This chapter contains the following topics:
Auto Suggest enables users to search for and filter text on fields where Auto Suggest is enabled.
When users type text in an Auto Suggest-enabled field, EnterpriseOne searches for one or more possible text matches and displays them in a grid beneath or beside the field. This immediate feedback enables users to stop typing an entire word or phrase, and instead, choose a record from the list that displays.
If Auto Suggest is enabled, users do not need to remember codes in order to search for, or enter, data in a field. Auto Suggest differs from Visual Assist in the following ways:
Auto Suggest can search for data in multiple tables and will return all records that match users' search criteria
Auto Suggest is faster, more efficient, and requires fewer mouse clicks.
Auto Suggest displays an arrow in all data items that are enabled for Auto Suggest.
Enabling Auto Suggest requires you to complete the following tasks:
Add an Auto Suggest feature
Enable a user/role/*PUBLIC to use the auto suggest feature defined in step 1 on EnterpriseOne forms.
To add an Auto Suggest feature:
Enter P958973 into the Fast Path. Or navigate through the following menus: EnterpriseOne Menus, EnterpriseOne Life Cycle Tools, System Administrative Tools, Runtime Feature Administration, and then select Runtime Feature Definitions.
The Work with Feature Definitions form displays.
Click Add.
The Runtime Feature Revisions form displays.
In the Feature Name field, enter the name for the Auto Suggest characterizations you are creating. This name needs to be unique.
Select the Auto Suggest from the Feature Type Drop-down menu.
Complete the following fields:
Data Item - this is the data dictionary item to which Auto Suggest will be applied. Auto Suggest is set on the data dictionary level, meaning that an Auto Suggest instance can be applied to all forms that have the particular data item.
No Auto Suggest - select this option to turn off Auto Suggest for a specified data item. This is useful when you need to enable Auto Suggest at a system code level. Additionally, select this option if you want to exclude some applications within the system code from using Auto Suggest.
Business View - select this option to choose an Auto Suggest business view for the data item. Auto Suggest Business Views are Business Views with a special property (Auto Suggest Business View). These business views include the value column, one or multiple search columns, and one or multiple display columns. EnterpriseOne includes Auto Suggest business views. You can use visual assist to search for and use any of the existing Auto Suggest business views. You can also create your own customized Auto Suggest business views. See Section 24.2.5, "Creating Auto Suggest Business Views"
Language Business View - select this option to choose a business view that contains translated descriptions for the data item.
Number of Characters Required - select this option to specify the minimal number of characters users must type in the field before the Auto Suggest feature is triggered. For a field that has a large number of potential values, you may want to use more characters. For a field with relatively small number of potential values, you can use 1 character or 2 characters.
Hot Key Required - select this option to specify whether or not the Auto Suggest feature will be triggered automatically. If Hot Key Required is turned off, the Auto Suggest feature will be trigger automatically. When users focus on a field with Auto Suggest turned on, they will see a gray down-arrow at the bottom-right corner of the field. As soon as the user types the required number of characters, the gray down-arrow will change depending on the Hot Key Required setting. If the Hot Key Required setting is turned off, the gray down-arrow pulses and EnterpriseOne automatically triggers the Auto Suggest feature and it displays the matching items automatically in a grid below the field. If the Hot Key Required setting is turned on, the gray down-arrow becomes blue, and the user must click on the blue down-arrow to trigger the Auto Suggest feature. After the user clicks on the blue down-arrow, EnterpriseOne then queries the suggested items and displays the matching items in a grid below the field. Requiring a hot key depends on the number of items in the field, as well as EnterpriseOne and database performances. Each Auto Suggest triggers an additional database query. If the field has a large number of items, and you want to limit the additional performance impact to your database, then you may set the Hot Key Required to ON. Otherwise, you may turn off Hot Key Required.
Click OK.
To enable the Auto Suggest feature
Type P958974 in the Fast Path. Or navigate through the following menus: EnterpriseOne Menus, EnterpriseOne Life Cycle Tools, System Administrative Tools, Runtime Feature Administration, and then select Runtime Feature Definitions.
Click Add.
You can also enable an existing Auto Suggest feature by selecting one from the grid and clicking Select.
Complete the following fields:
Environment Name - this is the environment where you want to enable an Auto Suggest feature defined in step 1.
User / Role or *Public - This is the user with whom you want to enable Auto Suggest defined in step 1.
Feature Name - This is the name of Auto Suggest defined in step 1.
Date Item - This field is automatically filled in once you enter the Feature Name.
Form Name - This is the form or forms in which you want to enable Auto Suggest named in Feature Name. Use *ALL for all forms.
Object Name - This is the application or applications in which you want to enable Auto Suggest named in the Feature Name. Use *ALL for all applications.
Product Code - This is the reporting system code or system codes in which you want to enable the Auto Suggest feature named in Feature Name. Use *ALL for all system codes.
There is one INI setting for Auto Suggest in the [Web Runtime] section on Server Manager:
[OWWEB] # The delay time in milliseconds before Auto Suggest search starts
autoSuggestDelay=750
This setting comes into play when the Hot Key Required setting is turned off. This is the time the user pauses after the user types the required number of characters, and before EnterpriseOne fetches the Auto Suggested items automatically.
After the power-user enables Auto Suggest feature or features for a user, the user can also turn off the auto suggest feature at a user level. This may be helpful with expert users who already know the codes and would like to complete data entry quickly without Auto Suggest.
An application developer can create or customize Auto Suggest business views using OMW.
To create Auto Suggest business views:
In OMW, create a Business View object and click the Auto Suggest check box.
Open the Auto Suggest business view in Business View Design Aid.
Select the table or table joins you want to use in the Business View Design Aid. This is the table or tables where the system will search for the user typed items.
The first column of the Auto Suggest business view must contain the value that EnterpriseOne adds to the field after the user selects an Auto Suggested record. This value is typically the actual code or value of the field (for example, the AN8 column should be the first column in the Address Book Auto Suggest business view).
For the rest of the business view columns, there are three special Auto Suggest properties that you need to select:
Search Field - Select this option for the columns where you want the Auto Suggest system to search. EnterpriseOne searches in this field for the text the user typed. For example, for AN8, the "Alpha Name" field may be the search field if you would like the system to search what the user typed in the Alpha Name column.
Display Field - Select this column for the columns where you want the system to display as the system brings up the recommended items. For example, for an Address Book field, you may include the Address as Display Field to help users select the proper record.
Language Code - Select this option if the column contains the language code. The system will match the user's language preference with data in this column to display translated records.