browse lookup tip

[GCC Consulting]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: filepro-list-
> bounces+gccconsulting=comcast.net at lists.celestial.com [mailto:filepro-
> list-bounces+gccconsulting=comcast.net at lists.celestial.com] On Behalf
> Of Kenneth Brody
> Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2008 11:37 AM
> To: rkreiss at gccconsulting.net
> Cc: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> Subject: Re: browse lookup tip
> 
> Quoting Richard Kreiss (Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:50:22 -0500):
> 
> > Not sure if this is a bug and I think this bit John Esak once.
> >
> > Browse lookup to a credit header file from a library file.
> >
> > Display Credit in descending order.
> >
> > Credit value cr(6,.0)
> >
> > Use credit header index A on credit #
> >
> > On prior to executing the browse, cr is set to "2000" to skip any old
> > credits.
> >
> > Problem, when told to display in Descending order, the cursor lands
> on the
> > lowest value displayed at the end of the file.  It then becomes
> necessary to
> > scroll back to get to the newest entry.
> 
> I'm not sure what you mean.  Are you saying that the cursor is being
> placed
> on the wrong record?  Can you give an example with values?
> 
> > Create an auto index in descending order and one still has the same
> problem
> > no matter what order the browse is told to display the credits in.
> >
> > Solution using the descending index is to set cr="999999" which is
> the
> > highest value possible,  Then everything works properly.
> >
> > I will assume that the same applies if one is using a name field, set
> it to
> > "ZZZZZZ" to insure the reverse display is correct.

Ken,

Sorry for the late response to this but I have been away for the last 17
days and avoided e-mails.

In both cases, number and names, when running a browse lookup with the index
value blank and the index built in descending order, the record highlighted
will be the last record in the index. In this case, the lowest value.

Example: Invoice numbers 2,000 - 10,000 indexed in auto index D.  Leave in
lookup value in the browse blank and the cursor will highlight invoice
2,000, the last record in the index.  To get the cursor to highlight the
first record in the index, 10000 in(7,.0) must be set to some value higher
the 10,000. I.e. in="9999999".  When this is done, the highlight is on the
first record, invoice 10000.

As I indicated, this is also true for alpha fields such as a name.

It appears that when using a descending index and a browse, if the index
value I=in is left blank, the lowest value of that index will be displayed.
As I think about it, you will most likely say that this is the correct
action as the program is finding the next highest value to a blank; which in
the above case would be the lowest value in the index.  Although initially
one would expect the first record in the index to be displayed when the
index value is left blank, in the case of a descending index, this is the
highest value.

I would classify this as one of those non intuitive programming problems.
Although, when one access a file which has a descending index and presses
enter, not entering a value in the field presented, the record with the
highest value is displayed.  Pressing F7 displays the record having the
lowest value for that field.  And this is where the mental problem arises.
This is inconsistent behavior isn't it.

Richard