Working with DataWindows

This part describes how to build DataWindow objects to retrieve, present, and manipulate data in your applications.

Table of Contents

Defining DataWindow Objects
About DataWindow objects
DataWindow object examples
How to use DataWindow objects
Choosing a presentation style
Using the Tabular style
Using the Freeform style
Using the Grid style
Using the Label style
Using the N-Up style
Using the Group style
Using the Composite style
Using the Graph and Crosstab styles
Using the OLE 2.0 style
Using the RichText style
Using the TreeView style
Building a DataWindow object
Selecting a data source
Using Quick Select
Selecting a table
Selecting columns
Specifying sorting criteria
Specifying selection criteria
Using SQL Select
Selecting tables and views
Selecting columns
Displaying the underlying SQL statement
Joining tables
Using retrieval arguments
Specifying selection, sorting, and grouping criteria
Using Query
Using External
Using Stored Procedure
Using a Web service data source (Obsolete)
Using the OData Service (Obsolete)
Choosing DataWindow object-wide options
Generating and saving a DataWindow object
About the extended attribute system tables and DataWindow objects
Saving the DataWindow object
Modifying an existing DataWindow object
Defining queries
Previewing the query
Saving the query
Modifying a query
What's next
Enhancing DataWindow Objects
Working in the DataWindow painter
Understanding the DataWindow painter Design view
Using the DataWindow painter toolbars
Using the Properties view in the DataWindow painter
Selecting controls in the DataWindow painter
Resizing bands in the DataWindow painter Design view
Using zoom in the DataWindow painter
Undoing changes in the DataWindow painter
Using the Preview view of a DataWindow object
Retrieving data
Modifying data
Viewing row information
Importing data into a DataWindow object
Using print preview
Printing data
Working in a grid DataWindow object
Saving data in an external file
Saving the data as PDF
Saving the data in HTML Table format
Working with PSR files
Modifying general DataWindow object properties
Changing the DataWindow object style
Setting colors in a DataWindow object
Setting gradients and background pictures in a DataWindow object
Setting transparency properties for a DataWindow object
Specifying properties of a grid DataWindow object
Specifying pointers for a DataWindow object
Defining print specifications for a DataWindow object
Modifying text in a DataWindow object
Defining the tab order in a DataWindow object
Naming controls in a DataWindow object
Using borders in a DataWindow object
Specifying variable-height bands in a DataWindow object
Modifying the data source of a DataWindow object
Storing data in a DataWindow object using the Data view
What happens at runtime
Retrieving data
Prompting for retrieval criteria in a DataWindow object
Retrieving rows as needed
Saving retrieved rows to disk
Working with Controls in DataWindow Objects
Adding controls to a DataWindow object
Adding columns to a DataWindow object
Adding text to a DataWindow object
Adding drawing controls to a DataWindow object
Adding a group box to a DataWindow object
Adding pictures to a DataWindow object
Adding computed fields to a DataWindow object
Adding buttons to a DataWindow object
Adding graphs to a DataWindow object
Adding InkPicture controls to a DataWindow object
Adding OLE controls to a DataWindow object
Adding reports to a DataWindow object
Adding table blob controls to a DataWindow object
Adding tooltips to a DataWindow control
Reorganizing controls in a DataWindow object
Displaying boundaries for controls in a DataWindow object
Using the grid and the ruler in a DataWindow object
Deleting controls in a DataWindow object
Moving controls in a DataWindow object
Copying controls in a DataWindow object
Resizing controls in a DataWindow object
Aligning controls in a DataWindow object
Equalizing the space between controls in a DataWindow object
Equalizing the size of controls in a DataWindow object
Sliding controls to remove blank space in a DataWindow object
Positioning controls in a DataWindow object
Rotating controls in a DataWindow object
Controlling Updates in DataWindow objects
About controlling updates
What you can do
Specifying the table to update
Specifying the unique key columns
Specifying an identity column
Specifying updatable columns
Specifying the WHERE clause for update/delete
Specifying update when key is modified
Using stored procedures to update the database
Using a Web service to update the database (Obsolete)
Displaying and Validating Data
About displaying and validating data
Presenting the data
Validating data
About display formats
Working with display formats
Working with display formats in the Database painter
Working with display formats in the DataWindow painter
Defining display formats
Number display formats
String display formats
Date display formats
Time display formats
About edit styles
Working with edit styles
Working with edit styles in the Database painter
Working with edit styles in the DataWindow painter
Defining edit styles
The Edit edit style
The DropDownListBox edit style
The CheckBox edit style
The RadioButtons edit style
The EditMask edit style
The DropDownDataWindow edit style
The RichText edit style
The InkEdit edit style
Defining a code table
How code tables are implemented
How code tables are processed
Validating user input
About validation rules
Understanding validation rules
Working with validation rules
Defining validation rules
Defining a validation rule in the Database painter
Defining a validation rule in the DataWindow painter
How to maintain extended attributes
Filtering, Sorting, and Grouping Rows
Filtering rows
Sorting rows
Suppressing repeating values
Grouping rows
Using the Group presentation style
Defining groups in an existing DataWindow object
Highlighting Information in DataWindow Objects
Highlighting information
Modifying properties when designing
Modifying properties at runtime
Modifying properties conditionally at runtime
Example 1: creating a gray bar effect
Example 2: rotating controls
Example 3: highlighting rows of data
Example 4: changing the size and location of controls
Supplying property values
Background.Color
Border
Brush.Color
Brush.Hatch
Color
Font.Escapement (for rotating controls)
Font.Height
Font.Italic
Font.Strikethrough
Font.Underline
Font.Weight
Format
Height
Pen.Color
Pen.Style
Pen.Width
Pointer
Protect
Timer_Interval
Visible
Width
X
X1, X2
Y
Y1, Y2
Specifying colors
Using Nested Reports
About nested reports
Creating a report using the Composite presentation style
Placing a nested report in another report
Placing a related nested report in another report
Placing an unrelated nested report in another report
Working with nested reports
Adjusting nested report width and height
Changing a nested report from one report to another
Modifying the definition of a nested report
Adding another nested report to a composite report
Supplying retrieval arguments to relate a nested report to its base report
Specifying criteria to relate a nested report to its base report
Using options for nested reports
Working with Graphs
About graphs
Parts of a graph
Types of graphs
Using graphs in applications
Using graphs in DataWindow objects
Placing a graph in a DataWindow object
Using the graph's Properties view
Changing a graph's position and size
Associating data with a graph
Using the Graph presentation style
Defining a graph's properties
Using the General page in the graph's Properties view
Sorting data for series and categories
Specifying text properties for titles, labels, axes, and legends
Specifying overlap and spacing
Specifying axis properties
Specifying a pointer
Using graphs in windows
Working with Crosstabs
About crosstabs
Two types of crosstabs
Creating crosstabs
Associating data with a crosstab
Specifying the information
Viewing the crosstab
Specifying more than one row or column
Previewing crosstabs
Enhancing crosstabs
Specifying basic properties
Modifying the data associated with the crosstab
Changing the names used for the columns and rows
Defining summary statistics
Cross-tabulating ranges of values
Creating static crosstabs
Using property conditional expressions
Working with TreeViews
TreeView presentation style
Creating a new TreeView DataWindow
TreeView creation process
Creating a TreeView DataWindow
Adding and deleting TreeView levels
Selecting a tree node and navigating the tree
Sorting rows in a TreeView DataWindow
TreeView DataWindow Design view
Setting properties for the TreeView DataWindow
Setting general TreeView properties
Setting TreeView level properties
Setting detail band properties
TreeView DataWindow examples
Data Explorer sample
Data Linker sample
Exporting and Importing XML Data
About XML
Valid and well-formed XML documents
XML syntax
XML parsing
XML support in the DataWindow painter
The Export/Import Template view for XML
Creating templates
Saving templates
Header and Detail sections
Editing XML templates
XML declaration
Document type declaration
Root element
Controls
DataWindow expressions
Attributes
Composite and nested reports
CDATA sections
Comments
Processing instructions
Exporting to XML
Setting data export properties
Selecting templates at runtime
Importing XML
Importing with a template
Default data import
Tracing import
Working with Rich Text
About rich text
Using the RichText presentation style
Creating the DataWindow object
Formatting for RichText objects within the DataWindow object
Previewing and printing
Using the RichTextEdit control
Formatting keys and toolbars
Using OLE in a DataWindow Object
About using OLE in DataWindow objects
OLE objects and the OLE presentation style
Adding an OLE object to a DataWindow object
Using the OLE presentation style
Defining the OLE object
Specifying data for the OLE object
Previewing the DataWindow object
Activating and editing the OLE object
Changing the object in the control
Using OLE columns in a DataWindow object
Creating an OLE column