Using the RichText presentation style
The RichText presentation style allows you to combine input
fields that represent database columns with formatted text. This
presentation style is useful for display-only reports, especially
mail-merge documents. However, if you want to use the RichText DataWindow object for
data entry, you can specify validation rules and display formats
for the input fields.
In the Design view, you see the text along with placeholders
called input fields:
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{FNAME} {LNAME}<br>{COMPANY_NAME}<br>{ADDRESS}<br>{CITY}, {STATE} {ZIP}<br> <br>Dear {FNAME}:<br>. . . |
In the Preview view, the text is the same, but PowerBuilder replaces
the input fields with values from the database:
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1 |
Beth Reiser<br>AMF Corp.<br>1033 Whippany Road<br>New York, NY 10154<br> <br>Dear Beth:<br>. . . |
Document template
The formatted text acts like a document template. There is
only one copy of the text. As the user scrolls from row to row,
the data for the current row is inserted in the input fields and
the user sees the document with the current data. If the user edits
the text, the changes show up in every row of data.
Input fields
In the RichText presentation style, an input field is associated
with a column or computed field. It gets its value from the retrieved
data or from the computed field’s expression.
If an input field is not a computed field and its name does
not match a column, there is no way to specify data for the input
field.
There can be more than one copy of an input field in the rich
text. In the sample above, there are two instances of the field FNAME.
Each instance of the field displays the same data.
Unavailable settings
Not all the settings available in other DataWindow styles
are available. You cannot apply code tables and edit styles, such
as a DropDownDataWindow or EditMask, to input fields. You cannot
use slide left and slide up settings to reposition input fields
automatically. However, you can set the LineRemove property at runtime
to achieve a similar effect.