First Guide to SQL Anywhere Studio
   PART 2. Getting Results with SQL Anywhere Studio
     CHAPTER 7. Creating Forms with InfoMaker       

Create the basic form

Now you will create the basic form. To do this you select a predefined InfoMaker form style and the data to be displayed in the form.

1. Click the Form painter button in the PowerBar.

   

   Your PowerBar may not match this one. It doesn't matter. You just need to use the Form painter button.

   The Select Form dialog box displays. It lists the forms in the current library (TUTOR_IM) and has a New button for creating new forms.

   

2. Click New.

   The New Form dialog box displays. It contains the data sources and the form styles you can choose.

   

   About data sources     Quick Select is for simply choosing columns and specifying selection criteria and sorting, which is what you want for this tutorial. SQL Select is for using other SQL options not available with Quick Select. Query is for specifying the name of a query that describes the data source. You define queries in the Query painter.

   About form styles     A form style is a predefined way of presenting and processing information on the form. Usually the style includes the common database functions (insert, delete, and update). InfoMaker comes with a set of form styles. PowerBuilder users at your site can create additional styles, which will also display in the New Form dialog box.

3. Click Quick Select and Free Form to select them (the words are highlighted).

   Click OK.

   

   The Quick Select dialog box displays. In this dialog box you select the table to use and the columns you want included in the form.

   

4. Click contact in the Tables box.

   The contact table's columns display. You will include all columns in the form.

   

5. Click the Add All button.

   All columns are selected. They display in a grid at the bottom of the dialog box.

   

   You could reorder columns and enter sorting and selection criteria in this grid. But for your form you do not need to do any of these things.

6. Click OK.

   Your form displays. It uses the columns and form style you selected. The text labels come from the repository. Instead of data, the names of the database columns appear where the data values will be displayed.

   

   The repository     The repository stores information about data such as labels and display formats. When you create forms and reports, InfoMaker uses repository information to create the basic report or form. You put information into the repository using the Database painter. For example, in the Table tutorial you define the label Job Role: for the title column. Then when you use the title column in a form or report, InfoMaker uses the label Job Role.