Unlimited LIST, vs Multiple Choice, Possible TEXT box?

[aoz]

OK, here is an ABBREVIATED list, but I want a listbox, multiple choice, WHATEVER, of over 36 entries (this has been mentioned before)

IF you change the font below to a MONO font, the underlnes are spaced ok, to format the list.

I want the LIST to only show the FIRST part of the entry, but the STRING contains a macro that runs (1001-11-=account number), if the person selects "acct-num"

 

OK, tried multiple choice, but you default it to a dual column.

I've tried notepad, text file, but someone can alter the text accidentally (a copy/paste function in that)

 

BUT, I just got a brainstorm, USE a TEXTbox.

IN MEpro, since multople macro's can run, a TEXT box could be displayed, AND a secont macro , when you put cursor on a line, could copy the whole line.

 

BUT, one PROBLEM - your text box automatically does word wrap.

ANY way to format that so that WORD WRAP can be defeated, all text shows on one line (or actully the EXTRA text on the right is hidden, beyond the visible part of the window?

 

 

Acct-Num__________1001-11-Account Number

Acct_Owner________1001-12-Acct_owner

Year______________1001-13-Year

Month-Day_________1001-14-Mnth_Day

Type-of-Form______1001-15-Type_of_Form

Add'l-01­­­­__________1001-16-Add'l_01

Add'l-02__________1001-17-Addl_02

Sequence__________1001-18-Sequence

1001-18-Sequence QUICK Non

Add'l-03_________­_1001-19_Add'l_03

Filename->Clpbrd__1001-25-a--Filename COPY to CLIPBOARD

 

 

this would show to te user (how I want it as) as

 

acct-num_____

act-owner____

year________

 

etc

 

the right edge would be hiden, with word wrap disabled

 

nick

[Cory]

If you're launching macros why don't you just use a popup menu?

 

In the past I've opened a multiple choice menu and a second text box. The text box has setting values and the MC has multiple selectable buttons with brief labels. Then the user simply checks off all the settings they want to check.

 

Another trick is to make your own multiple choice box. Open a text box with a bunch of items

 

A - Tim

B - Dick

C - Harry

 

And so on. Then pop open a text box and prompt them for which items they would like to select. They type A and you get Tim. Or you type AC and get Tim and Harry. Or you ca prompt them repeatedly updating your text box. EG they type A and you update the display to

 

# - Tim

B - Dick

C - Harry

 

Indicating Tim is selected. If they type A again and it unselects. When they're done they type "Done" or something. It's like writing old command line menus in Basic or other text programming languages. The sky's the limit really. And it can all be done in one macro. Just tossing some ideas out.

[aoz]

Corey -

thanks for reply

 

I've been through all permutations of what to do ; multiple choice, text, etc. Unfortunately, what I need is how I had it above.

Here's why

 

FIRST, what I need -

 

Person needs to see, in a menu,

ACCOUNT-NUM

 

THEN, if person selected Account-Num, I want the macro of "1011-11-Account_NUmber_find" to be run.

 

WHY is it named "1011-11-account-number-find", instead of "account-number-find"?

because, inside MacroExpress, to SORT things, I try to keep things categorized, and sorted, for my project.

If I have "account-number-find", and then "sequence-counter", and then "filename-concatenate", in that order, they will not sort, UNLESS I give them the prefix.

Deficiency of MacroExpress3, AND MacroExpressPro. IF I could ALTER the INDEX, this would change things.

 

SO, for

PopupMenu -

ICONS are a pain; I've designed my own custom icons, and that is a pain, because the items included get changed a lot.

 

NickName list, useful, but still problematic, because the NAME shows up with my prefixed info.

 

NotePad Text box, I have done this before, unlimited, but a copy/paste function could screw up the actual data.

 

Multiple choice, doesn't work, as I want a single list, not the dual list that is provided.

 

SO, I decided to TRY the text box.

 

IF I hhave the strings as

 

Acct-num________1011-11-Acct-num-name

 

and have the text as NOT word wrapped

 

the user will just see

 

-------------------

|acct-num_____|

-------------------

 

and other options, in a textbox list

 

BUT, the VARIABLE will have everything I need to decide what macro to run; they just don't see the full line; and I can strip out all characters through and including the _____

and then have the MACRO to run, all in one string.

 

Otherwise, I have to do a ton of IF-then statements

 

In my text file, I can have all that info in one line.

 

I JUST NEED to get this to have it easily readable by my users !!! ARGHHHH !!

SO CLOSE !!!

 

Any other option, to let me keep this as single-line selection, yet truncate what the viewer sees, is appreciated

[Cory]

I think you're shooting yourself in the foot by trying to encode all of the variables you need to run the other macros into the text to be selected. We have named variables, array variatblaes, gotos and many new tools that should make this simple for you. It sounds like you're doing something very convoluted and when things get this way it's usually because the user has fundamentally set out on the wrong foot. I write macros professionally and I often get clients who come to me with these huge convoluted 1000+ line macros they can't finish for some reason like what you're seeing. Inevitably they're going about it the wrong way and I end up replacing the whole thing with a 'from scratch' 120 line macro that does more and works better. Without spending a bunch of time with you, and you becoming a client:), I doubt I could help you find a simpler way but I just wanted to pass along that you might want to reconsider your basic approach to the problem first.

[aoz]

Corey,

I do appreciate your replies.

 

I do realize that all the variables exist so that I could set up items in diferent variables, etc.

 

BUT, if I create a full string that has

 

Title _________ variables

 

and I have a list of 50 titles, that have their associated variables with them

 

I can do a simple couple-line macro, as a loop, that can parse the variable line

 

rather than have to create a variable table, to spell out each indivdual variable,

 

In fact, I do this already, using an excel speadsheet, for my own use; the frst column has a contatenated string that contains about 10 items in it that relate to he selection; I can go down that block, and select, and have a simple macro to parse it out and use the data.

BUT, it does not LOOK nice for other users.

 

In fact, the reason I us the strings is from a PRIOR macroExpress thread, as to how to do variables, delimited,in a string

(example ^01^data01^01^^02^itemz^02^^03^question^03^

 

search for ^02^, begin, collect string, search for ^02^, end, collect the minddle part, and you have the second data piece

 

It actualy works very well !!

It does save time;

 

I'm just trying to make an inital part of the list look good !!

 

I'll keep trying, and again, any feedback appreciated.

 

Nick

[Cory]

I think you need to look at using Arrays. You can essentially build simple tables of variables this way, just like your spreadsheet, without defining tons of variables. Also I often create CSV files on the fly and use them later with an ASCII File Repeat. Like I say, not sure exactly what you're doing but as a general rule I never have to resort to such oddities. But I do concede that sometimes we have to do things to work around limitations in MEP. Oh, and for the record I don't really like the inflexibility of the Multiple Choice either. BTW if you would ever like to talk about what you're doing feel free to drop me a PM or go to my contact page on my website and drop me a line.