Browse is used throughout your system to search the contents of a database table and display the results of that search in a simple list. Browse might be used to:
- Search the table associated directly with the option you have selected from the menu, e.g. the option Document Manager opens straight into a Browse list displaying the documents in the document store, whereas the option Accounts Receivable Bank Codes option only contains a single Browse which is on the Bank code itself.
- Search a database table associated with the option you are using, for example, the option Sales Orders provides a Browse for the Order number, Customer, Transaction short name, Price list, Shipping terms, Warehouse, Product code etc.
- Display the contents of the database table applicable to the action you wish to perform, for example, when adding a product to a Sales Order the contents of the Stock Batch Queue table are displayed when the Select batches for [product] (F8) action is selected, thereby allowing you to manually allocate the batches from which a product is to be picked.
Once the results of the search are complete and displayed on screen the required code or value can be selected from the displayed list.
When used for:
- searching for a specific code or value, Browse either searches the database table associated with the current field, i.e. the field in which the cursor is currently positioned, or for the field on the current form for which Browse applies (where the form contains only a single Browse field). In many cases, Browse provides a selection list enabling a smart search to be performed on the associated database table, for example, selecting Browse on the Sales Orders field Product presents a selection list allowing you to search for the product code by alpha code, the product's long description, the customer's code for the product being ordered etc.
- performing the next step in the program, for example, when displaying the contents of the Stock Batch Queue table for manual batch selection, the results of codes or values selected from the Browse list are usually only available by selecting an action from the toolbar that displays the results of those selections.
Browse can be selected in one of three ways:
- By selecting the Browse icon (
) from the toolbar – depending on the form displayed the cursor might have to be in the actual field you wish to Browse on. - By selecting the magnifying glass icon (
) that immediately follows a field on a form. - By selecting F2 – depending on the form displayed the cursor might have to be in the actual field you wish to Browse on.
When the Browse list is displayed, you can:
- Reorder the data in a column – simply click on any column heading and the data in that column is ordered or grouped into ascending or descending order.
- Switch the code and alpha columns – select Change sequence (F8) (where available) to display the browse list by code or alpha code in ascending order.
- Print the displayed Browse list – select the Print icon (
) or the Print Screen key. The Spool submission form is displayed. - Search for a particular code or value – simply click on any column heading and select the Search <column heading> icon (
) or the Ctrl+Enter(Return) keys. Type in all or part of the text in the selected column you wish to search for, then select OK to search for it or the next nearest text in the column. You are returned to the Browse list with the line containing the search text highlighted. Note that the search is from the first character in the entered text, e.g. to search for the Unit code HOUR you can type in HOUR, HOU, HO or H – HOU, HO and H will only return the cursor close to the code HOUR.
When you select the required code or value from the Browse list you are returned to that field on the form. The selected code or value is displayed in the field.
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