Introduction
A lookup form is a screen that allows a user to search for data. This process creates a lookup form with the item wizard.
Prerequisites
- The entity on which the forms are to be based must already exist. If you want to restrict users’ access based on validation rules, they must already be configured in the entity.
- The forms themselves also must not already exist. You can’t create multiple forms with the same ID. You can create multiple forms using the same entity.
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Quick Steps |
| 1 |
Click the Create New Item icon, then select New Page |
| 2 |
Select the Page Type, then click Proceed |
| 3 |
Select the template |
| 4 |
Roll over the Form Layout, then click Choose |
| 5 |
Enter the Form Details, then click Next |
| 6 |
Select the Search Criteria Fields |
| 7 |
Edit the Search Criteria field properties, then click Next |
| 8 |
Update the Search Results Fields |
| 9 |
Select the form buttons, then click Next |
| 10 |
Configure the form in the menu, then click Finish |
Detailed Steps
Step 1. Click the Create New Item icon, then select New Page.
This opens a dropdown list from which you can select an object to begin its item wizard. The item wizard creates a file.
Step 2. Select the Page Type, then click Proceed.
This is the object you are creating. This example creates a lookup form.
Step 3. Select the template.
This example uses a default template.
Step 4. Roll over the Form Layout, then click Choose.
Roll over the layout to choose the form based on how you want it to look to users. This example uses the default lookup layout.
Step 5. Enter the Form Details, then click Next.
Important properties are:
- Entity: Enter the entity you are basing the form on, if it already exists.
- Form Name (ID): It populates automatically, but you can modify it. It will always be prefixed with wfm and suffixed with Lookup.
- Portal Name: This is a starting point or gateway to other resources.
- Folder Name: This is where Xelence will save the form. You must select an existing folder.
Step 6. Select the Search Criteria fields.
Xelence uses the entity the forms are based on to provide the available fields. Select the ones you want for your lookup form.
Step 7. Edit the Search Criteria field properties, then click Next.
The properties are:
- Field Name: Field Name is a displayed property that is not editable. It's the column name.
- Caption: Text the user sees. From their perspective, this is the name of the field.
- Control Type: Determines how the user interacts with the field.
- Range: Indicates whether the field is a range (for dates and numeric fields).
Xelence sets the properties in this step automatically, but you can edit them if desired. The field order can be changed if required. Click Next.
Step 8. Update the Search Result Fields.
Xelence populates the Search Results section with the same fields you chose for the Search Criteria. Add or remove fields, update the properties, or change the field order as desired.
The properties are:
- Field Name: Field Name is a displayed property that is not editable. It's the column name.
- Header: Text the user sees. From their perspective, this is the name of the field (column).
- Control Type: Determines how the user interacts with the field.
- Sort Expression: The table column that contains the value the data table column expresses.
- Default Order: Xelence populates options for this only if Sort Expression is selected. The options are Ascending or Descending.
The Search Result fields populate automatically. Add/remove additional fields if desired. The field order can also be changed, if required.
Step 9. Select the form buttons, then click Next.
This determines which buttons will be on the newly created lookup form. By default, all button options are selected. The buttons are:
- New: Creates a new record.
- Open: Opens selected records.
- Delete: Deletes selected records.
- Export to Excel: Exports selected records to Excel.
Step 10. Configure the form in the menu, then click Finish.
To navigate to the form on the application side, you can create a menu item.
The important properties are:
- Text: This is the text that will be displayed on the menu.
- Description: It is the form's description.
- Form ID: Programmatic ID of the form. This is how the application knows which form to open when the user clicks the menu item.
Tip: You can add or delete menu or submenu items, and you can change their order.
Xelence creates the HTML file for the lookup form. The form file now exists and is available for further configuration.
A lookup form is technically usable after being created, but usually you'll need to configure it further to fill your project's requirements.
When you have completed the wizard and created your form, it should look something like this:
What are the improvements over S3 Version 6?
- Previously, we could create the Maintenance and Lookup forms together. Now, we can also create the Lookup form separately.
- Form Layouts are added. This allows you to choose a layout for your form.
- Preview option is provided in Xelence itself. The LOB application can be viewed by clicking the ‘Preview’ option.
Related Articles
Create a Lookup Form
This post is part of the Lookup Form topic. Click here to open the Lookup Form Overview.
This post is also part of Controls and Buttons topic. Click here to open Forms Toolbox Controls
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