About repeating layout edit modes
Summary
You can configure a repeating layout (grid, tree, or tree) that enables users to view or edit properties in one of five ways. Each alternative has advantages and limitations.
The approach that is appropriate for your user and tasks depends on the characteristics of the data. This article describes the appearance and behavior of each editing mode.
Suggested Approach
Below is an example of a repeating grid as it appears in the work form at runtime.
To specify an edit mode:
- Select the Repeat Grid used in the work harness.
- Click the magnifying glass icon in the header to open the Repeat Grid properties panel.
- Select the Edit Mode drop-down list.
Read Only, Read/Write, and Inline
These modes display only the properties defined in the grid.
Select one of the following:
- Read Only — All the grid properties appear in display-only fields. Clicking a row highlights the row. The user can still use right-click menu commands, button actions, and grid express actions on the row items.
- Read/Write — All editable property values on the grid appear in input fields. The user does not need to select a row to update its values. This mode is useful when a user may need to make numerous changes to the list in a single work session.
- Inline — The user selects a row to display editable property values in input fields. This mode is recommended when editing very large lists (faster load time), or when making occasional edits.
Hint: Set the width of the controls to 100% to ensure a seamless transition between display-only and input modes. Otherwise, the control may indent left if the column is wide as shown here:
Modal and Embedded Pane
These modes enable the user to click a row and display an item's flow action properties, which do not necessarily appear on the grid. The user can view or edit the properties from this dialog.
When you select Modal Dialog or Embedded Pane in the Repeat Grid properties panel, a field for a flow action appears.
Here is the flow action used in this example:
Smart Layout 1 contains the grid properties. Smart Layout 2 contains location properties not included in the grid.
Select one of the following:
- Modal — The user double-clicks a row to display the flow action properties in a pop-up modal dialog. Updates are committed when the user selects Next or Previous, or closes the dialog, which returns the user to the grid.
- Embedded Pane — This mode displays the same information as a modal dialog in a pane beneath a grid or tree grid, or to the right of a tree. The user still has access to the grid when the pane is open. An embedded pane is useful when editing large numbers of items that do not necessarily adjoin each other. Updates are committed to the row when the next row is selected.
Notes:
– When the grid layout's data source is a report definition rule, Read Only is the only available edit mode (V6.1 SP2+).
– You can create a custom section that determines where you want the embedded pane to appear. See How to present Grid, Tree Grid, and Tree repeating row details in an embedded pane.