SB Gogia

We make customized electronic medical record formats for physicians. We've been using multi-select list boxes to enter various choices together as part of a single column in many DataWindows in our applications. They help enter some interrelated data faster without creating an independent table and/or nested report. A review of the need, outcome, and sample code are provided with a plea that a DataWindow edit control for multi-select list boxes should be available in PowerBuilder itself. It would further enhance the wide variety of entry choices for developers. A multi-select list offers the luxury of multiple options in one object. However, the same is not available in DataWindows. Storing a multitude of options as a single column's data has always been a challenge. T... (more)

Converting from ASA to ASE

Most new users of PowerBuilder start with SQL Anywhere as the back-end database engine (formerly Adaptive Server Anywhere or ASA, and before that Watcom). With growth, a need to shift and adapt to a wider database platform is thrust on developers by customers. A recent exercise in this regard, besides re-emphasizing our past amateurishness, has also helped us make a clean, lean applicati... (more)

Methods for Faster and Efficient Data Entry in DataWindows

Software that is not used is useless. Facing the challenge that doctors prefer to spend time with their patients rather than facing the monitor, we have fine-tuned methods in our DataWindow-based forms so that user entry is quick, painless, and a pleasure. These include the use of dropdown lists and DataWindows for efficient, correct and faster entries, in addition to accurately filling i... (more)