Getting user input with @Prompt and @PickList
Use the following forms of @Prompt and @PickList to get input from an interactive user:
- @Prompt([YesNo]; title; prompt) displays a dialog box with title text, prompt text, and Yes and No buttons. @Prompt returns True (1) if the user clicks Yes and False (0) if the user clicks No.
- @Prompt([YesNoCancel]; title; prompt) displays a dialog box with title text, prompt text, and Yes, No, and Cancel buttons. @Prompt returns True (1) if the user clicks Yes, False (0) if the user clicks No, and -1 if the user clicks Cancel.
- @Prompt([OkCancelEdit]; title; prompt, default) displays a dialog box with title text, prompt text, and a box in which the user can type. @Prompt returns what the user types as a text value. If the user clicks Cancel, the formula terminates immediately.
- @Prompt([Password]; title; prompt) is as shown previously, but echoes Xs instead of what the user types in.
- @Prompt([OkCancelList] : [NoSort]; title; prompt; default; choices) displays a box with the title text at the beginning of the box, the prompt text in the body of the box, and the choices text list below the prompt text, with the default highlighted. The last parameter must be a text list. @Prompt returns the list element, the user selects. If the user clicks Cancel, the formula terminates immediately. Do not specify [NoSort] if you want the list sorted. @DbColumn can be used to generate lists based on the current contents of views in specified databases.
- @Prompt([OkCancelCombo]; title; prompt; default; choices) is as shown previously, but uses a drop-down list with the default in the box preceding the list.
- @Prompt([OkCancelEditCombo]; title; prompt; default; choices) is as shown previously, but lets the user enter a value in the box preceding the list or select a value from the list.
- @Prompt([OkCancelListMult]; title; prompt; default; choices) is like OkCancelList, but allows the user to select multiple list elements and returns a list.
- @Prompt([ChooseDatabase]; ""; "") displays a box that allows the
user to select databases (server name, database file name, database
title). Title text is at the beginning of the box, below it is a box
for selecting the server, below it is a list box with the database
titles, and below it is a box for the database file name.
- @Prompt([LocalBrowse]; title; filetype) displays a box that allows the user to select names from the local file system. Title text is at the beginning of the box, a list box for selecting files precedes the body of the box, below it is a list box for the type of file, and following that is a list box for selecting the directory. The filetype parameter is a text value, a number from 1 to 3, that specifies the types of files to display initially: "1" for NSF files only; "2" for NTF files only; "3" for files of all types.
- @PickList([Custom] : [Single]; server : file; view; title; prompt; column) displays a box with the title, prompt, and list of choices. The list is a view in a specified database. The user can select one (if [Single] is specified) or any number of elements (if [Single] is not specified); @PickList returns the values in the specified column for the selected list elements. This is like using @DbColumn to generate a list for @Prompt.
- @PickList([Name] : [Single]) is as shown previously, except that the database is an Address Book and the view is the "People" view. The user can select the Address Book in the @PickList dialog box.
Non-text values must be converted with @Text to be used as @Prompt and @PickList parameters. The text values can be constants, temporary variables, fields, or expressions.
The return value must be converted if it is to be used as a non-text value.