This is a newbie question. I was doing the Getting Started lesson and made a mistake setting up the Zip Code field. Instead of setting the Screen picture to “@P#####P” (with 5 hashes) I left out a hash and only did 4. Now I have made a whole bunch of changes to the generated solution that I don’t want to lose.
I have fixed the screen picture in the dictionary. How do I fix it in the app? The “Synchronize Application with the Dictionary” command doesn’t seem to fix it. I’m using Clarion 10. Do I really need to manually edit every form that displays the Zip Code? Is there not a way I can generate new forms selectively, rather than the whole app at once?
Thanks for the tip. I know nothing about zip codes. In SA we use a 4 digit postal code.
What if I’m using the field in dozens of places?
I’m used to working in an environment (Microsoft Access 97 with extra libraries) where I can propagate changes across dozens of tables and hundreds of fields if necessary, because the field properties are stored in a data dictionary. I’m just horrified that Clarion doesn’t do this. I mean, that’s what data dictionaries are for. Or am I missing something?
I thought I had read a post that dictionary synchronization doesn’t work properly (or perhaps at all) anymore. I have never used it. Maybe someone else knows better.
I think it would probably be just as quick to do a source code search on @P####P to find all of the affected procedures, then have a big cup of tea and power through them and get it over with.
In the USA, we have a thing called ZIP+4. That’s 5 digits, followed by 4, separated by a dash. (92507-6301) Sometimes you know the ZIP+4 and sometimes you don’t. In my opinion, a @s10 or @s20 is adequate. And then you can verify the zip as needed.
In Canada, they use a different format that also contains alpha characters. So a @P######P pattern would not be useful.
For some reason Sync got broken in C7+ and never fixed. I used to use it a lot and miss it. So yes, you need to change it in the app , place by place.
Having said that. You can export the app to txd and do a find/replace then import into a new app and all will be well.
I also use @s10 for postcodes even though Aus also only has 4 digits. It’s just a little more flexable.
You can edit the window definition as text (vs the window formatter) and press Ctrl+F to find/replace while you’re in there. Shouldn’t take all that long, other than being inconvenient. As long as you don’t mess something else up.
