Bug 337440 - Add support for split form view
Summary: Add support for split form view
Status: CONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: KEXI
Classification: Applications
Component: Forms (show other bugs)
Version: 2.9 Alpha
Platform: Mint (Ubuntu based) Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Kexi Bugs
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2014-07-14 14:12 UTC by Ian Balchin
Modified: 2014-12-03 01:49 UTC (History)
0 users

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Description Ian Balchin 2014-07-14 14:12:16 UTC
This is to allow viewing of multiple records on a form with the data of the selected record in the Form Object shown and editable in the Field Objects displayed in the same Form.

Reproducible: Always




In the case of a group of similar records with only minor differences in certain fields this allows side-by-side inspection of records to more easily determine which is the desired one.

It means that you do not have to keep flipping to different tabs (table to form, or maybe report to form) to determine if the record to be edited is really the one from a bundle of similar ones.

For instance, with my book records, we may have items that differ only by an isbn number. The same author, same title, the same edition, but a different isbn (Penguin are good at putting a new isbn on an existing book that has only the 'new season' cover) and is otherwise identical to the preceding issue. We forget which book is which and need the jog of the run of issues to nudge us to certainty.

Another case where this feature is of considerable use to me is when the publisher of an academic books authored by (say) Grotowoski, Brown, Gillfillan, & Migdol drops, or adds, or promotes an author, subtly changing the author sort-order.  Also, the 10th edition may sort before the 1st edition. International editions compound the issue, and a series of essentially the same book issued over the years does not sort in the ideal 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, .... sequence of editions.

In this case it is very advantageous to be able to see a tabular layout of records showing the sort order.
Comment 1 Jarosław Staniek 2014-07-18 20:23:09 UTC
Thanks! Not identical but related to #330220 "Add support for subforms".
Comment 2 Jarosław Staniek 2014-07-18 20:43:07 UTC
Altered to Summary. See the Split Form view of MSA (2007+):  http://i.msdn.microsoft.com/dynimg/IC135158.gif
Article at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb203849%28v=office.12%29.aspx

By default the form would have to be an autoform, ie. form that is generated by Kexi and not designed by hand by the user. In this case this wish depends on an "Add support for autoforms" wish (not reported on this bugzilla I think). Alternatively, user might be able to pick a form that fits (at data source level) to a tabular view, and then the two views can coexist on a single split view as well.

Third option: add support for split view in general, i.e. displaying multiple mutually "unconnected" views within a single tab.

4th option: allow for detaching tabs as separate windows. This lets the user to align these windows freely, and even split them on separate monitors. This advantage makes the option worth having regardless of existence of the split view.

Feel free to discuss further :) I guess we can better off when we have several smaller wishes filed.