Building Applications with VFE CD Content

A Tour of the Student Registration Application

The Student Registration Application is the second part of F1 Technologies’ five-day training course, represented days three, four, and five of the class we have presented in Toledo and around the country. 

In the StudentReg Application we will build on the skills developed in the first two days of training by building an application which has a good deal more complexity.  We will  demonstrate many techniques of creating method code which takes advantage of built-in functionality of the framework and give more examples of how you can figure out how to write code in your own methods, especially how to talk to data objects.

It is highly recommended that the student complete the Visual FoxExpress Jumpstart CD prior to doing this set of material.  We will repeat many of the concepts introduced in the Invoice Application in order to reinforce them, but the explanation will probably be more detailed in the Invoice App materials. The Invoice App also deals with a few things that will not be repeated again in the StudentReg application.  The Invoice App, for example, is structured in such a way as to demonstrate better the use of Parent-child-grandchild design and how efficiently this can be accomplished using the Wizards.

Contents of CD 1

01 - A Tour of the Student Registration Application  (  20:59 min/sec )

An overview of the finished StudentReg Application.

( Run \Compiled StudentReg\StudentReg.EXE  to try the completed application.)

02 - Creating the new VFE Application ( 13:53 min/sec )

The Application Wizard

Examining the Application Object

The Files Page

Class libraries added to the application

03 - Adding an Existing DBC to the Project  ( 15:01 min/sec )

 Adding the StudentReg.dbc

Naming Conventions

Changing the name of an existing table in the project

Setting up the generation of Primary Keys

The Appids.dbc

Setting up and examining indexes on tables

Dealing with Candidate Keys

 

 

 

04 - Creating v_Studentreg Database  ( 08:31 min/sec)

Creating the basic views

Examining the generated SQL code

Gotchas in the View Designer

05 - Indexes and search index tags on views  ( 10:56  min/sec )

Primary key generation in views

Co-ordinating appids for tables and views

Creating Indexes on views

Search index tags

06 - User Interface Classes and Lookups  (  11:11 min/sec )

Read only property

Captions properties

Regarding Codebook Naming Conventions

User Interface Class

UI Builder

Comboxes and Lookups

Lookup Builder

Optiongroups

Lookups on other than key fields  - non-dynamic lookups

07 - Parameterized view and lookup for cMajors_id  ( 08:38 min/sec )

Creating a view used only for lookup

Parameterizing a lookup view against another foreign key in the parent

Setting up views for changing values in one lookup based on the selected value in another

08 - Cursor classes, DEs and Bizobjs  ( 14:47 min/sec )

Creating Cursor classes

Naming class libraries

Setting default index order

Creating Data Environment classes

Creating Business object classes

09 - Grid Presentation Objects  ( 16:14 min/sec )

Presentation Object wizard

Grid Builder

Edit boxes on grid presobjs

Edit box builder

10 - Form style Presentation Objects ( 15:26 min/sec )

Parameterizing a child view on a parent’s key

Parent and Child Presentation Object wizard

Properties of the Bizobj Loader

Multi-page presentation objects

11 - Creating Forms   (  17:39 min/sec )

Creating Presentation Object Forms

Creating Single Record Modal Add Forms

Reusing presentation objects

Associating SRMAFs with lookups

List page

12 - Modifying the v_StudentsPresobj   (  08:05 min/sec )

Resizing the presobj and controls

Setting up the optiongroup and optionbuttons

lgetcaption

13 - Creating toolbars, First run of the app  ( 24:48  min/sec )

Refitting the modified presobj to the form

Creating toolbars

Setting applications default toolbar

When and what to build

Running the project for the first time

Options dialog

Assessing what needs changing

14 - Changing the StudentsPresobj   ( 18:04 min/sec )

Using buttons instead of tabs to change pages

First code

pgf.PresentObject.Activepage

Putting controls outside the pageframe

Refreshing a label from data

Adding a method

Bizobj.getvalues()

With … Endwith

oBizobj object reference

Field objects and the objectifying of data

Cursor class’s item array

15 - Synchronizing Dropdown Listboxes  ( 36:44 min/sec )

Setting Tab Order of the Presobj

Creating new properties of the presobj

Dealing with properties that store object references

Modifying destroy()

Storing self-reference of a control from the Init()

Using the oGlobalhook reference and the getcontroller() method

Using the control’s valid() method

Using the oField object reference and the ischanged() method lLoseFocusonSelection

lAllowFocuswhenEmpty

16 - Adding a field to the view and the List Grid  ( 13:18 min/sec )

Modifying the table

Dealing with Select * views

Adding the field to the view

Adding a control to the Presobj

Checkbox Builder

Navigating the grid with the Properties sheet

CurrentControl property of grid column

17 - Hacking views to get two left outer joins   ( 20:56 min/sec )

Inner vs. Outer Joins

Adding View hacking functionality to VFE

Config.fpw

Sys(1270)

VFEStarter6.prg

VFEGenview.prg

Hacking the view in code

18 - Nulls and refreshing looked up fields  ( 14:02 min/sec )

Adding looked up fields to the List Grid

Review of changing lActive to checkbox in List Grid

NullDisplay property

Explanation, using debugger, of need to refresh looked up fields prior to requery.

Contents of CD 2

19 - Field Behavior Classes to refresh looked up fields   ( 13:07 min/sec )

Creating FBCs

Using Checklookup_post()

Modifying the field’s Behavior Class property

Modifying the college cbo valid()

20 - Importing Data   ( 12:28 min/sec )

Suggestions and examples for importing data

Adding 92 records to the Students table from a free table

21 - Courses - view through running form  ( 45:03 min/sec )

Setting order of cursor class

Using filters instead of two left joins

Adding indexes and setting search index tag properties

Setting lookups

Demonstrating a view where the primary display values are looked up values

Another example of needing a refresh of the looked up values

22 - FBCs for Course Name and Location   ( 19:06 min/sec )

Using Getvalues() with parameters

Using Setvalues() to update a cursor from and object created from a lookup cursor record.

Testing the oHost property of the field object before calling the Refresh() of the presobj.

23 - LIst and Copy Buttons  ( 14:55 min/sec )

Pluses and minuses of the isearchgrid

Using the Presobj builder to set the cListfields property

Disabling the isearchgrid when using a List Page

lCopyinprogress

Setting a label’s visible property to lCopyinprogress

24 - Digressing on Debugging   (11:44 min/sec )

Demonstrating the Form Handler

Using the debugger to explore the application object’s oforms

Using OKL F8 to get an object reference

25 - Application Toolbar  (16:05 min/sec )

iAdmintoolbarbutton

cform property

cMainToolbar property of the Application object

 

26 - v_StudentReg view through bizobj  ( 11:48 min/sec )

Principles of Many-to-many relationships

Creating the v_Registrations view

Things to watch for in the DBSetprops of generated code

Creating cursor, data environment and bizobj classes

27 - v_StudentRegPresObj  ( 15:16 min/sec )

Creating a presobj using ilistbox

Requerying issues using ilistbox

Columncount property

Columnwidths property

28 - v_Availablecourses view through bizobj  ( 12:10 min/sec )

StudentReg presobj

Creating a presobj withoout controls from wizard

Using presobj.delete_post()

v_Availablecourses view

Bizobj with no presentation layer

Listtoarray() method of bizobj and cursor classes

Getcourselist()

Creating data for the array to feed the iMover class

29 - v_Studentregbizobj_getcourselist()  ( 9:19 min/sec )

Storing object references in properties of the bizobj

Cleaning up in the destroy()

Instantiating bizobjs in method code

More complex OOP design for communicating between objects

30 - v_StudentregPresobj_Registration()  ( 10:32 min/sec )

Using iMover

Array manipulation for the mover class

Passing arrays by reference

Using named constants from VFE.H in the Messagebox()

31 - v_StudentregPresobj_Saveregistrations()  ( 13:17 min/sec )

Working with Objectified fields in VFE

Using bizboj Findfield()

Parsing the array to two dimensions

Bizobj Getfield()

Bizobj GetPKValue()

Bizobj GetPKName()

32 - v_StudentRegBizobj_SaveRegistrations()  ( 26:54 min/sec )

Complex VFE method code involving processing

Using stored object references to requery data

Using bizobj.Search()

Modifying multiple cursors from inside one method

Creating an array of record objects

Bizobj.Adderrormessage()

Adding new records in code and setting values

Cancelling and reverting changes

33 - Adding and Testing v_Studentregpresobj  ( 22:24 min/sec )

Creating a presobj using ilistbox

Requerying issues using ilistbox

Adding the presobj to v_StudentsPresobj

Setting relations in the bizobj loader

Bizobj loader builder

Testing Registrations

Contents of CD 3

34 - debugmode() and v_studentreg  ( 30:02 min/sec )

Thorough explanation of the most complex method code using the debugger and watch window to demonstrate record objects etc.

35 - Subclassing iMoverform  ( 08:56 min/sec )

Changes in the iLayer

Subclassing from the iLayer

36 - Adding a seat when a course is dropped  ( 16;29 min/sec )

Bizobj.Delete_pre()

Bizobj.Delete_post()

V_Coursebizobj.Addseat()

37 - Grade Entry Module  ( 38:59 min/sec )

Creating views with registered parameter variables

Using PADR() with calculated view fields

Using Value is in List with very short values

Creating lookups for view parameters

View parameter containers

Data entry checkboxes in grids

Testing mDown() in the checkbox When() clause

Using display controls’ interactivechange()

Fixing unresolved Array references with External Array

38 - V_Student_Payments view  ( 15:35 min/sec )

Another approach to parameterized child views

Using a View Parameter Behavior Class to set parameter for parent key

Using Value is in List with a cbo lookup

39 - v_Student_Payments cursor through 1st run   ( 23:56 min/sec )

Using grid and control combinations on data entry screens

Changing field visibility based on data

Adding the v_student_paymentspresobj to v_studentspresobj

40 - Calculating totals.scm    ( 23:38 min/sec )

Creating Bizobj properties to bind to data

Calculatesum()

Using access methods

Another ilayer subclass for a currency display textbox

41 - Bizrules  ( 19:40 )

Situations where business rules are appropriate

Creating a business rule

Storing a persistant object reference to the calling business object to be used in methods called from execute()

Creating new bizrule methods

Using the additem() method of the obizrule object

42 - Student Roster by Status Report  ( 18:16 min/sec )

A Naming convention for views

Simple report design’

View parameters and output objects

Output object wizard

The Repolist table

43 - Student Report Cards  ( 25:07 min/sec )

Complex parameterized views to drive reports

Views used for lookups

More complex report design

lallowselectall property of the bizobj

cstartform property of the Application Object