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Tutorial 10: Jumping from the Form of one database to the form of a different database (Windows Desktop)
Product: HanDBase Desktop WindowsArticle Number: 304Creation Date: 12/07/2007

- Topic: Creation of a Sub-Form in Another Database

- Product: HanDBase Forms

- Version: 4.0

- Date Modified: November 25, 2007

- Handheld OS: n/a

- Desktop OS: Windows

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Tutorial:

This tutorial's goal is to introduce the ability to jump from one database's form to a form in another database as a new feature in HanDBase Forms version 4.0. This feature's main function is to allow for more complex database designs by allowing databases to be interrelated via forms in the edit view. In this tutorial, the necessary steps to configure HanDBase Forms on the handheld device to take advantage of this new feature will be detailed. Then, the results of properly configuring a set of database's forms will be examined. Finally, additional resources will be provided should any further information be needed.

To take advantage of the ability to jump to and from forms, HanDBase and HanDBase Forms version 4 first needs to be configured on the desktop. The first step in doing so is to launch HanDBase Desktop at the following location:

Start Menu / All Programs / HanDBase 4/

Once running, the steps in configuring are:

Step #1:

Once HanDBase is opened, the first step is to create a database or select an existing database while in list view. For the purpose of this tutorial, a sample database has been created with the fields:

Database Name=Roster

Field 1 - Name=Name, Type=Text

Field 2 - Name=Gender, Type=Popup

Field 3 - Name=Grade Level, Type=Popup

Step #2:

a) Once a database is set up with the necessary fields, the next step is to associate a form with it to be used in edit view.

b) To do this, choose the "forms" option on the right side of the wheel.

c) Click “ok” in the dialog that opens after initially creating the database.

d) The next action to occur will be an automatic transfer into the HanDBase Forms program.

e) Select "new" in the Form Browser window to create a form for the database.

f) If the Form Browser window is not visible, use the menu option View / Show Form Browser to enable it.

g) The Form Details window at the left provides the opportunity to define the initial parameters of the form, such as the background color, types of buttons, etc. Once finished with this task, move to the editing window of the Forms program. In this window, various UI (user interface) controls such as text fields, buttons and checkboxes are able to be defined, associated with a field in the database and placed graphically on the screen.

Step #3:

a) In the next step, UI elements of labels can been created and placed on the form to correspond to the field names in the database. The buttons positioned below the menu bar allow for these items to be created. Move the mouse over each one to read a description of the UI element that pressing the button will add.

b) Start by adding Labels to the form that match the database’s field names.

c) Continue by adding a text field and two popups, each that use the respective data source for the label that they are placed besides.

Step #4:

Once the form is created for the "Roster" database, it will later be linked it to a second database titled "Schedule".

a) In HanDBase, create the "Schedule" database with the following field structure:

Database Name=Schedule

Field 1 - Name=Name, Type=Text

Field 2 - Name=Course_1, Type=Popup

Field 3 - Name=Course_2, Type=Popup

Field 4 - Name=Course_3, Type=Popup

Field 5 - Name=Course_4, Type=Popup

Field 6 - Name=Course_5, Type=Popup

Field 7 - Name=Course_6, Type=Popup

Field 8 - Name=Course_7, Type=Popup

Step #5:

a) Following the creation of the "Schedule" database, again select "forms" on the right side of the resulting window and click “ok”.

b) Once transferred to HanDBase Forms, click “New” in the Form Browser window to create the form.

c) Define the parameters such as background color, and form name in the Form Details window.

d) In the form layout window, create UI element labels to match each of the field names. Do this be selecting the Labels button in the toolbar at the top of the window.

e) Next, define a text field UI element and position it near the "Name" label.

f) After doing so, create pop-up UI elements that are associated with fields from the "Schedule" database and place them near their respective labels.

Step #6:

Since the databases with forms have been created, the next step will be to create a UI control in each form that will jump from database form to database form.

a) To add this control, open the form associated with the "Roster" database as described above.

b) Select the "Roster" form in the Form Browser window and select "open".

c) Next, add a button UI element.

d) Configure the button as described below:

- General Tab

o Data Source = None

o Caption Source = Other

o Caption = “View Schedule”

- Layout Tab

o Be certain to adjust the width to accommodate the width of the label

- Actions Tab

o Action 1 = Jump to Form in other Database

o Database = Schedule

o Form = Schedule

o Record = Open First Record

Note that in the Actions Tab, the "action" has been set to "Jump to Form in Other DB". Choosing this option creates the contextual items beneath it, in which the database to jump to is selected, along with the form and which record to go to. The option can be made to open the first record, open the last record, create a new record, open first/last record or create.

e) Next, create a button UI element in the Schedule database's form.

f) Set the action properties of the button to "Jump to Form in other DB", database to "Roster", form to "Roster" and Record to "Open Last Record".

Step #7:

After setting up HanDBase Forms 4 to use the ability to jump from one form to a form in another database as described in the previous steps, the following behaviors in the software can be observed:

Pressing the “View Schedule” button in the Roster database will now jump to the form in the Schedule database. Pressing the “Back” button in the Schedule database will jump to the form in the Roster database.

To summarize, this tutorial has introduced jumping from one database's form to another database's form as one of the many new features in HanDBase Forms 4. Additional resources, if needed, can be found at:


1 YouTube Video version of tutorial

2 link to download database files used in the tutorial


If further assistance is needed, please contact DDH Software's technical support at http://www.ddhsoftware.com/support


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