Disabling or requiring user input for an input object control in a grid

• You can:

  Require users to select values for the input object control when a condition that you define is met. For steps, see Requiring users to select values for an input object control in a grid .

• Disable the input object control based on a condition. For steps, see Disabling an input object control in a grid.

  • If the condition is based on an attribute or metric on the grid, each row in the grid that meets the condition is disabled.

  • If the condition is based on the value of an input object control defined on a text field, or the value of an expression, all instances of the input object control in the grid are disabled.

Requiring users to select values for an input object control in a grid

You can require users to select values for an input object control based on an object in a grid, if the defined conditions are met. You define each condition using one of the following:

• The value of an input object control based on a text field. The input object control must be editable.

• An expression. You can use arithmetic operators to combine the values of the following controls in an expression:

  • Input object controls based on text fields

  • Input object controls based on metrics in grids

  Each input object control must be editable.

You must also define a comparison value for each condition using one of the following:

• The value of any text field in the document.

• An expression. You can use arithmetic operators to combine the values of any fields and metrics on a grid, regardless of whether they are configured as transaction controls.

Prerequisite

The Transaction Services-enabled document contains the input object control to make required. For steps, see Creating a transaction-enabled document. For steps to create input object controls, see Input object controls that support transactions.

To require users to select values for an input object control in a grid

1. Open the document in Design or Editable Mode.

2. Right-click the input object control, then select Transaction Conditions. The Transaction Conditions Editor opens.

3. From the Action drop-down list, select Require.

4. Click the plus icon to the left. A new condition is created and displayed in the Transaction Conditions Editor. The selected action will be performed when this condition is met.

To define the condition

1. From the Filter On list, select one of the following:

   • To base the condition on the value of an input object control, select the control.

   • To base the condition on the value of an expression, select Advanced Expression. The advanced expression options are displayed. Define the condition as follows:

     • To add the value of an input object control to the expression, from the Available list, double-click the control. The control is added to the expression and displayed in the editor pane to the right.

     • To add operators to the expression, click the addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), or division (/) operators above the editor pane.

     • When finished, click the check mark to apply your changes.

2. From the next list, select an operator to use to create the comparison, such as Equals or Greater Than.

3. Define the value to compare to by doing one of the following:

   • To use a static value, type the value in the field.

   • To use the value of an input object control, select the control.

   • To use the value of an expression, select Advanced Expression. The advanced expression options are displayed. Define the condition as follows:

     • To add the value of an input object control to the expression, from the Available list, double-click the control. The control is added to the expression and displayed in the editor pane to the right.

     • To add operators to the expression, click the addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), or division (/) operators above the editor pane.

     • When finished, click the check mark to apply your changes.

4. Click Apply to create the condition. Your new condition is created and displayed in the Transaction Conditions Editor.

5. To add another condition to the action, hover the cursor over the action and click the arrow icon on the right. From the menu, select New Condition. Repeat the steps above to define the condition, beginning at To define the condition.

6. To create a copy of a condition, hover the cursor over the condition and click the arrow icon on the right. From the menu, select Duplicate.

7. If you have defined multiple conditions for a single action, you can change the operator used to combine the conditions. Right-click the AND operator displayed between the conditions. From the menu, select a new operator.

8. To edit a condition, click the condition, then repeat the steps above to define the condition, beginning at To define the condition.

Disabling an input object control in a grid

You can disable an input object control in a grid based on a condition. Depending on the value that the condition is based on, the input object control can be disabled for the entire grid, or disabled only for those rows in the grid for which the condition is met.

• To have the input object control disabled for the entire grid, base the condition on an input object control based on a text field or on an expression's value.

• To have the input object control disabled for the rows for which the condition is met, base the condition on an input object control based on an attribute or metric.

You define each condition using one of the following:

• The value of an input object control based on an attribute or metric on the grid. The input object control must be editable.

• The value of an input object control based on a text field. The input object control must be editable.

• An expression. You can use arithmetic operators to combine the values of the following controls in an expression:

  • Input object controls based on text fields

  • Input object controls based on metrics on grids

  Each input object control must be editable.

You must also define a comparison value for each condition using one of the following:

• If the condition is based on an input object control based on a text field or based on an expression's value:

  • The value of any text field in the document.

  • An expression. You can use arithmetic operators to combine the values of any fields and attributes and metrics on a grid in the document, regardless of whether they are configured as transaction controls.

• If the condition is based on an input object control based on an attribute or metric, define an attribute or metric qualification based on attributes or metrics in the template.

Prerequisite

This procedure assumes that you have already created a Transaction Services-enabled document that contains the input object control to disable. The control must be editable. For steps, see Creating a transaction-enabled document. For steps to create input object controls, see Input object controls that support transactions.

To disable an input object control in a grid

1. Open the document in Design or Editable Mode.

2. Right-click the grid, then select Transaction Conditions. The Transaction Conditions Editor opens.

3. From the Target drop-down list, select the input object control to disable.

4. Click the plus icon to the left. A new condition is created and displayed in the Transaction Conditions Editor. The selected input object control will be disabled when this condition is met.

To define the condition

1. From the Filter On list, select one of the following:

   • To base the condition on the value of an input object control, select the control. By default, input object controls based on attributes or metrics in the selected grid are displayed. To display additional input object controls from the document, click See More.

   • To base the condition on the value of an expression, select Advanced Expression. The advanced expression options are displayed. Define the condition as follows:

     • To add the value of an input object control to the expression, from the Available list, double-click the control. The control is added to the expression and displayed in the editor pane to the right.

     • To add operators to the expression, click the addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), or division (/) operators above the editor pane.

     • When finished, click the check mark to apply your changes.

2. If you are creating the condition based on an attribute in the grid, complete the condition by doing one of the following:

   • To create a condition based on attribute elements in a list:

     1. Under Select, do one of the following:

        • To disable the input object control in the grid only if its value is included in a list of elements that you select, click In List. For example, you can format data for Books and Movies only.

        • To disable all input object controls except those whose values are included in a list of elements that you select, click Not in List. For example, you can format data for all product categories except Books and Movies.

     2. Select each attribute element to include in the condition.

   • To create a condition based on attribute form values:

     1. Under Qualification, select the attribute form to compare to. For example, you can filter based on the attribute element's ID form, one of its description forms, or the DATE form (if the attribute is time-based).

     2. From the list of operators to the right, select a comparison operator, such as Greater Than or Less Than. Do one of the following:

        • To compare the attribute form to a specific value, type the value in the field.

        • To compare the attribute form to the form of another attribute, select the attribute that contains the second form. Select the second attribute form from the list.

3. If you are creating the condition based on a metric in a grid, from the list of operators to the right, select a comparison operator, such as Greater Than or Less Than. Do one of the following:

   • To compare the value of the input object control to a static value, type the value in the field.

   • To compare the value of the input object control to the value of a metric, select the metric from the list.

4. If you are creating the condition on either an input object control based on a text field, or on an expression value, perform the following steps:

   1. From the list of operators to the right, select a comparison operator, such as Equals or Greater Than.

   2. Define the value to use to complete the comparison by doing one of the following:

      • To use a static value, type the value in the field.

      • To use the value of an input object control, select the control.

      • To use the value of an expression, select Advanced Expression. The advanced expression options are displayed. Define the condition as follows:

        • To add the value of an input object control to the expression, from the Available list, double-click the control. The control is added to the expression and displayed in the editor pane to the right.

        • To add operators to the expression, click the addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), or division (/) operators above the editor pane.

        • When finished, click the check mark to apply your changes.

5. Click Apply to create the condition. Your new condition is created and displayed in the Transaction Conditions Editor.

6. To add another condition to the action, hover the cursor over the action and click the arrow icon on the right. From the menu, select New Condition. Repeat the steps above to define the condition, beginning at To define the condition.

7. To create a copy of a condition, hover the cursor over the condition and click the arrow icon on the right. From the menu, select Duplicate.

8. If you have defined multiple conditions for a single action, you can change the operator used to combine the conditions. Right-click the AND operator displayed between the conditions. From the menu, select a new operator.

9. To edit a condition, click the condition, then repeat the steps above to modify the condition, beginning at To define the condition.