Multiple User Inputs In One Prompt Box?

[jmb4370]

Is there any way to get multiple user inputs in one box (to fill different variables) without having to have separate prompt boxes and then close each one in order to get the next user input? I can see that a diaplay box could show the previously entered input, but that still needs to be cleared before the next prompt for input is displayed.

 

Michael

[paul]

Is there any way to get multiple user inputs in one box (to fill different variables) without having to have separate prompt boxes and then close each one in order to get the next user input? I can see that a diaplay box could show the previously entered input, but that still needs to be cleared before the next prompt for input is displayed.

Only using a simplistic approach like this:

 

Solicit: Enter your name and password, separated by a comma:

Receive: pault,freddie

 

Then write some logic to split this input string into 2 variables.

 

And now that you know my password, I'll have to kill you <g>!

[jmb4370]

Thanks Paul;

I was really hoping for a more elegant solution, but I didn't think it was really possible.

 

Michael

[paul]

Although we haven't added this facility yet (Joe and I are still discussing possible user requirements), we can readily add a data form capability to our PGM library. One way this could work is for a macro to provide a list of "questions", run our form macro and get a resulting list of responses. By "questions", I simply mean things like "Enter your name" or "DOB" or "Name of grandmother". So if you supplied 3 such "questions", you'd get back either one registry string value containing the 3 strings delimited by some user-specified character, or 3 registry string values. This could be made more sophisticated by allowing specification of data types, validation rules, etc. Any feedback you might have on this would be useful.

[jmb4370]

Hi Paul;

That sounds like a pretty smart idea. That would allow the macro to be used as a default parameters setup screen, where the existing values can be read from the respective individual keys, and if the user wants to change any values, they can be changed and then written to the registry. Individual key values would mean less post processing to get the new value into a needed variable.

Can't wait to see it!

Michael

[jmb4370]

Joe & Paul

It would also be neat if formatting would be allowed inside of prompt and display boxes, ie to allow fonts, color, tabs, left, right, center justification, bold, italics, and underline of the text, and also to allow manual sizing changes to prompt boxes (as is allowed for display boxes).

 

Another thing is to be able to freeze the screen image, or be able to put up a blank curtain up while the macro is progressing behind the curtain. A display box could show in front of the curtain while things are progressing behind the scene, and then when the correct window is active, the curtain/display box would disappear, and things could continue! It would make it appear that everything was written specifically as original programming.

 

Michael

[Noggin the Nog]

You can make all sorts of fancy input dialogs using other applications controlled from ME. Personally I use notepad and text files a lot. Quick to open (assuming notepad is default for .txt files) and easy to look at the data in the file. For a multiple input I would do the following:

 

1. Create a master template say input.txt which could be:

Name:<space>

City:<space>

Telephone, xxx xxxx:<space>

Date of Birth yy mm dd:<space>

 

(<space> being a space for neatness)

 

2. To input you call up input.txt and a complex pause. Type in the date entries. After filling in one line, the down arrow key will take you to the correct position for the next line. When the last entry is complete, hit the OK on the complex pause.

 

3. ME then saves the open input.txt as inputtemp.txt (you can save manually too after the last data entry), closes the file and uses this file for subsequent operations. Input.txt remains unchanged for the next use.

 

4. ME then does a text file process on inputtemp.txt to extract the data. The text past the ":" is selected in each line and any immediate leading spaces removed with variable modify string/left trim. Any required data length or format checks are done. Then on to whatever processing is needed.

 

If I have a long list of items I regularly use (say the 150 web pages I get every night) I use a list of urls in a text file. If for some reason pages need to be redone later I use a text file procedure similar to above. I have a temp text file that gets opened which is a copy of the full list. I remove all the entries I don't want to retrieve. That file is saved and used in the macro, retrieving just the shortened list. When done, the full url list is copied into the temp file ready for the next time.

[paul]

You can make all sorts of fancy input dialogs using other applications controlled from ME. Personally I use notepad and text files a lot. Quick to open (assuming notepad is default for .txt files) and easy to look at the data in the file. For a multiple input I would do the following:

 

A nice simple solution for one's own needs, but probably not foolproof enough for a generalized facility <g>!

[paul]

It would also be neat if formatting would be allowed inside of prompt and display boxes, ie to allow fonts, color, tabs, left, right, center justification, bold, italics, and underline of the text, and also to allow manual sizing changes to prompt boxes (as is allowed for display boxes).

I think what you're asking for here is probably overkill for a data-entry form - in my experience such matters as colour, justification and fonts tend to get in the way and annoy an experienced data-entry person. I think your ideas are better suited to the presentation, rather than the gathering, of data.

 

Actually I've just added a note-taking facility to some databases for a client in multiple locations, and I did allow fonts, colours, etc. Nobody has used any of these fancy features!

[jmb4370]

Paul,

How did you add that note taking facility to some databases, and allow fonts, colors, etc. Is it available to view?

Michael

[paul]

Paul,

How did you add that note taking facility to some databases, and allow fonts, colors, etc. Is it available to view?

Michael

Sorry, this was nothing to do with Macro Express. I was simply making the point that often fancy features are not of great interest to users. To answer your question, I created a form using a rich text box and wrote the necessary code to enable fonts, paragraph styles and alignments, etc. Nothing of any great difficulty.

[jowensii]

It would be great to be able to collect multple inputs with a single dialog box! :