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1991-09-11
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PRODUCT : ObjectVision NUMBER : 594
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : September 11, 1991 PAGE : 1/5
TITLE : Guided completion in ObjectVision
ObjectVision's powerful decision trees and goal directed
prompting make it possible to control the sequence in which the
fields are used in an application. Often this is produced by a
calculation which requires data on another form, or a different
section of the same form. If no calculation is required, other
formulas may be substituted which will also change the order the
cursor travels in completing a form.
See page 19 of the Tutorial manual, as well as "Ordering your
Fields" on page 28 (of the same manual) for additional
information about guided completion. Also, the completed
tutorial MYORDER.OVD uses a decision tree on Sales Tax. The
sales tax cannot be computed without data from the other form.
Examine the tree and compare the fields used in the tree to the
fields which appear on the Goal form.
Controlling the sequence of the form: When completing a form in
ObjectVision the fields are answered in order of their position
on the form, unless there is a tree which requires data from
another field. To complete the calculation in the decision tree
the cursor will go to the field required to collect the necessary
data before it resumes its natural order of left to right, top to
bottom. If that field is on a second form, the second form is
brought forward to collect the data required.
For example, a form used for ordering product:
Ship to: Name Bill To: Name
Address Address
City, State Zip City, State Zip
(Call the fields in the first block Name_1, Address_1,
City_st_zip_1, and the fields in the second block Name_2,
Address_2, City_st_zip_2.)
ObjectVision's preferred pattern would be left to right top to
bottom: Name_1, then on to Name_2, then to Address_1, then to
Address_2, and so on. This is not what most users want when they
complete the form. To control the goal directed prompting based
on the order of the fields, make an extra field at the top of the
form (or at least before the Name_2 field) and use a simple
conclusion of
PRODUCT : ObjectVision NUMBER : 594
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : September 11, 1991 PAGE : 2/5
TITLE : Guided completion in ObjectVision
@AND(Name_1<>"",Address_1<>"",City_st_zip_1<>"",Name_2<>"",
Address_2<>"",City_st_zip_2<>"")
(for printing purposes this was wrapped to a new line, in the
conclusion dialogue box it would appear as one long function
statement, all on one line).
To make this field invisible to the users, choose Properties |
Field Type (from the Form Tool) turn display field name off, and
likewise turn the Properties | Border | Outline off, by removing
the X from the checkboxes.
Now the new field (with the @AND formula) cannot be resolved
until it checks the fields used in its conclusion to see whether
or not they are blank. Consequently, the fields will be
addressed in the order in which they were listed in the
conclusion.
About the @AND function: The @AND function is a logical function
-- it returns Yes if the conditions are true, and NO if the
conditions are false. When @AND(FIELDNAME<>"") is used it
returns Yes if the FIELDNAME field has data, and No if the user
pressed return and left the field blank. Pressing TAB, or
"mousing" to a different field leaves that field empty, and the
@AND formula will not be calculated. Also, the @AND function
takes up to fourteen fields in its list. If you need more than
fourteen fields, you may nest the @AND fields to accommodate up
to one hundred ninety six fields. In other words, you may take
the @AND of fourteen @AND formulas.
When testing new decision trees it is always wise to select Edit
| Clear all to be sure no previously entered data is left on the
form which may affect the calculated value.
Goal directed prompting means the cursor travels to those fields
which require data. When the first field has been answered the
return key will move the cursor to the next field. Guided
completion will be interupted if the user presses TAB or uses the
mouse to select a field. At that point the user may choose File
| Resume to restore guided completion.
If a field has received an answer through a decision tree, a
link, or from user input, the field is skipped. In the case of
PRODUCT : ObjectVision NUMBER : 594
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : September 11, 1991 PAGE : 3/5
TITLE : Guided completion in ObjectVision
the multiple forms being selected from a menu, once the second
form has been completed, return to it either by clearing off the
form (to begin a new form), or to choose Form | Select from the
menu. It would be possible using decision trees similar to those
discussed here to find a way to return to a completed form a
second time, but that is not addressed here.
Launching a second form automatically when the first form is
complete: Use the same technique described above, listing all of
the fields on the second form in a decision tree's conclusion.
Place the field with the decision tree after the last field on
the first form which needs to be completed. When the cursor
reaches this last field, it will have to go to the second form
and get answers for the fields in the order in which they are
listed in the conclusion.
Creating menus in ObjectVision to select other forms: For this
example we will assume three forms: "Master Form" is the Goal
Form, a "Languages" form, and an "Applications" form are the
second and third form in the Stack of forms. Only two choices
are offered in the "Menu" field in this example. On the master
form are two fields, the first is called "Menu" which has the
following selections: Languages, and Applications. The second
field is called "Driver" which does not have to be displayed,
just placed right after the "Menu" field.
Use a selection list (or checkbox field) for the menu choice. By
using one of these two field types you can limit the selections
the user could make.
Step by step instructions for selecting a form from a menu:
1. Choose File | New from the menu
2. Choose Tools | Form
Name the form Master Form
3. Choose Objects | Field <Add New Field>
Name the new field Menu
4. Choose Objects | Field <Add New Field>
Name the new field Driver
PRODUCT : ObjectVision NUMBER : 594
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : September 11, 1991 PAGE : 4/5
TITLE : Guided completion in ObjectVision
5. Select the field Menu and choose Properties | Field Type
Format Menu to be a Selection List
Use Languages and Applications as the two
selection list names and click on OK
6. Use Form | New to create two more forms, one called
Languages, and one called Applications.
7. On the Languages form create 3 fields, LANG1, LANG2 and LANG3
8. On the Applications form create 3 fields, APPS1, APPS2, and
APPS3
9. Choose Form | Select from the menu and return to Master Form
10. Select the field Driver and choose Tools | Tree
11. Choose Objects | Branch and branch on the Menu Field
12. Choose Objects | Conclusion
The condition of Menu is Languages, the conclusion is the
following: @AND(LANG1<>"",LANG2<>"",LANG3<>"")
13. Choose Objects | Conclusion
The 2nd condition of Menu is Applications, the conclusion
is: @AND(APPS1<>"",APPS2<>"",APPS3<>"")
14. Close the Tree tool. (Tree | Close)
15. Close the Form Tool. Form | Close
16. Choose Edit | Clear All to clear all fields on all forms
The Menu Form should appear on the screen.
17. Choose from the menu. The selected form should appear.
When the second form has been completed the cursor should
return to the Master Form.
You may hide the Driver field so it does not display on the form
(but it must not be removed from the form). To make the Driver
field invisible to the users, choose Properties | Field Type
(from the Form Tool) turn display field name off by checking the
PRODUCT : ObjectVision NUMBER : 594
VERSION : 1.0
OS : WIN
DATE : September 11, 1991 PAGE : 5/5
TITLE : Guided completion in ObjectVision
box, and likewise turn off the border display using Properties |
Border | Outline.
The purpose of the "Driver" field is to check the menu choice
selected and cause the cursor to go to the desired form. Goal
directed prompting will move the cursor from empty field to empty
field, in the order specified by the decision tree's conclusion.
In this case, once a choice is made in the Menu Field the cursor
moves to the Driver field. The Driver field branches on the Menu
field -- checking to see which choice was made. The branching is
based on the possible selections in the menu, the conclusions
address the fields on the form selected by the menu choice.
In this example there are only two choices. If the choice is
Applications (condition=Applications) then the cursor will go to
the fields which are referenced in the conclusion of that branch
of the tree. The conclusion uses the @AND function and specifies
each field that needs an answer on the selected form. The @AND
formula checks to see if the fields on the specified form are
filled with data. Until the user has either typed data into a
field, or pressed return, the @AND formula will not be evaluated.
To get an answer for the @AND formula the cursor must go to the
form which has the fields used in the formula. The final
conclusion in the Driver field will be either Yes, the fields
have data, or No the user pressed return and left some, or all of
the fields blank.
Once the selected form has been filled in the cursor will return
to the first form.