[AccessD] Abstract question

Thanks, Shamil. I will play with this. The point behind all this is a situation in which the customer can define N product attributes. So we have two tables: Products (which defines the basic attributes that all client products have in common, and the user-defined product attributes, which are actually recorded as rows but then assimilated into columns on a single row, from which is generated said AutoForm).

Assuming that the UDAs (user-defined attributes) are defined completely (i.e. this column needs phone-formatting, that column needs short-date formatting, etc.), then I'm imagining a form with a pair of tabs, the first of which displays the columns that all products share, while the second displays the columns the user has defined. 

Thus the need for an AutoForm. Client A has defined 10 attributes, Client B has defined 15. I don't want to rewrite the UI for each new client. I want to generate the UDA form and plonk it on the Tab2 automagically.
 
Arthur Fuller
Technical Writer, Data Modeler, SQL Sensei
Artful Databases Organization
www.artfulsoftware.com




----- Original Message ----
From: Shamil Salakhetdinov <shamil at users.mns.ru>
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 9:06:49 AM
Subject: Re: [AccessD] Abstract question


Hello Arthur,

The task of "realizing that certain fields of any arbitrary recordset ought
to be checkboxes, others formatted short-date, etc." can be solved by using
recordset field's DisplayControl property, which defines what is a
preferable way to display field's value:

DisplayControl = 109 - textbox
DisplayControl = 106 - checkbox
DisplayControl = 110 - listbox
DisplayControl = 111 - combobox

Format property defines output format etc.

You can find other useful properties to generate autoform - the following
code can be used for that if you uncomment two code lines in Case Else code
block:

Public Sub TestDebugPrint(ByVal vstrRstName As String)
Dim dbs As DAO.Database
Dim rst As DAO.Recordset
Dim fld As DAO.Field
Dim fld1 As DAO.Field
Dim prp As DAO.Property
    Set dbs = CurrentDb
    Set rst = dbs.OpenRecordset(vstrRstName)
    For Each fld In rst.Fields
        With fld
            Debug.Print .Name
            For Each prp In fld.Properties
               With prp
                Select Case .Name
                   Case "DisplayControl", "Format":
                    Debug.Print vbTab & prp.Name & " = " & _
                         propertyValue(prp)
                Case Else
                    'Debug.Print vbTab & prp.Name & " = " & _
                    '     propertyValue(prp)
                End Select
               End With
            Next prp
        End With
    Next fld
End Sub
Private Function propertyValue(ByRef rprp As DAO.Property) As Variant
On Error GoTo HandleErr
    propertyValue = rprp.Value
    Exit Function
HandleErr:
    propertyValue = "(N/A)"
End Function

--
Shamil

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of artful at rogers.com
Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 3:31 PM
To: AccessD at databaseadvisors. com
Subject: [AccessD] Abstract question

Does anyone have an idea how to generate an autoForm from any arbitrary
recordset? Ideally, such a class would have the smarts to realize that
certain fields ought to be checkboxes, others formatted short-date, etc.

Arthur
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