Data retrieval objects

Data retrieval objects are the most complex of the objects that are available in the Custom Page Designer. These objects let you make queries to Lawson data and retrieve the data in a custom page.

You can make queries to the Lawson Data Servlet which inquires against the system database, Transaction servlet, which inquires against Lawson form transaction data, and the Drill servlet, which retrieves Drill-Around information.

These sections describe query properties and explain how to build a query string through Lawson Design Studio.

Data retrieval object properties

This table shows objects that affect appearance, location, and general behavior of data queries in the custom page. Instructions for building queries are displayed in these subsections.

Property Used in Description
Auto Hide Data Query, Transaction, Drill Select to hide the object until the data it depends on is available in the custom page's data source.
Border Data Query, Transaction, Drill Add a border to the object for display purposes.
Filter Data Query A filter can be added to a query to a table that has multiple indexes, so that the user can use it to view (filter) information on the page. The filter option adds a text box to the page in which the user can type a value for the key field.
Filter Title Data Query, Add a title to the filter object.
Height Data Query, Transaction, Drill Height of the object.
Left Data Query, Transaction, Drill Beginning left position of the object.
Name Data Query, Transaction, Drill Internal name of the data retrieval object.
Navigate Data Query, Drill

Control how applicable custom page objects behave in the browser. Options are:

  • New window: The custom page object opens in a new browser window.

  • Replace parent: The object replaces the current browser window.

  • Pass to parent: The values of the objects are passed back to the custom page so that they can be used by other objects.
Scroll Data Query, Transaction, Drill You can add scroll bars to a formlet or composite object. If selected, scroll bars are shown along the right edge of the object and along the bottom. If the user of your custom page is not required to scroll to view a particular object, you can disable scrolling. Scrolling is enabled by default.
Title Data Query, Transaction, Drill Title of the query that appears above the data.
Top Data Query, Transaction, Drill Beginning vertical position of the object.
Visibility Data Query Hide the data object. This makes the data accessible to the custom page for calculations or other purposes, but it does not display on the page.
Width Data Query, Transaction, Drill Width of the object.
Custom Data Query, Transaction, Drill Click the hyperlink to open a dialog box for making selections for the object. The specific steps for each kind of query are described in the appropriate sections that follow.

Creating data retrieval objects: General steps

This section explains the general steps involved in creating data retrieval objects and where to go for detailed information.

  • Double-click the data object (Data Query, Transaction Query, or Drill) in the toolbox to add it to your custom page.

  • Update the properties as required. See "Data retrieval object properties" for descriptions of the available properties.

  • Build the API. Click the Custom button in the properties pane to open the dialog box for specifying the query. You will be on the Data Query dialog box, General tab. Click the hyperlink to the right of the API field to begin building the API.

  • Specify data to be retrieved and format the output.