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Autoreturn Field Property

Obsolete

This option is obsolete. This field property is valid only in character-mode DataFlex. There is no Windows equivalent for this option.

See Also

Purpose

To cause the cursor to move from the last position in an item connected to a field to the next item when keyboard entry exceeds the capacity of the field.

Syntax

set field_options field file.field to dd_autoreturn

or

entry_item file.field {autoreturn}

What It Does

Autoreturn is used on a set field_options line in a DataDictionary object or on an entry_item command line. When the cursor is in the last position in an item connected to file.field and a user continues to enter keystrokes, the cursor will go to the first position of the next item, and entry will continue in that item.

entry_item customer.phone_area {autoreturn}
entry_item customer.phone_num

In this example, if data entry continues after the item attached to Field phone_area in File customer is filled, the cursor will go to the next item, customer.phone_num, and continue data entry there.

When autoreturn is applied to a field through a DataDictionary object, the cursor does not move to the next field in the database file. It always moves to the next item of any DEO that is using the DataDictionary object. This will, in the typical case, presumably always be the same field and may often turn out to be the next field in the file structure.

Notes

  • If autoreturn is in force on the last entry_item in a DEO and data entry continues after that window is full, the cursor proceeds as though the key assigned to kswitch_next was pressed.

  • The DataFlex Configuration offers a global autoreturn option. To apply autoreturn selectively, this option must not be in force from Configuration.