The first System I wrote on my own is still alive and moving forward.
The problem I face (which most of you would have), is that my own methodologies have matured far beyond where they were 4 years ago. Actually, even 1 year ago, but that’s beside the point.
When I wrote the bulk of this System, I didn’t know about the Select Button/Window paradigm for getting a field value. I only knew about the DropDown Listbox/Combo.
Both have an argument for use.
The Combo gets to be right there, on the same window. This is a powerful thing, too often underestimated. The User (in my experience) likes that the information is at their fingertips.
The problem is (in Clarion) that large record numbers make this a daunting task for much of the data we look at. Of course, that’s why I wrote an Autocomplete template (Requires Subscription) to make sure a set number of records were put into the buffer at one time (and fixing a couple of other things too).
The Select paradigm is cool. I like it, because it flows in my brain a lot better (this is most often not actually what makes sense to the User, even though sometimes the functionality is better). You type the value into the entry .. if it doesn’t exist (on tabbing off, or pressing the select button) a Select window is brought up. The way I’ve learned it, you can then have further Insert/Change/Delete functionality on the Select window, giving he User full access to that particular (and others) file. Back on the entry, when opening up an existing file, it’s easy to change the value either by typing, or lazily (better sometimes) by mouse-clicking on the Select button and then finding the value in the listbox.
Of course, the same problem that plagues the Combo is the problem here. Large record numbers make it harder to navigate. Of course, there are ways to push through this. Just requires some clean and clever thinking about the interface, searching, and selection functionality.
Phew. What started out to be just an Aside post has turned into something a little longer.
The question I have this morning is this .. which do you prefer? Drop-Down Combo/Listbox or Select Button/Window? Is it situational, or do you consistently use one or the other?
Cheers,
I chose to go down the route of File Drop Combo’s rather than a select button option, purely because when using the select browse a ‘new’ window has appeared making the user focus on something different, and then they have to press a button to select the option they want. I very rarely use Browses with Select buttons on these days.
Of course adding the In-Memory driver to FDC’s is a great help too
Comment by Colin Wynn — August 27, 2006 @ 4:17 am
Nice.
That In-Memory driver is a blast
At least, so I’ve heard. Yet to get it for myself.
Comment by Stu — August 28, 2006 @ 11:05 am
Stu
I’ve gone the other way and always used a select button because I can have filtered locators, xplore templates, exploding and imploding windows, greenbar effects, calculated fields, the ability to insert new records, the ability to look up a different field (even in a different file), and probably other features on the lookup window.
Cheers!
Dave Beggs
Comment by Dave Beggs — August 31, 2006 @ 9:09 pm
Dave.
Nice! Thanks for a perspective on the other side. The Daaaarrrrkkk .. ahem. I mean.
Sounds like you have a huge amount of functionality built around the select button/window. It would have some major benefits.
Cheers,
Comment by Stu — September 1, 2006 @ 9:30 am
It’s a situational question. I would use a Drop-Down for a few and fix items list with just one or two columns to show, but I would use a SelectWindow for a larger list with many columns to show (maybe the user knows the company name, the comercial name, etc.). There’s a third option when the user could select more then one item: ListBox.
Cheers.
Comment by Daniel Ruzo — September 7, 2006 @ 1:32 am
Daniel,
Nice. And very true. I’ve used the Listbox on occasion when the situation demanded it.
I guess that sums up the driving force behind what we use .. Situation derives the Tool. In some, DropDown, in others, Select.
There might be another way to give the user choice over how they select information. Well, there are.
Comment by Stu — September 7, 2006 @ 10:01 am