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Using Record Selection on Forms

When you add record selection functionality to your data entry forms, you give users control over which database records are printed for each print job. The data entry controls that support record selection from lists of database records are the record picker control and the dropdown record picker control.

Both controls display a grid of columns and rows that list the database record set that is specified in the Database Setup dialog, including any filters that are specified in the Filter view. The display is the same as the Select Records dialog, which you can access from the Print dialog.

Either record picker control can be used on a form that includes a data entry control that is linked to a query prompt. In this case, the record picker control is populated with a filtered record set, and the filter criteria is specified at print time by the print operator's response to the query prompt.

For more information about how to combine record picker controls and query prompts on data entry forms, refer to Form Sequence.

The differences between the two controls are as follows:

ClosedTo add a record picker or dropdown record picker control to the form

  1. On the Create menu of Data Entry Form view, click Data Entry Control, and then click the control that you want. Alternatively, click the icon on the object toolbar, and then click the control that you want.

  2. Click the location on the data entry form where you want to place the control.

  3. Double-click the control to open the Control Properties dialog. Alternatively, right-click the control, and then click Properties.

  4. In the left navigation pane, click the appropriate property page, as follows: 

    • If you created a record picker control, click Record Picker to open the Record Picker property page.

    • If you created a dropdown record picker control, click Dropdown Record Picker to open the Dropdown Record Picker property page.

  5. Use the options on the property page to customize the functionality that you want the control to support at print time.

  6. In the navigation pane of the Control Properties dialog, click Columns to open the Columns property page, and then customize the columns that are displayed in the control.

  7. Use the other property pages to modify other control settings as needed.

  8. Click Close to close the Control Properties dialog.

  9. Click on the main toolbar to preview your data entry form and to use the control to select the records that you want to print. The dropdown record picker control allows only one record to be selected.

  10. Click Preview to view the items to be printed.

  11. Click Close to cancel the print preview, or click Print to send the items to the printer.

To preview your data entry form and then print items, at least one object on the template must be linked to a database field for its data source.

Customizing the Record Picker and Dropdown Record Picker Controls

For both the record picker control and the dropdown record picker control, you can customize the print-time display of the control by using the options on their respective property pages (the Record Picker property page and the Dropdown Record Picker property page). You can specify whether the control supports many of the same features that are available in the Select Records dialog, such as the following:

Options that were turned off on the property page are also turned off in the control's print-time context menu.

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