Creating global fields

Global fields are display-only fields. AR System server has two types of global fields:

  • Regular global fields—Share data across multiple windows and forms. For example, on several forms, you might include a global field for a user's license information. In a browser, the value in the global field persists across forms for the user session, but the value is not shared across sessions.
  • Window-scoped global fields—Share data across multiple records in the same window. The initial field value is set by a user or by active links and stays in the field until the window is closed. This value must be reinitialized when the window reopens. For example, you could use window-scoped global fields to display information about weather conditions in a view field. The information remains the same while the user performs searches on other fields in the same window. If you displayed the same information in a regular global field, it would have to be refreshed every time a new record is displayed. With a window-scoped global field, you set the value once for that window and update the value when you choose to do so by using active links. For example, you could update the information about weather conditions on an interval.


Related topics

View-fields

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To make a field a global field, you set the field ID to a value within a reserved range. The following types of fields can be global fields:

  • Character
  • Currency
  • Date
  • Date/Time
  • Decimal
  • Diary
  • Integer
  • Real
  • Selection (drop-down list, radio button, or check box)
  • Time
  • View (window-scoped global fields only)

You cannot create default values for global fields. The values in global fields begin as NULL until active links initialize them or users enter information into them. The values in global fields are not affected if users select Edit > Clear All or Edit > Set to Defaults.

In forms viewed in a browser, global fields are implemented as encoded values in cookies, which have a 4 kilobyte limitation. (With other cookie data, you can estimate that 3,500 bytes can be stored.) Global values are checked and fields are updated when a window receives focus.

For more information about display-only fields, see the description of Entry Mode under Field-Properties. 

To create a regular global field

  1. Add one of the valid global field types to a form.
  2. Select the field.
  3. In the Properties tab, set the field's database ID to a value from 1000000 through 1999999.
    See ID.
  4. Copy the global field to multiple forms.
    Make sure that each copy of the global field uses the same field ID number.

To create a window-scoped global field

  1. Add one of the valid global field types to a form.
  2. Select the field.
  3. In the Properties tab, set the field's database ID to a value from 3000000 through 3999999.
    For more information, see the description of ID in Field-Properties.

 

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