Custom Data Systems AM.NETWorks Newsletter March/April 2006

<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Custom Data Systems AM.NETWorks Newsletter March/April 2006

This issue we'll look at the latest 3 releases of AM.NET: 18, 19, and 20. Reports, routines, utilities--we got 'em all.

In this issue:

Put it in context
AM.NET performance
Grid Filter
When good emails go bad
SQL Server
Key Data Output utility
Reports
Routines

Report preview text search
When previewing a report, you can search for a string of text anywhere in the document. Click the search icon (binoculars--the first button on the preview toolbar) to open the Find window.

File Edit Toolbar
The File Edit toolbar at the bottom of relevant tabs in file maintenance modules allows you to add, edit, and delete related data on the tab. These keyboard shortcuts will save you mouse clicks:

Add = Alt+A
Delete = Alt+D
Save = Alt+S

Report background color
To change the background color of a report, select Background > Color from the Report Preview menu when previewing a report.

Print field list
To print a field list for any report in AM.NET, click Print Field List in the Report group on the Report Explorer Bar. AM.NET prints a list of names and descriptions for each field in the report.

Put it in context
Context menus—menus that appear when you right click on an item—provide quick and easy access to many routines in AM.NET. For example, let’s look at the Event Registrations grid on the Event tab of Names File Maintenance.

Right-click a row in the grid and a context menu appears, allowing you to launch relevant routines.

Unlike AM4—where you must select a routine from the main menu—AM.NET allows context-specific routines based on a selected record or control.

AM.NET performance
The first time you open a window or access a tab in AM.NET, you may notice a slight pause. Two things cause this.

First, the .NET Framework—upon which AM.NET is built—uses just-in-time compilation (JIT). In simple terms, this means AM.NET only compiles code for a screen, tab, routine, or anything else when you access it. This causes a slight pause. Subsequent access to the routine or screen in AM.NET is quicker because AM.NET already compiled the code.

Second, AM.NET must pull data from the SQL database for display, to set up state for a routine, and for many other reasons. This data pull also causes a slight pause, especially the first time you access a screen, tab, or routine.

Remember, keeping AM.NET open throughout the day will increase performance by curbing the number of times code must compile.

Grid filter: weed out the data you don't want to see
AM.NET now allows you to filter the contents of a grid when viewing report data. To view a report view data grid, run any report in AM.NET, and then click View Data.