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Web Application Generator

Wednesday, January 2, 2013Print Subscribe

Custom Business Rule for Duplicate Action

The default behavior of Duplicate action is to execute the New action and automatically copy values from the current row into the fields of the record. If it is necessary to change the default behavior, a custom business rule must be used.

A user can duplicate a customer using the Duplicate context menu option in Customers grid.

The create form will be opened. Fields will be populated using the values of the original record.

Let’s add a business rule that will add an asterisk (*) to the Customer# field.

Start the Project Designer. In the Project Explorer, switch to the Controllers tab. Right-click on Customers / Business Rules node, and press New Business Rule.

Assign these values:

Property	Value
Type	JavaScript
Command Name	New
Phase	After
Script	[CustomerID] = [CustomerID] + '*';

Press OK to save. On the toolbar, press Browse.

Navigate to the Customers page. Activate the context menu for a row and press Duplicate.

The Customer# value will be appended with an asterisk.

This Duplicate action is only client-side. The data is only saved to the server when the user presses OK.

More complex duplication calculations that require database interaction can be implemented with the use of REST (Representational State Transfer) or with the use of SQL Business Rules.

Labels: Business Rules/Logic, Features, Web Application Generator

Wednesday, January 2, 2013Print Subscribe

Restrict Access to Pages with “Roles” Property

Access to pages can be restricted by user roles with the “Roles” property. Any user that does not belong to a specified list of roles will not see the page in the navigation menu or be able to access the page by URL.

The Categories | Products page is visible for all authorized users in a default web application created from Northwind database. Let’s configure this page to only be visible for users with the role of “Administrators”.

Start the Project Designer. In the Project Explorer, double-click on Categories / Products page node.

Change the Roles property:

Property	Value
Roles	Administrators

Press OK to save. On the toolbar, press Browse.

Log in using the standard user account (user / user123%). The Products page will not be available in the navigation menu.

If the URL is accessed directly (~/Pages/Products.aspx), the application will redirect you to the Home page.

Labels: Application Builder, Security, Web Application Generator

Wednesday, January 2, 2013Print Subscribe

Duplicating a Record with SQL Business Rule

The default Duplicate action available in Code On Time web apps performs a client-side duplication. When the action is activated, the create form will be opened and the fields will be populated using values from the duplicated record. The new record will only be saved to the database when the user presses OK.

Sometimes it is necessary for more complex operations to be performed when a record is duplicated. For example, when a master record is duplicated, the child records should be duplicated as well. This will require a server-side duplication. A custom action will be implemented – when the user activates this action, the master and detail records will be copied and saved to the server. The order will then be displayed in the edit form.

Let’s implement a master-detail duplication with Orders and Order Details controllers in the Northwind database.

Start the Project Designer. In the Project Explorer, switch to the Controllers tab. Right-click on Orders / Actions / ag1 (Grid) node, and press New Action.

Assign the following values:

Property	Value
Command Name	Custom
Command Argument	DuplicateOrder
Header Text	Duplicate Order
Confirmation	Are you sure you want to duplicate this order?

Press OK to save the action. Right-click on Orders / Business Rules node, and press New Business Rule.

Use the following:

Property	Value
Type	SQL
Command Name	Custom
Command Argument	DuplicateOrder
Phase	Execute

In the Script property, enter the following:

-- duplicate the order
insert into Orders (CustomerID, EmployeeID, OrderDate, RequiredDate, 
                    ShippedDate, ShipVia, Freight, ShipName, ShipAddress, 
                    ShipCity, ShipRegion, ShipPostalCode, ShipCountry)
select CustomerID, EmployeeID, getdate(), RequiredDate, null, ShipVia, 
        Freight, ShipName, ShipAddress, ShipCity, ShipRegion, 
        ShipPostalCode, ShipCountry
from Orders
where OrderID = @OrderID

-- find ID of duplicated order
declare @NewOrderID int;
select @NewOrderID = @@IDENTITY;

-- duplicate order details
insert into "Order Details" (OrderID, ProductID, UnitPrice, 
                            Quantity, Discount)
select @NewOrderID, ProductID, UnitPrice, Quantity, Discount
from "Order Details"
where OrderID = @OrderID

-- open edit form for duplicate order
set @Result_NavigateUrl = 'Orders.aspx?OrderID=' + cast(@NewOrderID as nvarchar)
                          + '&_controller=Orders&_commandName=Edit'
                          + '&_commandArgument=editForm1'

The business rule will first duplicate the order. The OrderDate will be assigned the current date, and RequiredDate will be set to null. Then, the ID of the new order will be acquired using the @@IDENTITY function. The order details will be duplicated using the new ID. Finally, the client library will be prompted to navigate to open the new order using URL parameters. Press OK to save the business rule. On the toolbar, press Browse.

Navigate to the Orders page. Using the context menu on a row, activate the Duplicate Order option.

The order and associated order details will be duplicated, and it will be displayed in the edit form.

Labels: Business Rules/Logic, Master/Detail, User Interface, Web Application Generator