Defining Change Field active link actions

Use the Change Field action in active links.

The Change Field action changes specified characteristics of fields in the current window. This action does not change field properties in the database. You can define a workflow to attach custom context-menus to tables during runtime using Change Field actions. The Change Field acts on the field ID that is defined in the Field Value.

Based on conditions when the active link executes and on the field type, you can:

• Change the field access type.
• Change the label font.
• Hide or display the field.
• Expand or collapse tree levels.
• Expand or collapse a panel field.
• Specify a different menu for a character field.
• Change the field label.
• Change the color of the field label. (Not supported for tree view table fields.)
• Hide or show the field borders, Expand Box and Menu Box.
• Change the field entry mode to Required.
• Move the focus (cursor) to the field.
• Refresh a list view or tree view table field.

You cannot use an active link to disable the Submit button (button with ID 1001) with a Change Field action.

To define a Change Field active link action

1. Right-click the If Action or the Else Action panel header.
2. Select Add Action > Change Field.
3. In the Field list, select Field Name or Field Value:
   • Field Name—Click the ellipsis button. In the Field Selector dialog box, select the field whose characteristics you want to change.
   • Field Value—Select a field whose runtime value will be the name of the field to change. This option enables you to select the field to change dynamically by using a workflow. See Creating a dynamic Change Field action.
4. Set the following field attributes as necessary.
    If you selected Field Name in step 3, the list of attributes is determined by the selected field's type.
    If you selected Field Value, all field characteristics appear. Attributes that are not applicable to the field type selected at runtime are ignored.
    To leave an attribute unchanged, select Unchanged (the default).
   • Field Access—Changes the Field Access field property to Read Only, Read/Write, or Disabled (for data fields) or to Enabled or Disabled (for trim, control, and tree view table fields).
   • Field Font—Changes the field label font to the specified AR Fonts style, such as Edit Field or Header Text (I). Not supported for tree view table fields.
   • Field Visibility—Changes the visibility of a field. To show a hidden field, select Visible. To hide a visible field, select Hidden.
      To be made visible, the field must be in the form view. If it is not in the current view, changing visibility has no effect. Not supported for tree view table fields.
   • Expand Collapse Tree Levels—Expands (Expand All Levels) or collapses (Collapse All Levels) all levels of a tree view table field.
      Collapse All Levels closes all levels of the tree view so that only the root node and the first level are displayed. If the root node is a level (that is, it contains non-collapsible items), the tree is not collapsed. This setting in the Change Field action does not work in Progressive Views.
   • Expand Collapse Panel—Opens or closes a panel field (a panel in a panel holder.) This setting in the Change Field action does not work in Progressive Views.
   • Menu—Changes the menu attached to a field: Select Changed, and either enter the name of the new menu or click the ellipsis button to select the new menu from the Menu/Keyword Selector.
      If a menu is not attached to the field, you cannot change to a different menu.
      To hide the menu icon, select the $NULL$ keyword from the Menu/Keyword Selector. This allocates space on the form for the icon. If you later use the Change Field action to attach a different menu, the menu icon reappears without affecting the form layout. For information about creating menus, see Creating-and-managing-packing-lists.

   • Field Label—Changes the field label: Select Changed, and either enter a new label in the text box or click the ellipsis button and select a field reference from Field Selector. If you leave the text box empty, the field label appears blank.

     Warning

     Changing field labels can affect the layout of the form. For example, long labels might be truncated or the field might change position on the form. Leave enough room around the field to handle the changed label size.

   • Label Color—Changes the field label color: Select Custom, and select a color from the color palette. To reset the color to its default setting, select Default.
   • Field Drag—Enables or disables a field configured to be dragged (the source field). See Allowing-users-to-drag-and-drop-data. This setting in the Change Field action does not work in Progressive Views.
   • Field Drop—Enables or disables a field configured to be dropped on (the target field). If you use this action to disable a field, the field is not highlighted when users perform drag operations. See Allowing-users-to-drag-and-drop-data. This setting in the Change Field action does not work in Progressive Views.
   • Field Border—Changes the visibility of the field border. To show the field border, select Visible. To hide the field border, select Hidden. This setting in the Change Field action does not work in Progressive Views.

   • Field Menu Box—Changes the visibility of the menu box that is attached to the field. To show the menu box, select Visible. To hide the menu box, select Hidden. This setting in the Change Field action does not work in Progressive Views.

     To hide or show a menu on the browser, the menu must be attached to the field in .

   • Field Expand Box—Changes the visibility of the expand box that is attached to the field. To show the expand box, select Visible. To hide the expand box, select Hidden. To reset the Expand Box property to its default setting, select Unchanged. This setting in the Change Field action does not work in Progressive Views.

     For Field Expand Box, the attribute value set at design time does not overrides the value set at runtime.

   • Process Entry Mode—Changes a nonrequired field to a required field (Required) or reinstates the field's Optional entry mode (Not Required).
   • Set Focus to Field—When selected, moves the focus (cursor) to the field.
   • Refresh Tree/Table—When selected, refreshes a list view or tree view table field. This setting in the Change Field action does not work in Progressive Views.
   • Background Color—Changes the background color for the Selection fields (Drop-Down List, Radio Button, and Check Box), Trim Text field, and Panel fields (Tabbed Panel Holder and Flow Panel Holder).
   • Alternative Text—Changes the alternative text in progressive views for all the fields that have the Alternative Text property. This option is applicable for progressive views only. When you select Changed from the list, a text field is enabled where you can select a field or type in text.
     
5. Save the active link.

Creating a dynamic Change Field action

To determine the field to be changed at runtime, use the Field Value option when creating the Change Field action, and supply the field or keyword that will identify the field ID to be changed at runtime. To allow the workflow to obtain this value from a field, add the field to the associated form. If workflow will set the value in this field, it can be a hidden or display only field. A Change Field action can also be defined to trigger the workflow for activating the dynamic context menu of a table. 

For example, the Change Field Example form contains a field named Dynamic Field Changer. At runtime, the user or the workflow enters a field ID in the Short Description field. When the user clicks Click Me, the label on the Short Description field turns red and the field receives focus.

To define a dynamic Change Field action

1. Select Field Value in the Change Field action, and then click the ellipsis () button.
2. In the Field/Keyword Selector dialog box, select the field or keyword (such as $FIELDNAME$ ) that identifies the field holding the field ID to change at runtime.
3. Specify the field attributes to change with this action.
   In this example, the field label color is changed to red and the focus is set when the workflow is executed. All other attributes are unchanged.
4. Save the active link.

To attach items to a context menu

1. Select Field Value in the Change Field action.
2. Click the ellipsis button and set the value to the Character Field on the form. At runtime, enter the field ID of the menu that has to be attached to the context menu.
3. Select Changed in Menu and click the ellipsis () button.
4. Specify the control to be attached to the context menu.
   For example, this could be a form, the items from which are dynamically attached to the context menu of the table.
5. Save the active link.