The tree view in the Variables/Fields tool window and the formula assistant in LL23 feature new virtual formula variables that offer an enhanced drag & drop experience. If you expand a date value, you’re offered a whole lot of different options now:
The same for numerical, string and boolean fields:
Of course, the tree still supports multiselection, so selecting these fields
and dropping them on the workspace results in this table:
Note the year column – a single click on the field reveals it’s true value, which is now a combination of a formula and the dropped field:
Besides making things faster even if you know what you’re doing, this will also help your less tech-savy end users to cope with the Designer more easily.
We’re eager to know what formattings and formulas you’d find useful. Did we make the right choices? Any more ideas? Feel free to drop them into the comments below.
Leading the development at combit as Managing Director. Microsoft .NET enthusiast driving innovation & agile project management. Used to be a physicist in my first life. I love hiking and vanlife.
Hi!
I think this is going to be one of the killer feature for ordinary users in LL23!
But there comes one question to my mind: Can we programmatically set the virtual D&D fields? Something like “User defined virtual D&D fields?”.
Regards
Mike
Yes, your sample looks good. But I was thiniking about using it like this:LlAddVirtualFormulaField(hJob, LL_TEXT, ‘Trim$(Customer.Firstname) + ” ” + Trim$(Customer.Lastname)’, ‘Customer Fullname’);But if you implement this, please Add LLAddVirtualFields(…) also, where one can add a bunch of fields and formulas which will be grouped together in one entity.
Hi Mike,
Just to get this right – you’re thinking of something like
LlAddVirtualFormulaField(hJob, LL_NUMERIC, ‘Fstr$({0},)’, ‘Format super specific’);
with parameters for the data type, the formula to offer (with a placeholder for the actual variable) and a description text – would that solve your needs?
Jochen