When/when not to script.

[Joe Blake]

I know this may seem to be a silly question, but how is someone/person new to ebase and javascripting supposed to know when they need a script instead of just using ebase?

In the tutorials, there is an explanation of what is being done with the script. For example, in the BUILDING A FORM WITH DATABASE CONNECTIVITY there is a script SHOW_COURSE_ NAME. And the tutorial does say, "because we have initially set the COURSE_NAME field on page COURSE to be display only, we need to make this field enterabe once a selection has ben made from the course_providers list.

So, is this an example of a situation which will always required a script?

Is there a complete/partial list of situation which will always require a script?

[Jon]

Most of the things that you design can be changed dynamically at runtime - this is particularly true of controls which have properties like display only and hidden, but also many many more. So in the designer you are setting up the initial state for everything: sometimes this is all you need e.g. you're building a data collection form, but other times you might need everything to be dynamic e.g. you're creating a complex application.

[Joe Blake]

When using a script to change a field state, when does the field's state return to the original value?

Is it when the script is exited? When the form is exited?

[Jon]

The form, as designed, never changes at runtime. So the question doesn't really apply. Instead, all dynamic changes e.g. setting field values, loading tables, hiding fields etc, are stored in local memory for that user/session. This design is intended to minimize memory use.