Changing Output in VP panel

PointsWell

Is there a way to use a button to insert a query's output into a panel on a VP?

I have a number of queries that are related to a record on the screen.

What I'd like to do is press a button (run a process) and swap out the current query in a panel with another query.

I have about 5 different queries but only want to show one on screen at a time driven by button choices by the user.

Thanks

tford

The only way I know to accomplish that is to set up various VPs and have your process display a new VP based on the user's choice.

hpl123

Pointswell,
This isn't possible IF this hasn't been implemented in v7+ which I doubt. One workaround you can use:
https://forum.awareim.com/d/7423>

tford

Ah, yes, Henrik .. great link. I forgot all about your tip and sample BSV there.

pureist

"What I'd like to do is press a button (run a process) and swap out the current query in a PANEL with another query. "

Set the PANEL to be a html panel whose refresh, is triggered by the process run via the button, and carried out by another process.

Check-out the 'Refresh...' setting at the bottom of the properties for content panels, I think on the second properties tab.

A limitation of this feature is an instance in context cannot be passed as input, however if need be you can save the instance to use as criteria in an attribute of RegularUser of SystemSettings, which the process that carries out the refresh can access.

tford

Building on pureist's post, attached is a simple BSV that demonstrates how this can be done:

1- Add WhichQuery to RegularUser BO.
2- In "Button" Content Panel of the Administrator VP, place two buttons to select between two queries. Each button simply sets LoggedInRegularUser.WhichQuery value via a process.
3- Process run by #2 then does DISPLAY PERSPECTIVE Administrator to refresh the perspective
4- The "Conditional query via process" Content Panel of Administrator VP runs a process that displays a query based upon the value in LoggedInRegularUser.WhichQuery

Note that an initialization process sets the initial value of LoggedInRegularUser.WhichQuery to 'Users 1' when the user first logs into this BSV.

RefreshQuery.zip

34.57kB

PointsWell

Wow. Went to bed and woke up with a bunch of great responses. 😃

Thanks, will look into these today.

aware_support

Do you know that among the options for the output there is one called "Same Panel"?

Seems like this is what you need here unless I misunderstood what this is about...

tford

Do you know that among the options for the output there is one called "Same Panel"?

Ahhh .. didn't think of that. Simple is better.

RefreshQuery_SamePanel.zip

34.56kB

Jaymer

I tried the sample BSV, but I wonder if its going to work for Pointswell.
It really does work as a stand alone test. But if you've got a query and you're parked on a record in the list, and you want to see Query 3 in the "query results" panel, I don't think he's gonna be happy with the entire screen redrawing, cause you're probably going to lose focus on the row you were on... or cause undue load on the server re-running the outer query just to run one of the 5 sub-queries.

personally, there's a delay on my screen as the processes initiate and redraw. for comparison, add a 3rd button "Users 3" that doesn't call the process, but just calls either Query 1 or 2 and you'll see how fast it CAN happen without the extra manipulating.

In fact, I checked my CPU usage.
You can see the overhead needed to accomplish this. This is on a 3.5 gig ram Microsoft Server.
I'm not trying to be argumentative, just not sure its the right solution. Lets see what the OP says.

tford

Good point Jaymer. Now that I have my mind around the Same Panel operation (something I haven't used much), I simplified even further.

Interested to see what your metrics say now. BTW, I've edited my post above to eliminate the refresh question as it's now not needed.

Refresh_Simple.zip

34.48kB

PointsWell

Jaymer wrote
I tried the sample BSV, but I wonder if its going to work for Pointswell.
It really does work as a stand alone test. But if you've got a query and you're parked on a record in the list, and you want to see Query 3 in the "query results" panel, I don't think he's gonna be happy with the entire screen redrawing, cause you're probably going to lose focus on the row you were on... or cause undue load on the server re-running the outer query just to run one of the 5 sub-queries.

personally, there's a delay on my screen as the processes initiate and redraw. for comparison, add a 3rd button "Users 3" that doesn't call the process, but just calls either Query 1 or 2 and you'll see how fast it CAN happen without the extra manipulating.

In fact, I checked my CPU usage.
You can see the overhead needed to accomplish this. This is on a 3.5 gig ram Microsoft Server.
I'm not trying to be argumentative, just not sure its the right solution. Lets see what the OP says.

Hi Jaymer

I've played about with this and you are right it is not the best.

I've also come to the conclusion that my original approach is sub optimal in its concept too.

My challenge is that I have a number of contact records that have a number of child relationships. The class of the parent drives which relationships might be in place. For example a Contact of class Company will have Employees and Subsidiaries while a Person will not.

What I was trying to achieve is a list on the left and the right hand split into Parent on top and child on bottom.

I cannot use a single form as the top has a number of attributes that are dependent on the Class (date of birth for example is a Person attribute). So if I were to just put the tabs on the bottom of the parent form I'd have to redundantly repeat a whole series of different tabs.

So I came up with a second idea. What if I use two processes for the right top and right bottom to populate two different versions of the Contact form.

Then it all went to mush.

If I use a process with DISPLAY then I cannot specify the form. If I use VIEW USING then it overwrites the page with the View. So then I created two extra panels to run the process and then output to a different panel each.

I am still having the issue of it just showing just one version and it is still overwriting the VP.

Seems like the best ideas don't always come in the shower :?

Jaymer

I don't think the "same panel" thing works... isn't the idea that you'd be in panel A viewing customers, and you'd pick a customer and click 1 of 5 buttons, and have Panel B show the output?
So "same panel" where you are clicking isn't where you'd want the output.

anyway, since you asked Tom, On User 1 query, I needed to add a button that just ran Query 2, so next to your button, I have a simple button to do that. Then on User 2's panel buttons, I added a User 1 button. So my buttons so the same thing as yours, but your's is doing the VP thing and I can't see a difference, except your way uses a tiny bit more CPU.

PointsWell

PointsWell wrote
Then it all went to mush.

If I use a process with DISPLAY then I cannot specify the form. If I use VIEW USING then it overwrites the page with the View. So then I created two extra panels to run the process and then output to a different panel each.

I am still having the issue of it just showing just one version and it is still overwriting the VP.

Seems like the best ideas don't always come in the shower :?

DOH!

Forgot to switch off the output from the original settings.

Works perfectly now (screen sizing issues aside)

Jaymer

I need to go rewatch the VP video tutorial cause I'm kinda lost in that whole concept.
I'm not sure if in normal operation of an application, you're supposed to change VPs dynamically, or just set the desired one at login time?

For me personally, I think many Aware screens staRt looking 'all the same' and I'd rather have some blatant visual clues to let me know I'm in the A/P section, Employee section, Customer, orders, etc.
So some background coloring or colored headings help u easily (or more 'at a glance') know where you are.
But thats just me.

So I haven't figured out if Visual Perspective is how I make this happen?
(or do I change the template during runtime? or some basement-level CSS coloring codes?)
We're kinda limited on how many examples of nice, finished Aware apps we can view. So you don't know what you don't know.
One new developer may do an entire system looking the same and never change VP while another realized there's some power in changing it... or not? I dunno.

PointsWell

Jaymer wrote
I need to go rewatch the VP video tutorial cause I'm kinda lost in that whole concept.

Personally I am utilising the VP to do two things.

I have a range of VP that act as context. My rationale for this is to provide simplicity in the screen and not having the user working back and forward on tabs.

I have then also set up a specific VP that is specific to an access level (Finance). Navigation to that Context is then limited on the button.

I would have just set up one Context for the different Roles and swapped using the DISPLAY VP command, but I have placed context specific buttons on the left screen menu, which would not work so well otherwise.

PointsWell

PointsWell wrote
PointsWell wrote
Works perfectly now (screen sizing issues aside)

I spoke way too soon. I am back to the refresh issue.

The forms show everything as expected. But when the selected item on the list changes, the process needs to be refreshed.

Really what I need is some means of having the two panels listen for changes in the item selected and then update with the details (or some means of being able to output to two locations.

I haven't looked at the network impacts of what I am doing yet, but I get the feeling that it is not going to be great.

tford

I spoke way too soon. I am back to the refresh issue.

The forms show everything as expected. But when the selected item on the list changes, the process needs to be refreshed.

Really what I need is some means of having the two panels listen for changes in the item selected and then update with the details (or some means of being able to output to two locations.

Hard to help with so few details. If you could post a small BSV with where you're stuck, it might be easier for someone to help.

PointsWell

So this image is what I am trying to describe

One BO - Contact
3 forms
1-Create
2-Header
3-Sub = has two panels, that each hide based on the value of Contact.Company (Y/N)

Ideally it would be more efficient to run the display of the Header and Sub forms off the one query - but they don't reside in the same panel.

I cannot have one form with tabs at the bottom of it as the real use case creates additional complexities in the form display. The data model is not changeable.

Initially I thought to show different queries in the bottom panel and use a button to swap back and forward but that doesn't look to be very efficient and will generate a bunch of validations which will become cumbersome over time, so then I hit upon the fact that displaying a different version of the form would fix a lot of UX issues.

So I have gotten as far as it almost working

The challenge that I have come up against is that the Select First Record gets lost when the query refreshes

See attached BSV.

170206DoubleFormV1_1.bsv.zip

36.73kB

170206DoubleFormV1_1.bsv.zip

36.73kB

PointsWell

Thanks to @BLOMASKY

This is a solution to the issue that I was having.

1) make the panel a static HTML panel
2) it cant be empty so put anything in the HTML.
3) Other options tab, select refresh
4) Select one (or multiple) conditions to trigger the refresh. In this case, every time I select a row, I would run a process "handleSelectedRecord" which, would save the record in LoggedInRegularUser
5) Check Use process for Refresh in the panel, and have the process you want to run be triggered there

This obviously means that there is a refresh and re-query going on. Haven't looked at the impact on the network calls but for my initial development this works.