Creating Custom Lists in v9

Has anyone else experimented much with the new Custom Lists in v9? If so, what are your impressions?

I've been trying to create a couple to accompany the process I am currently developing. However, I feel like my users and I have been finding so many downfalls to the feature that I am not sure if I want to continue recommending it as an option.

For example:

I don't see any way to control default column widths in the "Columns" property list, so every column comes out being the same width regardless of content.
I can't implement a customized sort order via the business object, such as trying to order the folders by their stage priority order then folder number. If I do put the Order By statement at the end of the SQL query, any use of column filters on the users' side will cause the entire custom list to error out.
The column filters can be difficult for a user to work with. Their usual habit seems to be to go into the filter field, type something, then hit expecting the filter to apply at least something (like "contains") by default. However, the reality is that the user has to enter something in the field, and then use the filter icon to tell it how to implement that text search. Removing an applied filter doesn't seem very intuitive to the users, either, to go under the filter icon and find "No Filter" somewhere down in the middle of the option list.

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Comments

Jerome_Pearce

I have to agree with all of that. We have tried them, and it can help in some situations, but it is not pretty. It does seem to me like a feature looking for a reason...

Thilo_Menges

I agree with you in all points.

If you use a column as hyperlink-type and paging is enabled, then the hyperlink of a row from page 2 or 3 or.... has the reference from the same rowcount from page 1 of the grid. The label of the hyperlinks are correct but values from the rows are always from page 1

Adam Menkes

Though it would be nice to be able to do this from the designer (did you put in an enhancement request?), there is a way to do it via editing the SQL.

In eCustomList table, there is a field eGridLayout. You could get the contents, edit it, and do an update. Make a backup of your table first in case it does not work for you.

Here is an example (for SQL Server):

DECLARE @gridData VARCHAR(MAX) 

SELECT  @gridData = eGridLayout
  FROM [Metastorm].[dbo].[eCustomList]
  WHERE eListName='MyCustomList' 

PRINT @gridData

Copy the results to Notepad. Change your column widths. Then, update the data:

SET @gridData='<your copied changes here>' 

UPDATE eCustomList 
  SET eGridLayout = @gridData
  WHERE eListName='MyCustomList'

Attached is an image where I selected from INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES as the custom list and set the widths to be 100,250,50 and 100 for Table_Catalog, Table_Name, Table_Schema, and Table_Type

Jerome_Pearce

Hacking the database may work, and is a nice idea, but you should add complete warnings about it needing to be reapplied after every deployment, and the fact that this is not supported, and that it will almost certainly change in future versions.