Editing captions
In order to customize text that is displayed in web applications, you must caption objects. Like all database objects, these are labeled either as default or custom objects. Caption objects are the only default objects that can be modified in a custom installation.
The advantage of being able to change these objects is that you do not need copy any modules. Moreover, it makes no difference whether a pre-defined caption object is referenced in a standard or custom module. The caption can be edited in both cases. Custom caption objects only occur in custom modules. For more information, see Multilingual captions.
The following caption editing rules and procedures apply.
- Caption objects can be referenced by more than one node. In this case, the changes also effect these nodes. To find the corresponding nodes, you need the search function. To do this, enter the key and search throughout the whole project.
- In the case of multilingual web applications, you may have to modify the translations for these objects. That means you must change several caption objects. You can find these objects with the search function in Captions....
To change the caption of a caption object
- In the preview, select the text that you want to modify.
For example "Welcome" on the start page.
- Mark the Label control you want in the Properties window and select Show definition object.
The Label node for the marked text "Welcome" is highlighted in Object definition.
- Mark the highlighted node and select theMove to extension > Add to configuration context menu item.
The definition tree view switches to Configuration (custom).
- Select the Node editor view.
- In the Text field, enter your identifier for the place holder Caption required for the label as given in the following example.
translate('#LDS#Caption required for the label')
- Compile the web application.
You will see the modified Label control in the preview.
NOTE: You must log in again if required.
Adding functions
It is possible to share functions that are already implemented but hidden by using the default web project configuration. If new functions should be added they need to be programmed. Operating processes that are not implemented can be programmed using new modules. For more information, see Creating new modules. If an existing operating process is being dealt with the default module being used can be extended. To do this, the module or component in which the new function will be inserted has to be found first.
The following example shows you how to add a function. You want to add the name of the current user to the "Welcome" text on your start page. Before you add a new function, add a new object copy in the example.
To add a function
- Update the preview in the Web Designer by clicking on
and log on in the preview on the login page.
NOTE: Once you have logged in to the Web Designer, the preview with the login page is loaded automatically.
For more information, see Working with the preview.
- On the preview's start page, click the "Welcome" link and select the Properties window in the lower pane of the Web Designer.
The Label control for the "Welcome" text is gray.
- Mark the Label control and, in the context menu, select the Show definition object menu item.
The file belonging to the control is opened as a tab in the definition tree view. In this case, it is the default object VI_Start.
- Mark the Label node and swap to the Create object copy view.
- Specify the settings for the object copy and click Next.
This adds new tab for the object copy in the definition tree view. In addition, your web project is given a substitution rule.
- In the definition tree view, select the object copy tab and search for the Label node containing the "Welcome" text.
- Mark the Label node and swap to the Node editor view.
- Enter this text +" "+from user select top 1 display() in the Text field after translate("#LDS#Welcome") and click
in the toolbar.
NOTE: It is important not only to save the object copy with the modified function but also the default object with the automatically added substitution rule.
- On the Start page tab, select the definition tree view and click Refresh preview.
The changes you have made are shown in the preview of your web project.
You must create an object copy to retain the predefined default object in its original state. Customer-specific modules can, of course, be edited without making a copy. For more information, see Creating object copies with the wizard.
Pasting in texts / captions
In order for texts or captions to be displayed on a web page, a Label node must be pasted into the definition tree.
To paste text or captions
- Find the place in the definition tree view that represents the desired position on the web page.
The procedure is the same as creating a new module. For more information, see Creating new modules.
- Mark a node and, from the context menu, select the Display nodes > Label menu item.
A new Label-type node is inserted in the definition tree view and automatically marked.
- Switch to Node editor view and click
next to the Text field.
- Enter an SQL expression with the relevant caption.
- In the Action to run* menu, select the relevant action to be carried out when text is clicked in the browser.
The following settings are available.
NOTE: With Run action, a subordinate Server action node is added to the Label node. To run the action defined in the browser, click the label. Normally, Label controls, which are dependent on actions, are displayed differently in the browser (depending on the template file entered in the web project).
- To obtain a valid node definition, the Label node must contain at least one text.
The new text is shown in the preview window after compiling.
Detailed information about this topic
Inserting grids
A grid shows any database content desired in tabular form. To paste in a grid, first find the place in the definition tree that represents the desired grid position on the web page.
NOTE: Because grids can only be inserted under Container-type nodes, select, or insert a node of this type at the desired position.
To insert grids
- Find the place in the definition tree view that represents the desired position on the web page.
The procedure is the same as creating a new module. For more information, see Creating new modules.
- Mark the required Container type node and, from the context menu, select the Wizards > Data display menu item.
For more information, see Creating a grid display for collection data.
Table 69: Overview of grid configuration options
| Enable the user to sort columns |
If this option is enabled, the user can sort the columns in ascending or descending order by double-clicking the column header.
This option is generally set for all columns in this dialog but you can also set it separately for each column in the table. |
| Sort collection |
Use this option to specify an initial sort order in the layer.
If this option is not enabled, the data sets are shown in the order that they are in the data set. For example, data sets have a logical sort order if you entered appropriate data when the collection was loaded. |
| Dynamic column width |
Use this option to automatically divide up the column widths based on the length of the entries in the rows by applying an internal optimization algorithm.
NOTE: These options relate to how the column width is fixed and can only be used alternatively. |
| Fixed column width |
This option requires input in pixels.
All columns in the grid are given the same fixed width. |
| Custom column width |
This option enables the width and the unit (pixel or %) to be edited individually for each column. |
- Configure your settings.
