Description of the Screen Wizard

ID: Q114192

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, version 2.6
• Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, version 2.6

SUMMARY

The information below describes the Screen Wizard and lists the steps to create a screen.

This information is also found in FoxPro online Help in the "Screen Wizard" topic.

MORE INFORMATION

The Screen Wizard creates a FoxPro screen you can use to view and modify the information in your tables. The screen includes a series of buttons for displaying, editing, and printing records. You can choose from three different styles of screens, and have your choice of buttons with text labels, such as "Next" or "Top," or buttons with pictures that represent each button's function.

NOTE: If you want your screens to work in a multiuser environment, you need to make sure that you set the EXCLUSIVE option to OFF. You can change this setting from the Catalog Manager by choosing the Settings command from the Tools menu. If you are not using the Catalog Manager, type SET EXCLUSIVE OFF in the Command window.

Screen Wizard Steps

Step 1 of 5: Selecting a Table

NOTE: If you start the wizard from the Catalog Manager, this step is skipped because you have already selected a table to work with.

Select a table from the list (which shows all the tables in use before you started the wizard). If no names are displayed, or you want to use a different table, choose the Open... button and use the Open dialog to select a table.

Step 2 of 5: Selecting Fields to Include in Your Screen

To select fields from a table to use in your screen, you can:

• Double-click each field name in the Available Fields box.
• Select each field name and choose the Add button.
• Choose the Add All button to use all the fields.

Step 3 of 5: Setting the Sort Order

NOTE: This step will be skipped if you are basing your screen on a query.

To set the order in which records will be displayed in the screen, select up to three fields from the Available Fields list. The selected fields are combined to create an index tag.

For example, if you choose State and then City, when you view your records in the finished screen, they will be sorted by state, and then by city within each state.

Choose the Ascending option to view records from the beginning of the alphabet, the lowest number, or the earliest date; choose the Descending option to view records from the end of the alphabet, the highest number, or the latest date.

Step 4 of 5: Selecting a Style for the Screen and Its Buttons

Select a style option for the screen from the list of styles.

FoxPro for Windows Only: Then, select the type of navigation and editing buttons (text or pictures) you want to appear along the bottom of the screen.

Step 5 of 5: Naming the Screen and Saving, Running, or Modifying It

Enter the title you want to appear at the top of your new screen, then select one of the three options, and choose the Finish button:

• Save Screen For Later Use creates an .SCX file that you can later use to generate and then run the screen.
• Save And Run Screen creates and generates the screen, and displays it so you can view, modify, or print records.
• Modify Screen With Design Tool displays the Save As dialog so you can give the table a name, then displays the screen in the Screen Design window, so you can modify it as needed.

Wizard-Generated Screens

The screens created by the wizard include the screen title and the fields you chose to include.

Wizard-Generated Screen Buttons

The buttons at the bottom of the screen work as follows:

Button      Function
------      --------

Top         Displays the first record in the table.

Prev        Displays the previous record in the table.

Locate      Displays a Browse window so you can search for the record
            you want.

Next        Displays the next record in the table.

End         Displays the last record in the table.

Add         Adds a new record to the table. Choose Save when you are
            done entering the record, or Cancel to discard the new
            record.

            Not available if you are displaying a read-only table or
            query.

            Not available if you are using a query which includes
            tables related on an expression field.

Edit        Allows you to make changes to the record currently
            displayed. Choose Save when you are done editing, or
            Cancel to discard the changes.

            Not available if you are displaying a read-only table or
            query.

Delete      Deletes the current record.

Save        Saves a new record, or changes made during editing.

            Not available if you are displaying a read-only table or
            query.

Cancel      Cancels a new record, or changes made during editing.

            Not available if you are displaying a read-only table or
            query.

Print       Displays a dialog box so you can print the current record,
            or all the records in the table. The wizard creates a
            report with the same name as the screen. You can preview
            the report, or send it directly to the printer.

Close       Closes the screen.

Last Reviewed: June 27, 1995