RE: Softcoding Screens was:Subfile question

["Larry" <Larry_Ducie@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Don,
 
It's funny you should mention that. We did toy with the idea, but we decided
against coding for it. The three reasons for not doing it where:
 
1) We were working with a panel definition so numerous instances of a single
field did not fit with our design too well. We decided agains paging.
2) Most of our reports used single values or ranges, not lists.
3) In the few cases where lists were needed we could easily use commands and
prompt for the list variables.
 
The fact that our selection program executes a command allows us flexibility
on what we display. So for fields that require a list we would create a
command that used the report program as the processing program. We would use
the command in the file in place of a straight call to the report program.
The substitution variables would still be resolved into subfile fields. For
the list field we would use something like ??LISTVAR in the command to cause
it to be prompted when the command runs. We woud then optionally decide
which other parameters could be seen during command prompt. (I'm working
from memory here so I've probably got the ?? wrong). The upshot is that the
user enters the data into the subfile fields. Once all valid data is entered
and the user presses Enter the command is executed - this causes the command
to prompt for the LISTVAR parameter. The user can then place a "+" and enter
the list of values. The report then processes the passed parms (some
hardcoded in the command string, some entered in the subfile program, some
entered during command prompting).
 
I think that it wouldn't be too difficult to incorporate lists into the
subfile program. We just never needed to as the command prompt does it so
well. :-)
 
Cheers
 
Larry Ducie