DataWindow object examples

You can display the data in the format that best presents the data to your users.

Edit styles

If a column can take only a small number of values, you can have the data appear as radio buttons in a DataWindow object so that users know what their choices are.

The sample Data Window Preview includes four radio buttons grouped by a rectangle labeled Status: The Active button is selected. Terminated, On Leave, and Deceased are unselected.

Display formats

If a column displays phone numbers, salaries, or dates, you can specify the format appropriate to the data.

The sample Data Window shows phone numbers formatted, for example, as ( 6 1 7 ) 5 5 5 - 3 9 8 5. It shows salaries formatted, for example, as $ 4 5 , 7 0 0 point 0 0. It shows start dates formatted, for example, as 0 2 / 2 6 / 1 9 8 6.

Validation rules

If a column can take numbers only in a specific range, you can specify a simple validation rule for the data, without writing any code, to make sure users enter valid data.

Enhancing DataWindow objects

If you want to enhance the presentation and manipulation of data in a DataWindow object, you can include computed fields, pictures, and graphs that are tied directly to the data retrieved by the object.

Reports versus DataWindow objects

Reports and DataWindow objects are the same objects. You can open and modify both in the DataWindow painter. However, a report is not updatable and can only be used to present data. For information about how you can specify whether users can update the data in a DataWindow object, see Chapter 6, “Controlling Updates in DataWindow Objects.”