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About Specifying the Navigation Style for a Block

You can alter the default navigation sequence by setting the Navigation Style block property. Navigation Style specifies how a Next Item or Previous Item operation is processed from the last navigable item and the first navigable item in the block, respectively.

The following settings are valid for Navigation Style:

Same Record
The default navigation style. A Next Item operation from a block's last item moves the input focus to the first navigable item in the block, in the same record.
 
Change Record
 
A Next Item operation from a block's last item moves the input focus to the first navigable item in the block, in the next record. If the current record is the last record in the block and there is no open query, Oracle Forms creates a new record. If there is an open query in the block (the block contains queried records), Oracle Forms retrieves additional records as needed.
 
Change Block
 
A Next Item operation from a block's last item moves the input focus to the first navigable item in the first record of the next block. Similarly, a Previous Item operation from the first item in a block moves the input focus to the last item in the current record of the previous block. Note that the Next Navigation Block and Previous Navigation Block properties can be set to redefine a block's next or previous block.
 

The Navigation Style block property can be set at design time in the Property Palette, and at runtime using the SET_BLOCK_PROPERTY Built-in procedure.

The default navigation style is Same Record. In general, applications that use this style must make it clear to form operators which items belong to which blocks. If operators have to press [Next Block] to navigate to an item in a different block, it must be apparent to the operator which items are in which blocks.

It may not always be desirable to externalize the block navigation paradigm to users. In such cases, you can use either the Change Record or Change Block navigation styles to achieve the desired navigation sequence. The Change Block setting is often useful when you want operators to be able to press TAB to visit all of the items in a window, even if those items belong to more than one block.

For example, when you create a window with a row of buttons at the bottom, the button items are often in a different block than other items in the same window. Using the Change Block navigation style for each block effectively eliminates the Next Block navigation restriction.

The Change Record navigation style is useful for database blocks that may store several records at a time. This setting allows operators to quickly traverse multiple records, without having to use a different key or the mouse to explicitly navigate to the next or previous record. During data entry, the Change Record property allows operators to quickly insert a new record at the end of the block's List of records.


Navigation Style property

NEXT_ITEM Built-in

PREVIOUS_ITEM Built-in