Visual Builder Special Variables

Visual Builder has a number of special variables that can be set to alter the operation of forms.

CopiesToPrint = <nn>

The number of copies to print of the form. This should be specified in the form's Questions|Preface or Postscript sections. Assigning a numeric value to this variable will override the default "number of copies to print" property of the form.

HoldRecord = TRUE | FALSE

This variable should be assigned a TRUE or FALSE value in the rules section of the form. If TRUE is assigned to the variable the current record is "held over" for printing again on the next line. This can be useful if you need to display a certain record repeatedly until some other process is complete.

GroupChange

This variable is not normally assigned a value but it can be inspected to see if a group (such as a total, sub-total or heading) has changed. Some action can then be performed based on this change.

SortOrder = <n> | Expression

The sort order of a form can be dynamically altered by declaring this variable and assigning it a value. If the assigned value is numeric, then sorting is determined by the matching entry in the sort order list. For example, if the third sort sequence is "account", then assigning 3 to the variable SortOrder will result in sorting by account. If a character string is assigned to this variable then the form will be sorted by that string. For example:

SortOrder := 'Account + Name'

will sort the form by account code plus account name. Visual Builder only checks for the existence of the SortOrder variable if a sort order sequence has not already been defined for the form. So if you want the system to use the contents of this variable it is important that you leave the Sort field in the Link tab blank. Visual Builder attempts to apply the sort sequence specified by SortOrder to all bodies not assigned a Sort field value.

JoinParentKey = Expression

If specified this is used as the join key expression for all bodies on a form. The scope of all body forms is limited to matching this expression. For example:

JoinParentKey := 'Invoice->Invoiceno'

If the JoinParentkey variable is not defined, Visual Builder assumes that the join relationship between the parent and any joined bodies is determined by the current Sort expression of the parent form. For example, if an invoice form is sorted by invoice number, then any bodies joined to the invoice must match the invoice number of the parent. It is sometimes convenient to sort by something other than the invoice number, such as the invoice date. In this case it is necessary to define the JoinParentKey variable to ensure that the contents of the invoice form is still limited to matching the invoice number. The JoinParentKey variable is usually defined in the Preface section of the form found on the Questions tab.