A
Adam Harding
Imagine i have a purchase order form which is linked to a secondary data
source supplying the goods that can be purchased, quantities in stock and
price per item.
Primary Data Source
Repeating
@ItemName, @ItemPrice, @ItemQty, @LineCost
Secondary Data Source
@ProductName, @ProductPrice
the customer fills out the order by selecting an item form the drop-down
list @ProductName and inputting the quantity required in text box @ItemQty.
Using rules i set the @ItemPrice value relative to the name of the product
from the secondary data source ie where @ItemName = @ProductName. Then i
autocalculate the @LineCost by multiplying @ItemPrice by @ItemQty.
PROBLEM
The rule to set the price works fine for the first line of the repeating
table but falls down on subsequent lines if the @ProductPrice value is larger
than the first line, in which case it defaults to the first line's value for
@ItemPrice. If the @ProductPrice is lower it will work fine, but only as
long as on each subsequent line the @ItemPrice is lower or equal to the lines
above.
SOLUTION
The current() function has no impact in helping solve this rule but after a
year of trying i have worked a way around it. GET THE USER TO SELECT THE
PRICE FILTERED BY THE SAME CRITERIA. Change the @ItemPrice field to a
drop-down list box and validate it not to be blank. Supply the price list
from the secondary data source list @ProductPrice but filter it where
@ItemName = @ProductName which means there is only one item in the list, THE
CORRECT PRICE.
ANALYSIS
I cannot help but feel that the automatic rule only populating values lower
than the first harks back to filtering in Excel and ordering. This presents
a massive problem to proper development of infopath as a forms tool where it
cannot through its own rules satisfy this not very demanding criteria. I
hope that a fix for this is in the pipeline for Infopath 2007 and i don't
believe we need to resort to code.
Cheers Adam
----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
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click "I Agree" in the message pane.
http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...5f2-8d2056496492&dg=microsoft.public.infopath
source supplying the goods that can be purchased, quantities in stock and
price per item.
Primary Data Source
Repeating
@ItemName, @ItemPrice, @ItemQty, @LineCost
Secondary Data Source
@ProductName, @ProductPrice
the customer fills out the order by selecting an item form the drop-down
list @ProductName and inputting the quantity required in text box @ItemQty.
Using rules i set the @ItemPrice value relative to the name of the product
from the secondary data source ie where @ItemName = @ProductName. Then i
autocalculate the @LineCost by multiplying @ItemPrice by @ItemQty.
PROBLEM
The rule to set the price works fine for the first line of the repeating
table but falls down on subsequent lines if the @ProductPrice value is larger
than the first line, in which case it defaults to the first line's value for
@ItemPrice. If the @ProductPrice is lower it will work fine, but only as
long as on each subsequent line the @ItemPrice is lower or equal to the lines
above.
SOLUTION
The current() function has no impact in helping solve this rule but after a
year of trying i have worked a way around it. GET THE USER TO SELECT THE
PRICE FILTERED BY THE SAME CRITERIA. Change the @ItemPrice field to a
drop-down list box and validate it not to be blank. Supply the price list
from the secondary data source list @ProductPrice but filter it where
@ItemName = @ProductName which means there is only one item in the list, THE
CORRECT PRICE.
ANALYSIS
I cannot help but feel that the automatic rule only populating values lower
than the first harks back to filtering in Excel and ordering. This presents
a massive problem to proper development of infopath as a forms tool where it
cannot through its own rules satisfy this not very demanding criteria. I
hope that a fix for this is in the pipeline for Infopath 2007 and i don't
believe we need to resort to code.
Cheers Adam
----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.
http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...5f2-8d2056496492&dg=microsoft.public.infopath