Selection Assignment

You use this sublist to choose existing menu items, buttons or placeholders for the current menu or button area. As in the Menu Item Data form, you can also create new objects. When modifying menu items or buttons which are already in use, note that changing their master attributes also affects the other items in a menu. Hierarchical menus can be created with the Shift function.

Selection Name a menu item or button name
Sequence an item's numerical position in the menu
Item Text a menu item's text
Access access privileges for a menu item or button
Userexit name of the function to execute
Parameters function parameters, names of menu items or button area placeholder
Row a button's vertical position within a button area
Column a button's horizontal position within a button area
Length number of rows occupied by a button
Width number of columns occupied by a button
Description a pushbutton's help text

Shift displays the form for a predefined child menu
Form shows the menu item or button's record in the Menu Item Data form
Menu Assignment shows a menu item or button's usage in menus or button areas
Profile Assignment shows the profiles with access to a menu item or button

Selection Name

A menu item or button name

attribute master attribute for selection (T_SELECTION)
type, entry string, entry required
max. no. of characters 20
selection tool modal window (list with existing selections/buttons)
multilingual field no

The item's name identifies it uniquely as a menu item or button. You can enter (or select) existing item or button names, or create new items.


Syntax for menu items or buttons in edit menus or button areas:

If you define a menu item or button to be used in an Edit menu or Edit button area, you can determine the edit modes which the item is available.

Syntax:

Name
always available

Name@I
available for Insert mode

Name@U
available for Update mode

Name@Q
available for Query mode

Name@V
available for View mode

Name@IU
e.g. available for Insert and Update modes (other combinations are also possible)

More information: -> Edit menus, -> Edit buttons


Syntax for menu item or button area placeholders

Syntax:

@MENUNAME
placeholder to insert a menu item or button area in a parent menu or button area

More information: -> Menu components, -> Button area components


Syntax for choice box in toolbars

Syntax:

@CBOX-Name
choice box in toolbar, only items in the choice box available

@EBOX-Name
choice box in toolbar, items may be selected or entered into the field

More information: -> Hierarchies in toolbars (sub objects)

Sequence

An item's numerical position in the menu

attribute relation attribute for menu -selection (T_MEN_SEL)
type, entry Integer, entry required
max. no. of characters 5
selection tool no
multilingual field no

Sequence defines the logical (and real) position of items within a menu. For buttons, only the logical position is defined.

(Tip: Number your buttons in tens, so that you can insert more later without renumbering).

Item Text

A menu item's text for selection/push button/radio button or image file name for push button or macro for file card

attribute master attribute for selection (T_SELECTION)
type, entry string, entry required
max. no. of characters 50
selection tool no
multilingual field yes

Attention! This field alters an item's master data. Changes will also affect other menu items.

The syntax for entries in this field depends on the desired menu definition and the way the item should be shown in the menu.


Menu Item:

Syntax:

Text
simple menu item, text shown left flush, first unique character automatically underlined for keyboard shortcut (to use a different character place an & before the character)

- (hyphen)
creates a separator (line) in the menu, see also the Userexit field

#Filename:Text (Note: filename without .bmp suffix)
adds an icon to the left of the item's text

@TABLENAME.COLUMNNAME
column entries from a table are used as menu texts, creates selectable text from each column entry, more than one column may be specified (Syntax: ... .COLUMNNAME1, COLUMNNAME2, ...); for the WHERE definitions see -> Field Parameters.

See also -> Display options for menu texts, -> Automatically creating menu texts


Pushbuttons:

Syntax:

Text
text centered in the pushbutton

#Filename (Note: filename without .bmp suffix)
icon centered in pushbutton

#Filename:Text
icon followed by text

Note! When a pushbutton is in a mask's button area, the text by the icon is automatically hidden.

More information: -> Text or icons on buttons, -> Display options for toolbars


Radio button:

Syntax:

Text
Text appears on the right near the radio button and is entered into the corresponding field when the button is selected

More information: -> Texts for radio buttons


Index Card:

Syntax:

@TAB P:TEXT (no separator)
button displayed in forms as a tabbed index card, index card groups are possible

P (position of the tab)
T = Top: above the index card

B = Bottom: below the index card

L = Left: to the left of the index card

R = Right: to the right of the index card

TEXT
text to be shown in the tab

More information: -> Using index cards in forms


Choice box in toolbars

Syntax:

Text
text to be displayed in the field (you may use text macros, e.g. @GROUP)

More information: -> Hierarchies in toolbars (sub objects)

Access

Access privileges for a menu item or button

attribute master attribute for selection (T_SELECTION)
type, entry string, entry required
max. no. of characters 1
selection tool menu
multilingual field no

Attention! This field alters an item's master data. Changes will also affect other menu items.

Entry:

n
no access for any user

a
access for all users (default)

p
access for profiles, i.e. only for users whose profiles are contained in the item's profile assignment

More information: -> User access to menu items, -> User access to buttons

Userexit

Name of the function to execute

attribute master attribute for selection (T_SELECTION)
type, entry string, entry optional
max. no. of characters 20
selection tool menu with all menu userexit functions (separated for system- and user-library)
multilingual field no

Attention! This field alters an item's master data. Changes will also affect other menu items.

Determines the function to be executed when a menu item is selected or a button is pressed.

Userexit:
you can also enter parameters to be passed to the userexit in the -> Parameters field.

@NEXT
display a child menu. The name of the child menu must be entered as a parameter in the -> Parameters field.

@LINE
used when the Text field contains a hyphen (for a separator).

@BREAK:
Client-Server abort (buttons only). You poll the state of an abort button with the gfi_chk_brk function.

Userexits can be launched from the trigger.

More information: -> Triggers on menu items and buttons, -> List of standard menu userexits

Parameters

Function parameters for userexits/macros, or the name of a menu or button

attribute relation attribute for menu -selection (T_MEN_SEL)
type, entry string, entry optional
max. no. of characters 2000
selection tool no
multilingual field no

The parameter you enter is independent of the action defined for the item.

Entry:

Userexit parameter
Parameter for a userexit

Name of the child menu
the child menu required by @NEXT

Where definition
for @TABLENAME.COLUMNNAME

Component name
only when the item is a placeholder, see the Name field

Row

A button's vertical position within a button area

attribute relation attribute for menu -selection (T_MEN_SEL)
type, entry Integer, entry optional
max. no. of characters 5
selection tool no
multilingual field no

The button's position is always relative to the origin of the object to which the button area is assigned.

Pushbutton in a form
origin is the top left corner below the title bar

Pushbutton in a list
origin is the top left corner of the icon bar, vertical position must be 1

Pushbutton in a toolbar
origin is the top left corner of the toolbar, if the toolbar is automatically sized and positioned, the value is irrelevant (length/width = 0/0)

Radio button
origin is the top left corner of the field to which the radio button is assigned

Index Card
origin is the top left corner of the of the header form, the values for the first index cards determine the absolute position of a system of index card groups

Button area component
When a button is within a button area, a position of 0/0 is recommended for the reference button (top left), so that you can define the relative position within a parent button area in the placeholder record alone.

More information: -> Positioning pushbuttons in masks, -> Display options for toolbars, -> Radio buttons, -> Appearance of index card groups

Column

A button's horizontal position within a button area

attribute relation attribute for menu -selection (T_MEN_SEL)
type, entry Integer, entry optional
max. no. of characters 5
selection tool no
multilingual field no

The button's position is always relative to the origin of the object to which the button area is assigned.

Pushbutton in a form
origin is the top left corner below the title bar

Pushbutton in a list
origin is the top left corner of the icon bar, vertical position must be 1

Pushbutton in a toolbar
origin is the top left corner of the toolbar, if the toolbar is automatically sized and positioned, the value is irrelevant (length/width = 0/0)

Radio button
origin is the top left corner of the field to which the radio button is assigned

Index Card
origin is the top left corner of the of the header form, the values for the first index cards determine the absolute position of a system of index card groups

Button area component
When a button is within a button area, a position of 0/0 is recommended for the reference button (top left), so that you can define the relative position within a parent button area in the placeholder record alone.

More information: -> Positioning pushbuttons in masks, -> Display options for toolbars, -> Radio buttons, -> Appearance of index card groups

Length

Number of rows occupied by a button

attribute master attribute for selection (T_SELECTION)
type, entry Integer, entry optional, > 0
max. no. of characters 5
selection tool no
multilingual field no

Attention! This field alters an item's master data. Changes will also affect other menu items.

Only applies to buttons. An entry is required for menu items, but is not used anywhere.

Length and width rules:

Pushbutton in a form
freely scalable

Pushbutton in a list
length must be 1, width can be anything

Pushbutton in a toolbar
0/0 for automatic sizing and positioning, otherwise can be anything

Radio button
length and width affect only the text attached to the radio button

Index card
0/0 for the first index card allows index card groups to be automatically sized, otherwise can be anything

More information: -> Positioning pushbuttons in masks, -> Display options for toolbars, -> Radio buttons, -> Appearance of index card groups

Width

Number of columns occupied by a button

attribute master attribute for selection (T_SELECTION)
type, entry Integer, entry optional, > 0
max. no. of characters 5
selection tool no
multilingual field no

Attention! This field alters an item's master data. Changes will also affect other menu items.

Only applies to buttons. An entry is required for menu items, but is not used anywhere.

Length and width rules:

Pushbutton in a form
freely scalable

Pushbutton in a list
length must be 1, width can be anything

Pushbutton in a toolbar
0/0 for automatic sizing and positioning, otherwise can be anything

Radio button
length and width affect only the text attached to the radio button

Index card
0/0 for the first index card allows index card groups to be automatically sized, otherwise can be anything

More information: -> Positioning pushbuttons in masks, -> Display options for toolbars, -> Radio buttons, -> Appearance of index card groups

Description

A pushbutton's help text

attribute master attribute for selection (T_SELECTION)
type, entry string, entry optional
max. no. of characters 255
selection tool no
multilingual field yes

Attention! This field alters an item's master data. Changes will also affect other menu items.

The entry applies only to pushbuttons and radio buttons. When the cursor moves over the button, the text appears as a tool tip alongside or below it.

Shift

Opens the Menue Data form of the child menu defined for the menu item or button.

Form

Opens the Menu Selection Data form for the menu item or button.

Menu Assignment

Opens the Menu Assignment form, which shows a menu item or button's usage in menus or button areas.

Profile Assignment

Opens the Profile Assignment form, which shows which user profiles are permitted to use the menu item or button.