XI dynamic prompt based on non-dynamic prompt?

[XTnCIS]

Can you have the user type a person's last name in a field and then use that value to populate a dynamic prompt of 'case numbers' that are available for that name.

I can create two drop-downs that do this: drop-down of last names and then a drop down of case numbers. But doing this is clumsy because there are thousands (if not 10,000) last names and the user has to pick one from the list (they can't just type the last name).

Does anyone know where to look to find an example of a non-dynamic prompt used to populate a dynamic prompt?

 

[satinsilhouette]

If you are using XI, you can have a dynamic cascading prompt, dynamic being fed from a database field. XI will return the first 1000 unique names it finds if you use the name field.

What you might want to do is use the Case number and the Last Name both in your dynamic prompt. Use the Case number as the value and the Last name as the description, that makes the choices much easier for your users.

You can show the value or the description, but it sounds like you need both displayed.

 

[XTnCIS]

Thanks for your post, satinsilhouette.

I'm using XI, but I don't think I made my problem plan.

I want a text box entry for last name - drop downs are a bit clumky when you are dealing with thousands and thousands of possibilities. Plus XI's drop downs don't allow for the user to type a word - they just position the list to the first letter typed.

I want to make the case number dynamic based on the entry of last name (where last name was a text-field entry).

Do you have any pointers for this?

 

[IdoMillet]

I don't know of a way to do this just with Crystal designer.

You could create an application to do this using the Crystal runtime components.

Alternatively, consider 3rd-party viewers (see list at:

http://www.kenhamady.com/bookmarks.html).

My DataLink Viewer allows you to create a dynamic parameter that is actually a different Crystal report. Since that report can have its own parameters (dynamic or static) you can have cascading parameters that can be dynamic or static at any stage of the chain. In your case, the report used as a dynamic parameter (listing Case Numbers and any other information you care to display for the cases) would simply have a static {?Last_Name} type-in parameter.

- Ido

Visual CUT & DataLink Viewer:
view, e-mail, export, burst, distribute, and schedule Crystal Reports.

http://www.MilletSoftware.com