is dcr save successful?

Hi,

Requirement : Need to generate a unique id for a dcr path and save that id in dcr itself.

Approach : Dcr has a item(id) as hidden field with initally set to read-only. In onSaveDone event handler making a callServer, which inturn calls a javascript function with argument as generated id. Set this generated id for id item and use IWDatacapture.save() to save this id in dcr.

Problem area: in case of save & close button click, after calling save(), i am calling parent.close(); which is closing the window before save.

what I want: how to know whether IWDatacapture.save() is completed or not?

Can anyone help on this

thanks
nag

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Comments

Jeremy

Hi,

What about having the hidden field as an inline callout. So then when the DCR is opened the inline is run and generates an id. I think Ghoti posted recently that if you put this inside a <default> tag then if there is a value there the inline will not run.

See this thread

HTH

rahul1

Hi,

I can not use inline as id generation is based on the input given by user.

thanks
nag

Adam Stoller

Make the id field required - and only available for population via a cgi-callout - if the field isn't set the built-in features of templating will prevent the DCR from being saved. If the supporting fields aren't set, the cgi-callout will prevent the field from getting filled in and thus prevent the DCR from being saved. The cgi-callout can access all the fields in the DCR to use for the purpose of generating the ID (and can even test to see if the field has already been filled in and return immediately as a no-op).

You could try to do the same thing with FormAPI, but you then run into the problems you're seeing because the CallServer is asynchronous -- it can be done but its rather convoluted / more difficult to write and more difficult to maintain.

--fish
Senior Consultant, Quotient Inc.
http://www.quotient-inc.com

Dwayne

Why are you triggering on the onSaveDone event? Wouldn't it make more sense to trigger against onSaveValid? That way, you don't need to explicitly call the save() method. Just return true after the callServer() completes, so that you know the ID has been set. Not only is it "cleaner," it saves one extra round-trip to the server, because you're not saving the DCR twice.

--

Current project: TS 5.5.2/6.1 W2K

rahul1

Hi,

Thanks for ur response.

I can not change user interface (adding a button etc) only I would like to know is how to simulate save&close button event after assigning generated id in form with out user clicking once again.

thanks

Dwayne

Well, IWDatacapture.save() is documented to fire off an onSaveDone event when the save is complete. I know you've already got an onSaveDone handler in place, but, if you can't re-architect it to work from the onSaveValid event, perhaps you could set some sort of flag that your onSaveDone handler can process. If it's clear, then do the processing you do now, but without the IWDatacapture.close() (which you should be using instead of parent.close(), in my opinion). If the flag is set, then don't do the IWDatacapture.save(), but do do the IWDatacapture.close().

Does that make any sense?

--

Current project: TS 5.5.2/6.1 W2K

rahul1

Hi Dwayne,

Thanks for ur response,

As callServer is asyn call, onSaveValid handler can not wait for the out come of the server call. So I need to return true in that method for saving the dcr. I do not want to stop saving of dcr.

Thats why I am triggering the callServer in onSaveDone and returning true in onSaveDone handler always without waiting for server out come. But in order to stop the dcr closing (i.e when user clicks save&close), I used a flag variable isClose=false; which is return value for onClose handler. There by I am able to stop closing of Dcr.

The CallServer in onSaveDone will call a function which sets the generated id into dcr and saves & redraw form.

After this................ if it is a save&close click, I need to show submit dialog box and close the form.

isClose = true;
IWDatacapture.save();
IWDatacapture.redraw();

parent.promptForWorkflow();
//parent.close();
top._dcWin.dcClose();

save() & immediate call to close is creating problem

Adam Stoller

No - you return false from the "standard" method for saving the DCR, but store state with regard to which button was pushed and then have your CallServer CGI script invoke a callback method within the FormAPI which (if the CGI was successful) does the "right thing" based on the state which was previously stored.

I'm pretty sure you can find examples of this within the forums if you search for it.

--fish
Senior Consultant, Quotient Inc.
http://www.quotient-inc.com

rahul1

Hi,

Thanks for ur response,

Lets say I return false in standard method, but how to simulate save&close click? As I said I do not want user to click again.

Bottom line of the problem could be

simulating of save & close action

or

successful calling of
IWDatacapture.save()
parent.promptForWorkflow()
parent.close() / IWDatacapture.close()

Thanks
nag

Migrateduser

Let me know if I'm missing your intention here.

> Just return true after the callServer() completes

From my understanding, this is actually a major problem with callServer, and why I don't use it. callServer is asynchronous and never lets you know it completes, so you have to set a global flag and then have your CGI reset that flag to indicate it's complete and have something else looping and checking that flag, or have your CGI call a function when it completes (not very flexible unless you pass a function reference as a parameter to the CGI). It's even worse when multiple events (user behaviours) invoke functions that callServer - the "last one wins" and all others are ignored. on the client (the server logic does run). This results in major bugs or greater complexity in already complex implementations.

I highly recommend writing the CGI to return XML instead of FormAPI code, then use the XML tools in the browsers (be sure to set the synchronous option on the parser) to parse the XML. Unfortunately only recent browsers have the XML tools and they use different syntax. Everyone has to be on IE to use VFE anyway (and to reduce cross-browser testing of custom FormAPI, as well as support cots) so this may not be a problem.

Dwayne

How about something like this:

var buttonClicked;

Current project: TS 5.5.2/6.1 W2K

Migrateduser

I would pass that callback handler as a param to the CGI, to make it easier to re-use the CGI for other purposes.

Dwayne

I was proposing the code as a skeleton of something to use, not as a complete solution. I haven't even tested it to be sure it works properly. It's not copied from existing code - I was "making it up" as I was typing. So there are probably plenty of ways to improve it, and there are probably some bugs/typos in there as well.

Certainly your suggestion is a good one, and there's actually nothing in the code that I entered that said it wasn't being done. The comment indicated that the data variable was assumed to be constructed elsewhere. That would be an excellent candidate for a piece of data to put into that parameter.

--

Current project: TS 5.5.2/6.1 W2K

rahul1

Hi,

Thanks all of U.

I get the solution with help of ur discussions.

I moved IWDatacapture.close() to saveDone handler and executing this statement based on button clicked from call back method.

once again Thanks for every one.
nag