Defining Word Templates for Specific Records

Suppose you have defined several Word templates in a given form, and you want to use a particular one when sending specific form records to Word. This can be achieved by adding a form column of INT type, whose name contains the string AWORD (e.g., PRIV_AWORD). This column receives the number of one of the Word templates defined for the form in question.

Note: Word templates are saved as form messages and assigned a negative number (hence, they do not appear in the Error & Warning Messages sub‑level of the Form Generator form).

In the following example, several Word templates have been defined for the Tasks form, and you want to use the designated Task Code to determine which template is used for each task.

1. Add a new column to the CUSTTOPICS table: PRIV_AWORD – INT, 8, Word Template.

2. Add the following columns to the CUSTTOPICS form:

   Form Column Name	Column Name	Table Name	Column ID	Join Column	Join Table	Join ID
   PRIV_AWORD	PRIV_AWORD	CUSTTOPICS	0	NUM	TRIGMSG	5?
   PRIV_MESSAGE	MESSAGE	TRIGMSG	5			0
   PRIV_EXEC	EXEC	TRIGMSG	5			0

   Note: The TRIGMSG table is outer-joined because a Word template can be deleted.

3. Hide the PRIV_EXEC column and mark the PRIV_MESSAGE column as read‑only.
4. Create a PRE-FORM trigger (PRIV_PRE-FORM) in the PRIV_EXEC column, which retrieves the internal number of the CUSTNOTESA form:

   `:PRIV_EXEC = 0;`
   `SELECT EXEC INTO :PRIV_EXEC`
   `FROM EXEC WHERE ENAME = 'CUSTNOTESA'`
   `AND TYPE = 'F';`
   

5. Set the value of the PRIV_EXEC form column in the Form Column Extension sub-level form, in the Expression/Condition column:
   = :PRIV_EXEC /* the variable was initiated in PRIV_PRE-FORM */

6. In the Error & Warning Messages form, add message 501:
   “Select a value from the Choose list.”

7. Add the following 3 triggers to the PRIV_AWORD form column:
   • PRIV_CHECK-FIELD

     ERRMSG 501 WHERE :$.@ <> 0 AND NOT EXISTS
     (SELECT * FROM TRIGMSG WHERE EXEC = :PRIV_EXEC
     AND NUM = :$.@
     AND NUM < 0);
     

   • PRIV_CHOOSE-FIELD
     List of Word templates defined for Tasks (CUSTNOTESA) form

     SELECT MESSAGE, ITOA(NUM) FROM TRIGMSG
     WHERE EXEC = :PRIV_EXEC
     AND NUM < 0
     ORDER BY 2;
     

   • PRIV_POST-FIELD

     :$.PRIV_EXEC = :PRIV_EXEC;
     

8. Add a hidden column to the CUSTNOTESA form:

   Form Column Name	Column Name	Table Name
   PRIV_AWORD	PRIV_AWORD	CUSTTOPICS

This column is filled in with the number of the template defined for the task code of the current task. Thereafter, when a user chooses to send a task to Word, if the task code of the task in question has been assigned a Word template, the information is sent directly to the designated template.

If the user flags the All Displayed Records option, those records with a different Word template than that defined for the current record are not sent to Word.