Once you have entered your information, you can choose to display it in a different way if that makes another job or function easier. This gives a more powerful way to use it that can save time and give more meaning.
Reusing the Boat Example.
Whilst describing the Entry Format, you saw the validation for a destination being assigned to a boat. Once we have included a few more, the 'Boat destinations' list screen for Cordelia may look as follows.
Destination boat log.
For the owner of the boat (Cordelia), this shows where it has been.
However, if you are connected with the marina at a destination (Whitby), the same information can be presented to show details specific to that location.
It is exactly the same information, presented for different purposes (and also probably different people).
Other available features
We offer some more advanced features that may be required.
Automatic Record key.
In order to specifically refer to a piece of information in a file, there must be something unique about it. If there is not, then the computer could collect the wrong information, to avoid this it can automatically give it a unique number when required.
Automatic stamp fields.
Sometimes when you enter or change a piece of information, you want the computer to automatically remember that it happened. For this reason we can automatically update the date, time and signed in user name for a transaction when a record is created or changed.
List screen toggle fields.
If there is a yes/no type of field, sometimes it is easier to be able to toggle without showing the full detail screen. In this case we give an option, so when the select option is taken, a value of yes (or true) is set to no (false) and a value of no is set to yes.
These yes/no values can be displayed as a square for no and tick for yes or a circle for no and dot for yes , according to personal preference.
Complex Processing.
Sometimes people need an option that does something unusual. As an example, you may want an option that increases a quantity on a line by 10. We write a special instruction for you that tells the computer that this is what you want to do. This called a stored procedure. These procedures however can be much more complicated.
