Grid refresh variable
Grid refresh variables prompt users to select a value from a designated table column. For example, you may want the user to select an account from the Acct.Acct column. The list of values is displayed in a dialog, using a searchable grid.
There are two ways that you can specify the column to use for the Grid variable:
- Specify the table column directly, from any table.
- Specify a Picklist table name. This automatically uses the Code column as the value column, but also automatically displays the Value and Description columns.
Both ComboBox variables and Grid variables can be used to select a value from a table column. The primary difference between the two variable types is the user interface for selecting the value—using either a drop-down list or a grid dialog. Additionally, only Grid variables allow selection of multiple values.
When using Grid variables, you can also use RelatedColumnValue variables. These are special variables that do not display to users. Instead, they are used to return values from related columns so that these values can be referenced in titles and other areas of the file. For example, if you are prompting users to select an account, then you can use a RelatedColumnValue variable to return the description of that account from the Acct.Description column. For more information, see RelatedColumnValue refresh variable.
NOTES:
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Grid variables can be used with Axiom forms, but only when multi-select is enabled. If multi-select is not enabled, then the Grid variable will behave like a ComboBox variable, so it is recommended to use a ComboBox variable instead.
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The Grid variable type was formerly known as ColumnValue. You may have older files that still use this legacy name. The ColumnValue variables will continue to work as is, however, you may want to update them to use the new terminology to avoid confusion. If you work on a ColumnValue variable using the Data Source Assistant, it will be treated as a Grid variable.
In the Desktop Client, the variable displays as a text box with a Choose Value button next to it. The user can do one of the following to specify a value:
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Type a value directly into the text box. The entry must match a value in the designated table column for the variable. If the user enters an invalid value, then a validation message displays at the bottom of the dialog. The OK button is disabled until the user enters a valid value.
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Click the button to open the Choose Value dialog, to select a value from the designated table column for the variable. This dialog has a search box so that the user can type to find values in lengthy lists. If multi-select is enabled for the variable, then the Choose Value dialog has check boxes to enable multiple selections. Once the user has selected a value, the value displays in the text box.
Desktop Client: Example grid variables
The Choose Value dialog uses either the "simple view" or the "full grid view" depending on the data to be displayed in the dialog. If only one column is being shown, or a key column plus description only, then the simple view is used. However, if the target column is a key column and any additional non-description columns are included, then the full grid view is used.
Example Choose Value dialog using "simple view" and with multi-select enabled
Example Choose Value dialog using "full grid view" and with multi-select enabled
The list of values in the Choose Value dialog is sorted based on the designated table column for the variable. In some cases the values may not be displayed as expected:
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If the column is from a document reference table, the values will most likely not be displayed in the order they are stored in the source file. When the values are saved to the database from the source file, they are sorted based on the key column of the table (column A of the sheet).
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If the column is a string column that contains numeric values (values that are all numbers and values that start with numbers), Axiom Financial Institutions Suite will attempt to sort these values in numeric order. Values that start with letters will then be sorted in alphabetical order.
When used with Axiom forms and multi-select is enabled for the variable, the variable initially looks like a ComboBox variable.
However, when the user clicks the down arrow to select a value, a dialog opens instead, allowing the user to select multiple values using check boxes. The behavior of this dialog is the same as when using multi-select with a form combo box.
The "full grid" view is not used with Axiom forms, even if multiple additional columns are specified. The additional column values are concatenated with hyphens. This means that the values cannot be sorted by column, but users can still use the search box to find particular values.
If multi-select is not enabled for the variable, then the variable behaves the same way as a ComboBox variable when used in Axiom forms. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to use a ComboBox variable with Axiom forms instead, if you do not need multi-select.
This section explains how to complete a variable row in the RefreshVariables data source when defining a Grid variable. Some data source columns do not apply in this case and are not discussed here. If any inapplicable columns are present in the data source, they should be left blank on rows that define Grid variable types. If you are using the Data Source Assistant to complete the variable properties, then only the applicable columns will be shown in the task pane.
For more information on the RefreshVariables data source in general, see Defining refresh variables.
General variable properties
All refresh variables use a common set of general properties such as the variable name, display name, and whether the variable is enabled or required. Any special considerations for Grid variables are noted.
| Column Tag | Description |
|---|---|
|
[Name] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[DisplayName] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[VariableType] |
Specifies the variable type. Enter |
|
[IsEnabled] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[SelectedValue] |
The user's selected value for the variable will be placed in this cell. When setting up the file to use the variable value, point your formulas to this cell. (missing or bad snippet) |
|
[IsRequired] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[DependsOn] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[DefaultValueonOpen] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[ClearSelectedValueonSave] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[ClearSelectedValueonOpen] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[GroupName] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[CollapseOnOpen] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
Variable-specific properties (table column)
The following additional properties apply to Grid variable types, when specifying a table column directly.
| Column Tag | Description |
|---|---|
|
[ColumnName] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[AdditionalColumns] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[ColumnFilter] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
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[PlaceholderText] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[AllowMultiSelect] |
(missing or bad snippet) This option should be used if you intend to create a filter based on the user's selections, and you want the user to be able to filter on multiple data elements. The filter must use IN syntax, with the comma-separated list placed within the parentheses. For example, if the selected value cell for the variable is Variables!G16, the filter could be built as follows: ="DEPT.DEPT IN ("&Variables!G16&")" Which would result in the filter: |
|
[DisplayFormat] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[TooltipColumn] |
(missing or bad snippet) |
|
[AutoQuoteString] |
(missing or bad snippet) NOTE: This option only applies if the value column is a string column, and only if multi-select is not enabled for the variable. If multi-select is enabled, then string values are always quoted. |
The following properties do not apply to Grid variables when using a table column: DataSourceName, ListChoices, Hierarchies, UseAsQuickFilter, MinDate, MaxDate, PrimaryTable, LimitColumn, MinValue, MaxValue, StepFrequency.
Variable-specific properties (Picklist table)
The following additional properties apply to Grid variable types, when specifying a Picklist table.
(missing or bad snippet)The following properties do not apply to Grid variables when using a picklist table: ListChoices, ColumnName, AdditionalColumns, Hierarchies, UseAsQuickFilter, MinDate, MaxDate, AutoQuoteString, PrimaryTable, LimitColumn, MinValue, MaxValue, StepFrequency.
Example data source
The following screenshot shows examples of Grid variables. The first variable uses a filter and does not allow multi-selection. The second variable specifies additional columns to display in the grid, and also allows multi-selection. The third variable uses a picklist table.
