Hi all I ran into a very interesting issue today, which I would like to share with you…

Back in 1998, when I was working with Sequel Technology (the Western Australian partner for Great Plains), we were implementing Great Plains Dynamics 4.0 for a couple of sites and were using add-on products for Service Management and Job Costing.

My business partner at the time (who did the sales) understood that Dexterity applications could be easily customised and so promised some changes to the customer.  What he (and I) did not understand at the time were the limitations Dexterity has for working across dictionaries. 

We did have some "with name" commands which could open forms, call procedures and run reports. We also had the execute() function which could be used to run Dexterity sanScript in the context of the 3rd party dictionary.  What we did not have was cross dictionary triggers.

Based on putting a number of ideas together I came up with a method of…

Every so often, a developer might need to check or set the status of a form level menu item.  Say, for instance, the goal would be to make sure that the "Add Item" menu item of the Sales Transaction Entry Options menu was checked.

From a global procedure - your trigger handling script most likely - you enter the following Dexterity code:

     check menu Options of form SOP_Entry,1;

When you try to compile this, the compiler will fail with the errors:

     Unknown Identifier 'Options'.
    …

I have heard many times how it's nearly close to impossible to implement IntelliSense in Microsoft Dexterity. For those of you not familiar with the term, IntelliSense is to software development what autocompletion is to Microsoft Dynamics GP data entry or Office Excel for that matter.

Similar to other autocompletion systems, IntelliSense is a convenient way to access descriptions of functions, particularly their parameter lists. It speeds up software development by reducing the amount of name memorization needed and keyboard input required. It also allows for less reference to external documentation as interactive documentation on many symbols (i.e. variables and functions) in the active scope appears dynamically in the form of tooltips while programming.

IntelliSense works by accessing an automatically generated in-memory database of classes (not [entirely] supported in Dexterity), variable names and other constructs defined…

This page contains a summary list of the Dexterity samples that have been posted.

Official …

This is a quick and easy way to add items to the AutoComplete list for a field.  I'm talking specifically about the autocomplete property on a field. 

In this case, the customer didn't want to use the lookup window to select an existing item number, they wanted it to be in the autocomplete list.  The problem is that in order for it to get into the autocomplete list, you have to select or type it at least one time.  They wanted all of the items in the autocomplete list…

After a number of questions about translation recently, I have decided to focus on Dexterity's multi-lingual and translation capabilities for the next couple of weeks.

The posts in the series include:

• 11-Feb: Dexterity: Designed for Translation
   
• 13-Feb: Writing Translatable Dexterity…

When working with Dexterity triggers, the hardest part of the process is working out where to place the triggers. There are times where it seems impossible to get the trigger you need in the correct location. This post explains the concept of what I call the Three Trigger Technique. The technique involves using a trigger on an apparently unrelated function or procedure which executes at the appropriate point within the code of the function or procedure. Let me explain in more detail ...

The Theory

I have a function or procedure (Script A) which runs a series of commands. I need to trigger after the first half of the commands in Script A, but before the end of Script A.  Using Source Code or Script Logging I can identify other functions and procedures which are called by Script A.  I find a function or procedure…

From time to time the question comes up in newsgroups, informal conversations between developers, and surprise phone calls. The questions come in many flavors:

• What is the DEX_ROW_ID?
• Why do all Dynamics GP's SQL Server tables have a DEX_ROW_ID?
• How is the DEX_ROW_ID related to IDENTITY columns in SQL Server tables?
• Can I build reports using the DEX_ROW_ID column?

To start unreeling these questions it is best to start with two key concepts: active and passive record locks.

Active Locks

An active lock allows other users to read a table record, but not make any changes or delete the record. Active locking ensures that the user who has the active lock is the only user who can make changes or delete the record. If other users try to delete or change the record, a table-sharing error will occur. An active lock is applied each time a record is read using the Dexterity change or edit table statements with the lock keyword included.

Passive Locks

A passive lock allows other users to access the record. Other users can delete the record or make changes to it. Passive locking ensures that other users accessing the record can be made aware that the record has been deleted or that the contents of the record have changed. A passive lock is applied each time a record is read using the change or edit table statement.

What is the DEX_ROW_ID?

As part of Dexterity's table definition requirements, active locking must be enabled on a per-table basis by marking the Allow Active…