Interact with Portal with Form Open

[ctaleck]

I am creating reports that I am displaying in a portal. The report is based on criteria from a form I have open. However I’ve cannot get the portal to have focus when the form is active to allow the user to scroll the view. Is this possible while keeping the form active?

Here is main code:

 Sub Main(Client, GWEvent)

Set oPortals = GroupWise.PortalManager.Portals



If oPortals Is Nothing Then

MsgBox "Application Error: Portal Manager is not available. " & vbCRLF & "Exiting..."

Exit Sub

End If



setFieldList(True)

PopulateManagerList

SearchForm.Show



While SearchForm.ModalResult <> mrCancel

Utilities.DoEvents

Wend



CloseView



End Sub 

Topic

[Support 3]

Formativ uses the Model dialog, meaning it does not release the input focus until it is closed. You can not switch back to the window that created the dialog box until the dialog box is closed. However, this does not prevent the user from switching to other windows or applications.

There is a work-around, you can use the modeless HTML dialog and call the Applet when required using the Formativ API which will allow you to set forus to the portal window.

You can use the sample code below to create the HTML dialog. If you want to pursue this approach, we will recommend to create the proto-type and make sure you can call your applet and perform tasks.

    ' Create a new instance of the internet explorer application.
    set iExp = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
    With iExp
      .Height = 600
      .Width = 700
      .ToolBar = FALSE
      .Visible = True
      .Navigate "c:tempmyform.htm"
    End With

    Set iExp = Nothing  

Regards,
Advansys Support

[ctaleck]

I am not familiar with the FormativAPI yet. Maybe I need to rethink my solution. Basically, I am trying to create a report (in HTML) which can be previewed first (does not have to be a Portal) and then printed while having a form open.

Are there any other approaches people have used to do this? I am currently researching these controls: “EmbeddedWB,” “HTMLEditorEx” or “OleContainer” to see if they can help. Any insight would be appreciated.

[ctaleck]

One more thing to clarify…

So even though I am using the “frmMain.Show” instead of “frmMain.ShowModal” it still is acts as modal because all of the Formativ application is modal to the GroupWise application (but not other external applications)?

[Support 3]

“frmMain.Show” method will show the dialog and continue to the next line. However, the applet execute as model thus you will not able to swith back to the window (i.e. GroupWise client/portal) until the applet complete.

Does your application display the “Review Process Report” form when you create the portal?

Another thought, you could add a “Print” button to your report html then your applet display the portal and exit. Your user view the portal (i.e. portal will have the focus) and when they ready to print then they can press the Print button which will execute your applet again to show the “Review Process Report” form.

You will need to follow the steps below to call the applet from the portal.

Step 1: Add the button html to the Portal html

 
<INPUT TYPE="HIDDEN" NAME="formativapplet" VALUE="c:Documents and Settingsuser-nameMy DocumentsAdvansysFormativAppletsmyapplet.vbf"><INPUT TYPE="SUBMIT" NAME="printBtn" VALUE="Print">

Applet code to create the button html

  iBtnHtml = " <INPUT TYPE=""HIDDEN"" NAME=""formativapplet"" VALUE=""" & utilities.currentappletname & """><INPUT TYPE=""SUBMIT"" NAME=""printBtn"" VALUE=""Print"">"
  msgbox iBtnHtml  

Step 2: Make sure the Portal.RunApplets is set to true

  
   oPortal.ID = "test"
   oPortal.TabCaption = "CQQ"
   oPortal.RunApplets = TRUE

Step 3: When the Print button pressed from the Portal and the applet execute then you will need to identify whether the applet executed by the portal.

Sub Main(Client, GWEvent)

  ' What mode are we being executed in?
  if (GWEvent = "HTML_TRIGGER") then
    ' display the Review Process Report form
  else
    ' Create the portal
  end if

End Sub  

For reference, you can review our cool solution Today View which uses the technique above.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Advansys support

[ctaleck]

Interesting development: The Portal now allows scrolling while a form is open with no changes except a restart of my machine and GroupWise!

I do so much development on my machine (with many crashes of GroupWise from bad code) that I’m thinking I had bad memory which needed to be cleared out.

In the meantime, I also explored the “EmbeddedWB” control which also worked for me.

I also considered your suggestion but opted not to put a control on the report that would “ruin” it visually.

Thanks.

[Support 3]

Interesting findings, good luck with it.

Regards,
Advansys Support

[Author]

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