Field Buttons

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Field Buttons
Summary This strictly optional utility mod installs a Javascript library that supports Field Buttons, which must be defined by other Mods. It also defines a new TNG system parameter. By itself, it has no affect on TNG programs other than those that implement the Admin >> Setup >> General Settings form.
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Mod Updated {{{mod_last_update}}}
Download link 10.1.0.1
TNG 11.0
TNG 10.1.0
Download stats
Author(s) Robin Richmond
Homepage Robin Richmond's Genealogy Database
Mod Support My Mod Support form or TNG Community Forums
Contact Developer My Mod Support form
Latest Mod 10.1.0.1
Min TNG V 10.1
Max TNG V at least 11.1.2
Files modified
Modifies admin_genconfig.php, admin_updateconfig.php, English cust_text.php;
Installs js/fieldbuttons.js
Related Mods
Notes
This is a utility mod that supports other mods, but is not required by them.


Purpose of the Mod

To support the use of "Field Buttons" by other mods, by installing

  • A Javascript library that is used by various TNG programs only if this mod has been installed, and
  • Administrative setup form fields that implement a new TNG system variable, $tngconfig['rrfieldbuttonflags']], which allows Field Buttons types to be disabled.

This mod is needed only if a TNG site administrator,

  • Installs at least one mod that defines Field Buttons, and
  • Wants to see Field Buttons in forms.

That is, if this mod has not been installed, no errors will occur; Field Buttons that have been defined by various other mods will simply not appear.

Field Buttons

Field Buttons are hyperlinks formatted as buttons, that, act as shortcuts to common editing tasks. With a single click on a field button, a particular value to will be assigned to the "attached" form field. There are four types of field buttons:

  • X - Clear the field
  • R - Reset/Reload the initial value; the value that was in place when the form was loaded.
  • D - Default; Set the value to a default that was defined elsewhere, such as by a TNG system parameter or Mod Manager option.
  • A - Set an 'All items' value. (At this writing, A buttons have been used only with "Results Per Page" fields on search forms)

Note that it would be very rare for all four buttons to be attached to one form field. Only the applicable buttons should be attached to any given form field.

The four letters X, R, D, and A are used in documentation and in code to identify the field buttons, and they are the default on-screen labels for the buttons. But the labels are configurable through a translation string. In addition, a set of four fields in the Admin >> Setup >> General Settings >> Miscellaneous screen allow individual buttons to be suppressed in all forms on the TNG site.

Buttons are "attached" to a form field in that

  • They follow it without intervening spaces, and the form field and its Field Buttons are wrapped by a tag that doesn't allow line breaks, and
  • The buttons' field names are based on the fieldname of the field that they are attached to. The buttons' field names are essentially what causes them to modify their form field.

Visualizations

This screen clip illustrates 5 field buttons on 2 fields in the Admin>>Reports program that has been modified by the Admin_Reports_List mod.

  1. The search field has X and R buttons. There is no meaning in the search field to a default value (remember, the initial value is covered by the R button) or an "all items" value (which would just be an empty search field, and the X button serves the purpose of clearing the field.)is perhaps an empty field).
  2. The 'Results per page" has R, D, and A buttons.
    • The R button restores the initial value - the value that was present when the form was loaded.
    • The D button sets a default value, which, in this case, is the TNG system variable $maxsearchresults.
    • And the A button sets a value that represents 'All Items'. That value is the word 'all' (or its translation).

Fieldbuttons-fig1.jpg

Note that

  • the X button is not needed when a field value is already empty,
  • the R button is not needed when the current value is the initial value,
  • the D button is not needed when current value is the default value, and
  • the R button is not needed when the current value is the 'All Items' value.

When a button is not needed, it is shaded out, but still physically present on the screen.

We can tell just by looking a the screen clip above that is does not represent the initial state of a form, because we can see the R buttons. R buttons are always shaded out when the form is first loaded, because, by definition, the form field values when the form is loaded are the initial values. Here's what the same form might look like when first loaded, if the search value is empty, and the Results per page value is the site default value (in this case, 30).
Fieldbuttons-fig2.jpg
The search field's R and X buttons are both shaded out, but still present (and barely visible). The 'Results per page' field's R and D buttons are also shaded out, and only its A button is visible.

If the user enters the search string "children", and click on the A button, we'll see this:
Fieldbuttons-fig3.jpg
where the search field's X button is visible because the search field has a non-empty value, both R buttons are visible because both fields have changed, and the 'Results per page' field's D button is visible because the field's value is not the default of 30. Now, only the A button is shaded out.

If the X button is clicked, it will disappear, as will the value in the attached field:
Fieldbuttons-fig4.jpg

If we then do a search, the next page will look like this:
Fieldbuttons-fig5.jpg which is very similar to figure 3.

Another Field Buttons example: The Mod Comparison Report kickoff form, just after being loaded, where 3 fields have X, R, and D buttons. (All 3 have default values that are defined by the Mod Manager Options.)
  • In the 'Author to search for field', the default value is being displayed, and it is not empty, so the R and D buttons are hidden.
  • In the 'Include mods whose names contain' field, the default value is empty and is being displayed, so all 3 buttons are hidden.
  • In the 'Exclude mods whose names contain' field, the value being displayed is not the default, and is not empty, so the X and D buttons are displayed, but, as is always the case when a form has just been displayed, the D button is hidden.

Fieldbuttons-after.jpg }}

The Admin>>Setup>>General Settings>>Miscellaneous Form after the Field Buttons mod has been installed. The four fields define the active status of each of the four types of field button. The four values are saved in one comma-delimited string, typically as '1,1,1,1'.

Fieldbuttons-after-options.jpg
(In truth, I'm not sure that it will ever make sense for just one or two buttons types to be deactivated. Deactivating all four button types has the same effect as uninstalling the mod, but it could be useful to deactivate the field buttons temporarily without having to uninstall and later reinstall the mod.) }}

Related Mods

Mods that implement Field Buttons include

Compatibility & Dependencies With Other Mods

This mod is compatible with other mods that modify the Admin >> Setup >> General Settings screen, and is not dependent on any other mods. No mods are strictly dependent on this mod, but there functional dependency in that, when other mods install Field Buttons, this mod must be installed in order for those field buttons to be visible. No errors will occur if the Field Buttons mod is not installed in conjunction with mods that define Field Buttons. The forms will simple act as if the Field Buttons were not defined in the first place.

Installation

Requirements

  • A working TNG installation.
  • An installed current version of the Mod Manager.
  • You should backup files listed in the panel on the right.

Automated Installation

  1. Remove and delete previous version of this mod.
  2. Backup the files updated by this mod. They are listed in the panel at the upper right.
  3. Download the .zip file, Extract its .cfg file to the mods folder.
  4. Follow the normal automated installation for Mod Manager, as shown in the example Mod Manager - Installing Config Files.

In the event of a problem

  1. Try using the Mod Manager Remove capability
  2. Contact me through My Mod Support form.

Language Strings

This mod defines several strings for use by the Admin >> Setup >> General Settings form, but two language strings that are used for the operation of field buttons are worth mentioning here.

  • $admtext['rrfb-buttonlabels'] = "X,R,D,A"; defines the four letters that identify the four types of field buttons.
  • $admtext['rrfb-all'] = "all"; defines the value that represents "All Items" to 'Results per page' fields implemented by several options.

Both strings can be changed for any other language in that language's cust_text definitions. And it be change

## The buttons labels - for all mods that use them
$admtext['rrfb-buttonlabels'] = 'X,R,D,A';
$admtext['rrfb-all'] = 'all'; #The value that fields are set to for "All items"

The PHP and Javascript code that handle Field Buttons and the 'Results per page' feature always use the translation strings rather than hardcoded values, so these values can be changed to any value you may want in other languages.

Mod Change History

Mod Version TNG Version Date Note
10.1.0.1 10.1 - 11.1.2+ 1 Dec 2017 New mod

Sites using this mod

If you download and install this mod, please add your site to the table below.=

URL User Note Mod-Version TNG-Version User-language
Robin Richmond's Genealogy Database Robin Richmond Mod developer 10.0.0.1 11.1.2 English