On Feb 9, 9:44 am, sparks <jstal...@swbell.netwrote:
Well we just finished a monster database for a group at work.
On one section, they wanted us to give them a filtered listing of
people based on 2 other criteria. So we used filters and contiguous
list to generate the listing and it was N I C E. Just the people they
wanted based on their selecitons and just the input fields oh it was
grand. OR SO WE THOUGHT
Where are the tabs, why do we have to hit a button?
Look these things are generated based on your inputs, the button is to
confirm your selections and then the list is generated and the form is
displayed and all you have is the list you want and the input fields
you requested.
BUT can't you make it so we just put in what we want without a button.
ok the button is there because you have 3 combo boxes of selections
and only after you fill them in will we generate the list, the button
is to verify you selected the correct things.
NO TABS ( I almost laughed and cried ) tabs for what.
well if we had all the listings with tabs we could just flip to each
one.
EACH ONE? Each what?
well you know we will be doing more than one page. YEA so go back to
the combo boxes make your selections for the next group and hit the
damn button and it will give you that.
But BUT oh you guys don't know what you are doing....I wish the thing
had been done in Crystal Reports.. ???????
man how the hell do you deal with this?
I deal with it by not getting so bent out of shape. If someone asks
"where are the tabs?" calmly and concisely explain why you can't use
tabs for listing complete records effectively and why a listbox or
continuous subform or whatever method you used is a better means of
displaying data. If they ask why they have to click a button, try to
ask _yourself_ why they have to click a button without a big sigh and
rolling your eyes. I've built many applications where I filter a
single list based on multiple combo boxes or listboxes without having
to click a button to update the list. Sometimes it's a simple matter
of updating the list from the afterupdate event of each combo box.
Sometimes the customer is right even though you think what you've
built is N I C E. They know how they work and often have good
suggestions as to how to save a few keystrokes or button clicks here
and there. I share an office with a web designer who thinks his apps,
all designed at 1024 x 768 are N I C E and doesn't seem to care that
some people might use a lower screen resolution or might be visually
impaired, etc. Right now I'm supporting (and slowly changing) an
application that the original designer thought was N I C E but which I
think impairs productivity because it requires the user to frequently
use the mouse to perform certain tasks rather than allowing all
functions to be performed via the keyboard. The bottom line...not
everyone's N I C E is the same and just because the user didn't get
exactly what he/she expected doesn't make them an idiot. Be able to
explain why you did what you did and open your mind to the possibility
that sometimes what you did was not necessarily the best thing.
Bruce