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 SU *04 on 6/10/08 –(WFLNW) - WA form-to-form new window WAFORMLINKNW. Apparently all delivered for WA 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

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

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 Please don’t forget to fill out your evaluations!