Problems with validation messages on VARPG projects -- CODE400-L



Rick,
Let me try to answer this one;  "Validation" in entryfield is kind of a
misnomer cause it consists of
2 parts:
 1. what's valid(comparison, range etc. defined in the validation page) and
 2. the message to put up if invalid when being validated(also defined in
the validation page).
So filling up both doesn't mean that the entryfield will get validated.
What's happening is this;
when you do a getatr(inside of your lostFocus action subroutine), if the
field content is invalid based
on #1 above, you'll get a runtime error(and before that a "a value is
invalid" warning).  You get both.
If you have defined validation(action), for M2 or before that, the only
choice to get a validation action is
by using a button(button properties notebook - action - validate then
perform action).  If such a button was
defined and pressed and the contents are invalid, then you'll see the
validation message that you've
defined popped up in a message box, and addtional behaviour like the field
got reversed video and
focus sent back to it etc; this is the validation action.
Now in your case, you apparently were trying to do both; I mean you want to
do validation yourself but you
also want to partially get validation from VARPG(range/message defined  but
no validation button).  And
because it was done thru' a 'lostFocus' event and  when we were trying to
put up the runtime error
message(the second message that you never see, the first one being 'a value
is not valid'), the focus has to
be taken away from the ID field again, another lostFocus event was
triggered thus leading to infinite loop.
In the next release(M3), we have added a 'auto-validate' style for
entryfield and that's done automatically thru'
lostFocus event(with additional effort from our runtime engine to prevent
looping), and I think that would solve
part of the problem.
But I believe there's still room to improve; no matter which version M2/M3
you're using, we are saying EITHER
you do validation yourself; don't define range/message in the validation
page, your code should handle
checking and visual effects, OR you can use our validation(define
range/message, define validation button(M2),
auto-validate style in the field itself(M3) and you have to accept our way
of controlling the visual effects( messagebox,
reversed video).  There's no way to try to integrate our validation with
additional behaviour/visual effects from you.
I think here's what we should do; maybe add (one or two) runtime
attribute(s) that allow you to request a validation
and basing on the result; on one attribute we'll just return true/false and
you'll do the rest-visual effects etc.; and the
other attribute will also return true/false but if it's invalid, the VARPG
engine will still go thru' our visual effects first.
Well, that's only my 2 cents.  Hope I've answered  your question.
Thanks.

Alan Chao

"VisualAge RPG" Development
IBM Toronto Lab.
1150 Eglinton Ave. East
North York, Ont. Canada
Tel: (416) 448-6086    e-mail: alanchao@CA.IBM.COM


---------------------- Forwarded by Alan Chao/Toronto/IBM on 03/10/2000
01:10 PM ---------------------------

Phil Coulthard
03/09/2000 09:54 PM

To:   alan chao, wilson hui, Ida Yung/Toronto/IBM
cc:
From: Phil Coulthard/Toronto/IBM@IBMCA
Subject:  Problems with validation messages on VARPG projects



fyi

Phil Coulthard, AS/400 AD,  IBM Canada Ltd. coulthar@ca.ibm.com.
416-448-4076


---------------------- Forwarded by Phil Coulthard/Toronto/IBM on
2000/03/09 09:53 PM ---------------------------

"Flagler Jr., Richard E." <flagler@timken.com> on 2000/03/09 06:10:41 PM

Please respond to CODE400-L@MIDRANGE.COM

To:   "'CODE400-L@midrange.com'" <CODE400-L@MIDRANGE.COM>
cc:
Subject:  Problems with validation messages on VARPG projects




I am teaching a class in VARPG and one of the students brought a problem to
my attention. I was able to readily duplicate it. I get a VARPG generated
validation message that I can't get out of without killing the program. I'm
not sure if the technique I am using is right. Here's the steps to recreate
this and i'll attach the ODF, TXM file and VPG code for the errant program
in case anyone wan'ts to try it.

1. create a window with two entry fields and a radio button
2. open properties for field1, a character (30A) field and add a validation
message if it's NE blank (' ') and attach *MSG0002.
3. open properties for field2, a numeric field (9,0) and add "range"
validation for between 1000 and 59999 and attach *MSG0001.
4. code and action subroutine on the numeric field so that when it looses
focus, check if the numeric field is under 50000 and if so, check the radio
button.
5. code an exit button for eval *INLR = *ON.

The problems are:
1. When compiled, if you enter 1 in the numeric field and click somewhere
else to make focus be lost, a system supplied validation message appears
that isn't the *MSG0001 that I coded. Further, it won't go away and
sometimes is duplicated so that there are two error messages. Maybe there's
a conflict between the concept of lost focus and the error message display?
Could that be?
2. Not sure why, but it also appears that the character validation field
NEVER gets checked. I thought as soon as you "left" the field, the
validation "fired". Am I wrong about that?

This program is one of the examples in the IBM supplied Partners in
Education curriculum and so potentially a lot of people might try to do it.

FYI, I'm on V4R4 of OS/400 and V3r2m2 of VARPG/CODE and SP002. Any thoughts
on this would be appreciated. My students think they've found a bug in
VARPG but I wonder if the usage of LOSTFOCUS and validation is a problem.

Thanks to all.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rick Flagler
Manager, Information Systems
Timken Super Precision (MPB)
Keene, NH 03431-0547
p: (603) 352-0310 x207
f: (603) 355-4534