Grid Controls
A grid control is similar to a spreadsheet. Use grids to display data and to enable users to enter information. Unlike an edit control, grid controls can show multiple data items and multiple table rows at once. You also can use grid controls to enable users to edit table records. In end-user documentation, grid controls are referred to as detail areas.
A grid can either be a browse grid or an update grid. You can use a browse grid for viewing only, and you cannot select individual cells. The find/browse, search & select, power browse, and portlet browse forms have browse grids, as do browse subforms.
You can use an update grid to add, delete, or update records. Cells in an update grid can be selected individually. The header detail, headerless detail, power edit, and portlet edit forms have update grids, as do update subforms.
Grid controls of both types contain columns. The columns are specified at design time and are one of these types:
Database column or
Data dictionary (DD) column.
A database column is associated with an item in the business view (BV) and through that connection to a DD item. Database columns represent a field in a database record.
Although only one type of column is referred to as a DD column, both types have a connection to a specific DD item. The difference is that a database column has the additional connection to a BV field. A grid column is affected by the properties of the associated dictionary item. For example, if a grid column is associated with a dictionary item of type string with a length of 30, that grid column will not permit more than 30 characters to be typed into the cell.
Grid controls can also have a query-by-example (QBE) line. The QBE columns have a one-to-one correspondence with the grid columns. You use a QBE value to change the selection criteria of a database fetch. Only database columns enable entry in the QBE columns because the purpose of the QBE is to affect the selection and only database columns are in the BV. A QBE column can have one of these comparison types:
Equal.
Not equal.
Less than.
Less than or equal to.
Greater than.
Greater than or equal to.
The comparison type is equal unless you specify otherwise. You can specify the comparison type in the QBE column or by using system functions. You can use wildcards (* or %) for an inexact search on a string field.
Grid values can be retrieved on a cell-by-cell basis or on a row-by-row basis. Internal storage for the grid columns exists in the runtime engine. The way the grid column value is stored is based on the type of the associated dictionary item (for example, math numeric, string, character), and it is distinct from the screen representation of the value. Only one row of data can be acted upon at any given time. Each event executes in the context of a specific row.