Actions

Assign actions to controls, menu items, and context items that are meant to perform an action.

You can assign actions to hyperlinks, buttons, list items, image widgets, toolbar items, context items, and menu items. Some actions support only one instance of the action, while others support multiple instances of the action. For example, for actions assigned to a menu item, you can add only one "exit" action, while there can be any number of "operation" actions.

Controls that support actions accept the drag and drop of an action onto the control. Additionally, the Properties page for controls to which you can assign actions displays a subsection called Actions. An item that is assigned an action will have the action decorator attached to its display . You can also drag a mobile business object, or operations, from the Workspace Navigator onto any control that supports an action, and it will create the Synchronize action for the mobile business object and Operation action for operations.

The action items you see on the Screen Design palette depends on the device platform you have selected. Not all actions are available for all platforms.

Choose from these actions:
Action Description Platform
Alert Indicates that a predefined event has occurred, or that an error has occurred.
Note: The "question" alert is unique in that the user has a choice. Any actions listed after the question are executed as a Yes/OK answer while No/Cancel stops all actions from executing.
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile Professional
Connection Navigates to another screen.
Note: If there are multiple actions assigned to one control or menu, the connection action must be the last action performed.
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile Professional
Navigate back The back action is a simplified connection action. It directs the user back to the parent screen. If a navigate back action is applied to the top screen, the action is ignored on most platforms. The navigate back action allows an update form to be used from both the table screen and the list details screen. This also allows relationships screens to be referenced from both the table and list details controls.
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile Professional
Exit Directs the client application to quit.
Note: There can be only one Exit action on the action list, and it must be the last action on the list.
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile Professional
Logout Logs the user out of the client.
Note: There can be only one Logout action on the action list, and it must be the last action on the list.
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile Professional
Operation Takes the controls on the screen and submits them to a mobile application for insert, update, and delete actions.
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile Professional
Persist Works with user variables created in the Variable section. Allows you to save values from the screen controls or literals to set values on variables created in the Variable section when the action is performed.
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile Professional
Refresh Adds a refresh action to the list of actions, which refreshes the current screen based on updated data. You may want to refresh, for example, after you have synchronized a mobile business object.
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile Professional
Synchronize Performs synchronization on the selected mobile application. The synchronization action allows you to filter data by setting the synchronization parameters for the selected mobile business object.
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile Professional
Object Query Allows you to change the values of an object query dynamically by assigning controls, literals, variables, null, and so on to the object query parameters. This also allows you to change the object query assigned to the table or list detail. The action is supported on table and list detail controls.
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile Professional
Tab activation Brings a specified tab to the forefront. There are three modes for the tab activation action:
  • Specific
  • Previous
  • Next

The tab activation action can wrap, which means if the current tab is the first tab, clicking the Previous tab goes to the last tab.

When the current tab is the last tab, clicking the Next tab goes to the first tab.
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile Professional
Save context Allows the user to maintain context among screens when switching between screens.
Note: The screen you add the Save Context action to must have at least one table or one list detail control.
  • BlackBerry
  • Windows Mobile Professional
BlackBerry PIM Add this action to integrate BlackBerry PIM applications such as calendar, address book, tasks, and memo on the device application. BlackBerry
BlackBerry custom code Allows you to create a custom coded action for any control that supports actions. BlackBerry
Windows Mobile PIM Add this action to integrate Windows Mobile PIM applications such as calendar, contacts, and tasks on the device application. Windows Mobile Professional
Windows Mobile custom code Allows you to create a custom coded action for any control that supports actions. Windows Mobile Professional
Parent topic: Screen Design Palette Options