Field menus overview
Field menus help users enter data and ensure that the data is consistent. You can attach a menu to any character field (character fields are data fields that hold alphanumeric characters). Menus can be statically defined, dynamically built by searching AR System databases and external databases, or read from text files written by other applications.
Menus are separate objects stored independently of a form. This means that you can create a single menu and use it for multiple forms and for multiple fields on one form.
AR System defines these types of menus:
Menu type | Description |
|---|---|
Character | Stored and maintained as a list of items in AR System. These menus are useful for fields that have a predefined series of choices that change infrequently. They can have submenus. |
File | Contains items that are created and maintained in a plain text file. The file can be stored on the system where a client is running or on the AR System server. File menus are convenient when you do not want to store the data in the AR System database. To change a file menu, simply update the file, and the changes are applied when the menu is refreshed. File menus can have submenus. |
Search | Retrieves information from requests stored in AR System databases. The information is used to build a menu dynamically in the current form. Search menus are often used when the choices in a menu depend on values entered in fields on the current form. |
SQL | Retrieves information from databases, but the databases can be outside of AR System. When you access an SQL menu, AR System uses an SQL query to extract the data and then generates the menu from that data. |
Data dictionary | Retrieves lists of fields and forms from a AR System server. These menus are useful for creating special configuration interfaces. They are generally not used to help users perform their work. |
License Data Dictionary | Retrieves the user and component/application license names per the licensing pricing models that are configured using the license key. As a system administrator, you can define the menu and attach it to the required field in your application. |