Auto-Complete Input Fields

Auto-complete input fields can be used to assist users during data entry by providing a visual indication of possible responses.

When the user enters data into an input field marked as Auto-complete, the system will attempt to complete the input based on the query assigned to that input field. The predictive default data generated by the system will be displayed and highlighted in the input field. The user then has the option to accept the data by exiting out of the field or to modify the data. If modifying the data, each additional keystroke will provide the next best possible entry.

Defining the Auto-Complete Data:

The query defined for an auto-complete field is used to determine the valid/predictive inputs. As the user enters data into an auto-complete field, the system will use the query definition to see if there is a value whose data matches the characters up to the data entered. If there is match, the system will fill in the remaining characters. If there is no match, no auto-complete data will be displayed (see Must Match option below).

Query Requirements:

The Queries used for Auto-Complete must adhere to the following restrictions:

a) The query must use the standard PxPlus query system and not an application program.
b) The file selected must be a standard PVX keyed file (VLR or EFF) and have an embedded data dictionary.
c) The return value of the Query (typically the first/key column) will define the auto-complete values.

Options:

To define an auto-complete input field, select Auto-Complete in the 'Attributes' tab of multi-line input properties. There are two additional options available with the auto-complete fields.

a) Must Match
When this option is selected the values entered into an Auto-complete field MUST match one of the key values returned by the query. If a valid match is not found, the bell will ring and the prior data is reset. This effectively forces only valid data from the query to be accepted as input. A null input (empty field) is considered a match.

b) Not Empty
The Not Empty option can be used in conjunction with the Must Match option to force the system to mandate that data exists in the field unless specifically set null by the application. If the user enters something into this field, the system will not consider a null entry valid. When this option is used, the application is responsible for making sure that there is a non-null starting value.

Future Plans:

This release includes the initial version of the auto-complete input fields. In future releases, variable drop downs will be added to PxPlus.