Manipulating Fields in Record Definitions

This section provides an overview of fields in record definitions and discusses how to:

  • Insert fields into records.

  • Insert subrecords into records.

You create record definitions by adding field definitions to a new record definition or by cloning and modifying an existing record definition. You can add fields in any order and reorder them at any time. Locate keys at the top of the record definition, in order of importance.

Each field has basic attributes that are shared across all records that contain the field. These field properties include data type, field name, long name, short name, field length (or integer and decimal positions), formatting, help context number, and translate values. If you change any of these attributes for a field, the change affects every occurrence of the field in every record definition. If the change is not appropriate for every occurrence of this field, consider defining a new field instead.

Note: Changing a field name or length requires modification of the underlying SQL table, either by running the SQL Build or SQL Alter menu items or by a system administrator action. For example, if you change a field length for one record definition and 30 other record definitions contain the same field name, then you must build or alter 31 records. If the records are all within one project, you can run the build process on the project instead.

You can insert a field into a record in one of several ways:

  • Using the project workspace tree.

    To insert a field into a record definition directly from the project workspace by using the drag-and-drop method:

    1. Locate a field using the PeopleSoft Application Designer project workspace tree.

    2. Drag the field from the project workspace tree to the object workspace.

      The field and its attributes are automatically added to the list of fields in the record definition.

  • Using the Insert menu (Insert, Field).

    Use the Insert, Field menu selection to search for fields with selection criteria, and then add them to the record using the Insert button. You can also double-click a selected field definition and select Insert the Field Definition. The system inserts the fields below the selected field in the record definition.

  • Dragging fields from existing records.

    To drag a field from one record definition to another:

    1. Open a record that contains the fields that you need.

    2. Select the field.

    3. Drag the field to a new record.

Subrecords enable you to aggregate and configure a group of fields as a set, which you can then insert in multiple record definitions. All subrecord fields and configured properties propagate to the subsuming record definition.

You must define a subrecord before you can insert it into a record definition. You create and configure a subrecord as you do any record definition; however, you do not build subrecords because they are PeopleSoft structures, not standalone database structures. Select Insert > SubRecord to search, select, and insert subrecords into a record.

Viewing a Subrecord

Any open record in which a subrecord is inserted can have the subrecord expanded into the same record definition window by selecting View > Expand All Subrecords. After selecting this option, the parent record definition expands to show the fields in the subrecord. Subrecord fields are shaded.

When the subrecord is expanded, you cannot insert, cut, delete, paste, reorder, or sort fields. If you reordered the display of the fields, you cannot expand the subrecords.

The expanded subrecord fields are read-only, which means that you cannot change the properties of these fields. To access the properties, first open the subrecord. The shortcut to opening a subrecord is to click the expanded subrecord and select View Definition. This action opens a subrecord definition from which you can view the properties of the fields.

Collapse the subrecord by selecting View > Collapse All Subrecords.

Nesting Subrecords

Nested subrecords are fully supported to any level. Expanding a record toggles the record field list to show all of the fields from all levels of nesting. Changes to subrecords are immediately reflected in expanded records.

Editing PeopleCode in Subrecords

You can edit PeopleCode that is attached to a subrecord field by double-clicking the appropriate field as it appears in the expanded record. Any PeopleCode changes that you make apply to all records that contain that subrecord.

Configuring Persist in Menu Properties

All Persist in Menu properties that you explicitly define on record fields in subrecords propagate to all subsuming record definitions. When you configure custom persistent search fields, the Persist in Menu properties in both the subrecord and its subsuming records are counted toward the maximum number of persisted fields. Selecting the Persist in Menu property for record fields in a subrecord that is already being used by other record definitions displaces any lower order fields that, as a result of the subrecord reconfiguration, are beyond the five-field maximum.

See Configuring Search Results Grid Columns in Persistent Searches.