Field Buttons
Field Buttons | |||
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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. | ||
Validation | |||
Mod Updated | 15 May 2018 | ||
Download link | v12.0.0.2
v10.1.0.2
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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 | v10.1.0.2 & v12.0.0.2 | ||
Min TNG V | 10.1 | ||
Max TNG V | at least 12.0 | ||
Files modified | Modifies admin_genconfig.php, admin_updateconfig.php, genstyle.css, English cust_text.php; Installs js/fieldbuttonsmod.js | ||
Related Mods | Admin_Branches, Admin Cemeteries Search, Admin Places Search, Admin Reports Search Cemetery Edit, Mod Manager Compare, and possibly others. | ||
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 configurable "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, $tngconfig['rrfieldbuttonflags'], which allows Field Buttons types to be disabled.
This mod is needed only if a TNG site administrator,
- Installs at least one mod that defines Field Buttons, and
- Wants to see Field Buttons in forms.
That is, if this mod has not been installed, no errors will occur; Field Buttons that have been defined by various other mods will simply not appear.
The buttons are configurable in these senses:
- The one-character labels for the field buttons are defined in cust_text.php, and can be changed for different languages.
- The button labels change be changed - even given multple-character labels - by overriding the button definition string ($admtext['rrfb-buttonlabels']) in the English cust_text.php files
- Any of the four types of field buttons can be disabled through the configuration settings at Admin >> Setup >> General Settings >> Miscellaneous.
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_Search mod.
- 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).
- The 'Results per page" field has R, D, and A buttons.
- You never want an empty 'Result per page' field, so there is no X Button.
- 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.
- The A button sets a value that represents 'All Items'. That value is the word 'all' (or its translation).
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).
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:
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:
If we then do a search, the next page will look like this:
which is very similar to figure 3.
Another Field Buttons example: The Mod Comparison Report kickoff form, just after being loaded, showing three fields that have X, R, and D buttons. (All three have default values that are defined by the Mod Manager Options.)
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Related Mods
Mods that implement Field Buttons include
- Admin_Branches, Admin Cemeteries Search, Admin Places Search, and Admin Reports Search, all of which attach field buttons to the Search field and a new 'Results per page' field.
- Reports-Floating Results. The new form that this mod implements in showreport.php has three 'Results per page' fields with field buttons.
- Cemetery Edit attaches X and R field buttons to 5 text fields, including the textarea field for Notes.
- Mod Manager Compare, where the kickoff form for the new Mod Comparison report attaches D, R, and A buttons to 4 fields (3 of which are illustrated in a Visualization below)
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
- Remove and delete previous version of this mod.
- Backup the files updated by this mod. They are listed in the panel at the upper right.
- Download the .zip file, Extract its .cfg file to the mods folder.
- Follow the normal automated installation for Mod Manager, as shown in the example Mod Manager - Installing Config Files.
In the event of a problem
- Try using the Mod Manager Remove capability
- 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.
Revision History
- The latest version of the mod is at the top of this table ***
Mod Version | TNG Version | Date | Note |
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12.0.0.2 | 12.0+ | 15 May 2018 | No functional changes; made compatible with TNGv12. |
10.1.0.2 | 10.1 - 11.1.2+ | 9 Jan 2018 | Field buttons can now have multi-character button labels. |
10.1.0.1 | 10.1 - 11.1.2+ | 28 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 |
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Robin Richmond's Genealogy Database | Robin Richmond | Mod developer | 11.0.0.1 | 11.1.2 | English |
Cole / Tanner Family Tree | David Cole | Public/Private | see here | see here | English |