Specifying data for the OLE object
You set data specifications for an OLE object in a DataWindow object on
the Data property page in the Properties view. You can also use
the Data property page to modify the data specifications you made
in the wizard for a DataWindow object using the OLE presentation style.
What the data is for
When an OLE object is part of a DataWindow object, you can specify
that some or all of the data the DataWindow object retrieves be transferred
to the OLE object too. You can specify expressions instead of the
actual columns so that the data is grouped, aggregated, or processed
in some way before being transferred.
The way the OLE object uses the data depends on the server.
For example, data transferred to Microsoft Excel is displayed as
a spreadsheet. Data transferred to Microsoft Graph populates its
datasheet, which becomes the data being graphed.
Some ActiveX controls do not display data, so you would not
transfer any data to them. For an ActiveX control such as Visual
Speller, you would use automation to process text when the user
requests it.
Group By and Target Data boxes
Two boxes on the Data property page list data columns or expressions:
-
Group By
Specifies how PowerBuilder groups the data it transfers to the OLE
object. Aggregation functions in the target data expressions use
the groupings specified here. -
Target Data
Specifies the data that you want to transfer to the OLE object.
Populating the Group By and Target Data boxes
If you are using the OLE presentation style, you populated
the Group By and Target Data boxes when you created the DataWindow object.
If you placed an OLE object in an existing DataWindow object, the boxes
are empty. You use the browse buttons next to the Group By and Target
Data boxes to open dialog boxes where you can select the data you
want to use or modify your selections.
Modifying source data
You cannot modify the source data for the DataWindow object on the
Data property page. Select Design>Data Source from the
menu bar if you need to modify the data source.
To select or modify how data will be grouped in
the OLE object:
-
Click the Browse button next to the Group
By box. -
In the Modify Group By dialog box, drag one or
more columns from the Source Data box to the Group By box.You can rearrange columns and specify an expression instead
of the column name if you need to. For more information, see the
next procedure.
To select or modify which data columns display
in the OLE object:
-
Click the Browse button next to the Target
Data box. -
In the Modify Target Data dialog box, drag one
or more columns from the Source Data box to the Target Data box.The same source column can appear in both the Group By and
Target Data box. -
If necessary, change the order of columns by dragging
them up or down within the Target Data box.The order of the columns and expressions is important to the
OLE server. You need to know how the server will use the data to
choose the order. -
Double-click an item in the Target Data box to
specify an expression instead of a column.In the Modify Expression dialog box, you can edit the expression
or use the Functions or Columns boxes and the operator buttons to
select elements of the expression. For example, you may want to
specify an aggregation function for a column. Use the rangeforif you use an aggregation function; for
object
example,sum (salary for object).For more information about using operators, expressions, and
functions, see the DataWindow Reference.
Example of a completed Data property page
This example of the Data property page specifies two columns
to transfer to Microsoft Graph: city and salary.
Graph expects the first column to be the categories and the second column
to be the data values. The second column is an aggregate so that
the graph will show the sum of all salaries in each city:
Specifying a value for Rows
The last setting on the Data property page specifies how the
OLE object is associated with rows in the DataWindow object. The selection
(all rows, current row, or page) usually corresponds with the band
where you placed the OLE object, as explained in this table. If
you used the OLE presentation style to create the DataWindow object, this
setting does not display on the property page: the OLE object is
always associated with all the rows in the DataWindow object.
|
Range of rows |
When to |
|---|---|
|
All |
When the OLE object is in the summary, Rows must be All and Layer must be Foreground or Background if Target data for all rows is transferred to the object. |
|
Current Row |
When the OLE object is in the detail There is an instance of the OLE object for every row. Target Because ActiveX controls must be in the foreground or background |
|
Page |
When the OLE object is in the group header Target data for the rows on the current page is transferred |
Range of rows and activating the object
When the range of rows is Current Row or Page, the user cannot activate
the OLE object. The user can see contents of the object in the form
of an image presented by the server but cannot activate it.
If you want the user to activate the object, Rows must be
set to All and Layer on the Position property page must be Foreground
or Background.
Additional settings in the Properties view
The Options property page in the OLE object’s Properties
view has some additional settings. They are similar to the settings
you can make for the OLE control in a window. These settings display
on the General property page for OLE DataWindow objects. Table 31-2 describes the settings
you can make.
|
Property |
Effect |
|---|---|
|
Client Name |
A name for the OLE object that some server Corresponds to the ClientName DataWindow property. |
|
Activation |
How the OLE object is activated. Choices
The object can always be activated programmatically, regardless |
|
Contents |
Whether the object in the OLE container |
|
Display Type |
What the OLE container displays. You
|
|
Link Update |
When the object in the OLE container
|