Have inherited my first switchboard

[TomH]

I've never used the switchboard feature. Now, I've inherited a database with three levels of cascading on the switchboard. I've been asked to rebuild the switchboards to make them similar to another database commonly used here.

There's one major thing I just don't understand and need some help on... I look at the OnClick of each of the main switchboard's items, and they say

=HandleButtonClick(1)
=HandleButtonClick(2)
=HandleButtonClick(3)

Uhhhhh.... how do I tear apart this structure so that I can understand which form goes with what? Where are the form names, etc? I'm not feeling too good right now!!

 

[boblarson]

Tom -

The numbers in those are the numbers that get passed to the function HandleButtonClick which is a function which exists on the Switchboard form. The values it uses are located in a table called Switchboard Items.

Hopefully that will get you on the path you need.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

look at the switchboard items table

the first two columns are menu number and item number

a command of 0 is the menu title
a command of 1 jumps to another menu
a command of 3 opens a form etc
(handlebuttonclick event describes all these options at the top)

if you like the switchboard menu system, then DO NOT touch the form code at all. Just get used to the way the switchboard items table functions, and edit everything directly in there.

I think editing the switchboard items table directly is easier than trying to use the menu mtce facilities that MS give you.

Note that you MUST have an item 1 on each menu.

If you decide you don't like this hierarchical system, then start again with a series of forms, and add your own buttons.

It is pointless trying to change the way the switchboard works. What it does is very elegant. Don't touch either the filloptions event, or the handlebuttonclick event unless you know exactly what you are doing.

eg - the default form has 8 items, but it is quite easy to extended it to a much bigger number, (mine is 21 items 0 2 columns of 10, and a return to previous) - but you need to ubderstand how the button click works.

 

[TomH]

Thanks guys... seeing that table has helped immensely!!