Creating dialog boxes

The following procedure provides a general overview for creating an application that uses dialog boxes.

In this example, a button named Enter Serial Number is created on the parent form. When the user clicks this button, a confirmation dialog box (display-only form) appears to allow the user to enter a serial number and click OK. An active link returns the value to the parent form.

For more information about active links, see Active-links.

To create a simple dialog box

1. On the parent form, create a button named Enter Serial Number from which you want to open the dialog box, and save the parent form.
    For more information about buttons, see Button fields.
2. Create a display-only form with the following fields:
   • A character field representing the entry field
      For example, if the user must enter the serial number of a product, create a field labeled "Serial Number."
   • An OK button
   • A Cancel button
      You can add additional fields to a dialog box, but they will be display-only fields.
3. Create an active link that will launch the display-only form (dialog box).
   1. In AR System Navigator, expand serverName > All Objects.
   2. Right-click Active Links, and select New Active Link.
   3. On the Associated Forms panel, click Add, and add the parent form that contains the Enter Serial Number button, which will open the display-only form.
   4. On the Execution Options panel, in the Button/Menu Field field, enter the name of the button.
   5. Right-click the If Actions panel heading, and select Add Action > Open Window.
   6. On the Open Window sub-panel, complete the following fields as follows:The [confluence_table-plus] macro is a standalone macro and it cannot be used inline.
      
   7. If you want the field to be automatically populated when the display-only form opens, enter the field's name in the Field column, and enter a value in the Value column in the On Dialog Open Action area.
   8. Under On Dialog Close Action, enter the field from the parent form that you want populated from the display-only form's Serial Number field.
   9. Click the Value pane at the selection point, enter the field whose value you want transferred to the parent form when the display-only form closes.
       In this example, the field is Serial Number.
   10. Save the active link.
4. Create an active link that executes when the user clicks the OK button on the dialog box. Creating this workflow transfers information from the Serial Number field on the dialog box to a field on the parent form.
   1. Create a new active link.
   2. On the Associated Forms panel, click Add, and add the display-only form (dialog box).
   3. On the Execution Options panel, in the Button/Menu Field field, enter the name of the button that users will click to confirm their entry in the display-only form.
       In this example, the button name is OK.
   4. Right-click the If Actions panel heading, and select Add Action > Commit Changes.
       The Commit Changes subpanel appears under the If Actions panel.
   5. Right-click the If Actions panel heading, and select Add Action > Close Window.
   6. On the Close Window subpanel, from the State list, select Close Current.
   7. Save the active link.
5. Create an active link that executes when the user clicks Cancel. This action simply closes the dialog box without returning any values.
   1. Create a new active link.
   2. On the Associated Forms panel, click Add, and add the display-only form (dialog box).
   3. On the Execution Options panel, in the Button/Menu Field field, enter the name of the button that users will click to confirm their entry in the display-only form.
       In this example, the button name is Cancel.
   4. Right-click the If Actions panel heading, and select Add Action > Close Window.
       The Close Window subpanel appears under the If Actions panel.
   5. From the State list, select Close Current.
   6. Save the active link.
6. Set the correct permissions for the forms and active links so that your users can operate them successfully.
    For information about permissions, see Access-control.
    For additional examples of using buttons that open dialog boxes, open the Sample:ClassCentral form that is installed with BMC Remedy AR System, and click the Enroll tab.