________
| |
|999999999|
|_________|
So if field #ORDNUM was in a screen image and currently using an identification method of label it might look like this:
Date : 99/99/99
Company no : 99
________________________
| |
|Order number | 999999999|
|________________________|
Part number | 99999
Reference : XXXXXXXXXXXX
If the identification method of field #ORDNUM was changed from label to no identification the screen image would look like this:
Date : 99/99/99
Company no | 99
_________
| |
|999999999|
|_________|
Part number | 99999
Reference : XXXXXXXXXXXX
Note that when a change to the identification method is made (thus changing the shape of the "block" containing the field) LANSA will attempt to position the new "block" so that its UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER is in the same position as the old "block's" upper left hand corner. This means that it is sometimes necessary to move a field before attempting to change its identification method or after changing its identification method. In the example above it would not be possible to change the identification method of field #ORDNUM to column heading as the new "block" would not fit in the space available. If however, field #ORDNUM was moved (using action M) like this:
Date : 99/99/99
Company no : 99
________________________
| |
|Order number | 999999999|
|________________________|
Part number : 99999
Reference : XXXXXXXXXXXX
It would now be possible to change the identification method to column heading because the new "block" can be fitted into the space available. The resulting screen image might look like this:
Date : 99/99/99
Company no : 99
__________
| |
| Company |
| Order |
Part number | 99999 | Number |
Reference | XXXXXXXXXXXX |999999999 |
|__________|