This widget is used to view individual records of a database and, optionally, make changes to them. Like many other widgets, it will have a menu near the upper left corner of the widget where you can find the available functions for the widget. The title on this menu is typically something like "Table Edit:" where "Table" is the name of the database table the widget draws its data from.

To load a record into an editing widget, you must first identify it. Each record in the database can be identified by certain fields that make it unique. For example, a contact in conim is identified by his "contact ID." This consists of a number for the organization he belongs to (his organization ID) and an individual ID (a second number). If you know those two numbers, you can identify the specific contact you want. This unique set of information is called the "primary key" for that table.

If you know the primary key of a record, you can often load it directly into an editing pane. Generally there is a menu option called "Load Record" that allows you to do this. It pops up a dialog box and you are expected to type in the ID of the record you want. Note that some tables use multiple fields to identify a record uniquely. You will have to type each one in to tell the computer which record you want to load.

A more common method for loading a record is to select it from a preview widget which shows a list of available records for you to load (see the separate help document on preview widgets). Once the record is loaded, you don't really need to worry about what the primary key is. But if you want to see it, it is often shown in the upper right area with the title "Record:".

When you want to make changes to the record you have just loaded, type the changes into the entries (or select the appropriate pull-down menus) and then select the Update menu function (or shortcut button) to apply the changes to the database. (Note that some editing panes in some applications may not have an Update function if you are not intended to make changes in this way).

Note: If you make changes to a record but fail to press the update button, your changes will be lost when the next record is loaded into the pane! If you attempt to do this, the computer may issue a warning (depending on your current settings.)

Like the Update function, there may also be a Delete function. Once a record is loaded into the widget, the "Delete Current Record" function becomes available.

Be careful as you typically CAN NOT undo this operation.

To add a new record, you may (optional) first clear the widget to reset all the fields to their default values. Then fill in the fields with the desired values and execute the "Add New Record" function.

Depending on the application, there may be certain fields you are required to fill out. If so, a pop-up dialog may appear with a red background requesting that you supply proper values in those fields. Also, the field titles will be highlighted to show you which fields need attention. You can fill out the fields and then ask the computer to re-check and see if it can continue.

The popup may also appear with a yellow background, highlighting certain fields yellow. These fields are recommended to be filled out but are not mandatory. You can then ask the computer to recheck to see if all recommended fields are filled out. Or you can tell the computer to proceed anyway even though they are not all filled out.

If fields are highlighted with a green title, the computer is requesting that you examine these fields for accuracy (as a precaution) before proceeding.

You may remember that database tables are typically thought of like a spreadsheet, containing rows and columns. When you load a record from the database, you are loading only a single row into the editing widget. Even so, the widget may be configured with its rows and columns in order to fit all the needed table columns on the page.

Don't be confused by this. The editing pane contains only a single record--not a whole table.

Each database field (column) is represented by an entry, button, or checkbox. Depending upon the data type for the field, it may also have a "special function" pull-down button (which can also be selected with a click of the right mouse button.)

For example, click the pull-down button on a date field and a special date calendar widget will appear to allow you to click on a date (rather than having to type it in.) If you right-click on a state field, a list of valid state abbreviations appears. If you right-click on an employee field, a list of employees appears.

Certain text fields allow you to right-click to generate a larger box to edit in. For example, a comment field might contain multiple lines of text. Only a portion of it might be viewable in the standard editing window, but by right clicking on it, you can create a larger window, edit the text, and then hit the Done button to write it back to the entry box on the screen. Remember that the data has still not been sent to the database. You have to do the Update function to do that.

Often a database table will contain columns that are needed less frequently than others. Where a table or view contains many columns, it can be confusing to display them all in an editing pane.

So the widget allows the application to show certain fields by default and keep certain others hidden until you ask to see them. If an editing pane contains hidden fields, you will know it by seeing a small aqua colored bar right at the bottom of the pane. Press on this bar and the pane will grow to show the rest of the fields. Press on it again to hide the fields again.

Typically you should not have to access hidden fields to input or edit data. But applications may often choose to hide more esoteric informational fields that don't need to be accessed as often.

The editing widget keeps track of records you have recently viewed. These are kept in a list so you can cycle back through the list with the following functions:

Note that each application may add more options under the standard menu for the editing widget. You need to read the manual for the particular application you are running in order to know how to use these custom functions.

Also, the application may disable certain functions of the editing pane. For example, some applications may not allow the functions for altering data in the table.

It is possible to configure the editing widget to prompt you before clearing, adding, deleting, or updating a record. These settings can be changed in the standard menu. When the widget (or the window containing it) is closed, these settings should be saved.

It is probably a good idea to have the program ask you before deleting a record. You can configure the other prompting settings to your taste (and the needs of the particular application.)

Sometimes an application will link an editing pane to some other preview pane in the application. For example in conim, each time you load a new record into the contact editing pane, a signal will be sent to the contact document preview pane (if it is open), telling it to reload itself with all documents pertaining to the newly loaded contact.

This kind of linking is commonly done in Wylib applications and allows you to see the relational links between tables in the database.