hey,

i'm using a menu/list for users to select a company name from. The problem is that there are over 1,500 company names in this list, and it's a real pain in the ass to find the correct one.

Does anyone have any ideas as to how i can make this process easier? I remember MSAccess had searchable combo boxes that auto-filled whatever you typed into the boxes..... does anyone have an idea? maybe a popup menu?

Cheers!

Listbox can be searched via first letter. Just open it and press something on a keybord. Selection will jump on a first item that starts with that sign.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
hey,

i'm using a menu/list for users to select a company name from. The problem is that there are over 1,500 company names in this list, and it's a real pain in the ass to find the correct one.

Does anyone have any ideas as to how i can make this process easier? I remember MSAccess had searchable combo boxes that auto-filled whatever you typed into the boxes..... does anyone have an idea? maybe a popup menu?

Cheers!
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

Viktor Farcic
www.farcic.com
TalkZone Manager

Yeah but the problem is that in our database we end up with over 200/300 entries all beginning with the same letter and it becomes difficult to pin-point the right one. I've been thinking about maybe using a separate page to select these value using a search form and then passing through using session vars or maybe URL vars.... but that would be a problems because it would limitt the flexibility of the form, andit would mean creating (and maintaining) a higher number of pages.

I'm quite perplexed at the problem.

-- Julio

Maybe all these company have some specific details, like there in one place or some thing like that, so you let the user first choose a place and then you filter the next combo with this place and maybe you can add some other stuff.. This way you help the visitor with his search....



Matthijs
----------------
UD4/WY2K/IIS/ASP-VB
www.chaps.nl

Unfortunetly, all these companies are Suppliers, and they all really should be listed together.

-- J

Add a wee form beside the listbox that will quickly filter the source recordset ...

:: Son, im Thirty.... ::

What's a wee form?

Matthijs
----------------
UD4/WY2K/IIS/ASP-VB
www.chaps.nl

Is it possible to catagorise the companies so in 1 menu you could reduce the number of possible companies in a second list?

If this would work and you dont have the code to do it let me know.

Vinny

Vinny,

I think maybe filtering the companies alphabetically would be a good thing, maybe a drop menu to select the 1st letter and then the 2nd menu/list shows the actual filtered companies...

I would appreciate any code you could post for me <img src=../images/dmxzone/forum/icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle>

Thanks!

Here is a client side version (if an intranet use this as loading time is not that high and functionality is much better)

Follow the guide here....works really well

www.macromedia.com/support/ultradev/ts/documents/client_dynamic_listbox.htm

The other option is to add a jump menu that has each of the letters of the alphabet.

Inser a jump menu and set 'Select First Item after URL change' to ticked in the window that opens when you add a jump menu.

Then send this value to the same page in the URL and just filter the recordset getting all of your company values on the letter. (there is functionality for filtering on values starting with... in the Simple Recordset window).

I use both a lot but the first is always my favourite choice for Intranet....

Let me know if you have any grief with it.

Vinny

A wee form is just what it says, a small form, one text field one button, you write a search string in and press the button the page refreshes with the filtered combo contents. tada...
could do it like above with a alphabetical list to filter but that restricts you to filtering by the first letter, so a WEE form will do just grand. it will allow you to get what you want.

Cheers
Leed


:: Son, im Thirty.... ::

Leed....your solution is better than mine...but then most peoples are!.

Poolio,

Go with his solution

Vinny

the more solutions the merrier...

:: Son, im Thirty.... ::

Leed,

Your solution seems to be the easiest and most effective one. Thanks a lot. The funny thing is i use the same bloody concept in another page, but i was too think to work out the application to a drop-menu instead of a repeat region <img src=../images/dmxzone/forum/icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle>

Thanks a lot to all of you for you help!

--Julio

Crap... there's a new problem,

when i submit the form (using GET pointing to the same page) the combo/listbox is not refreshing with the updated data. The URL string actually reflects the criteria i'm specifing (e.g. page.php?com_name="Name" but the combo box doesn't respond.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

What is your rs code for the combo?


:: Son, im Thirty.... ::

SELECT *
FROM com_master
WHERE com_name LIKE '%MMColParam%'
ORDER BY com_name ASC

Where MMColParam = $HTTP_GET_VARS["com_name"]

this code works on Repeat Regions, but not the Combo box.

i hope this helps.

--J

P.S. i killed kenny

Edited by - poolio on 18 Jun 2002 14:30:35