Field number in a group

[paulclaude]

Then you need to learn to use and love childControlNames, because you are not looking for the number or layer of the field, but it's order within the group.

This video may make it clearer for you, but in essence, to find the order of a control within a group within a group within yet ANOTHER group is no more difficult than figuring out its line number, which you can do with code from the previous post, and without a repeat loop.

Yes Bogs, I already use

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put lineOffset(fID,the childControlIDS of group lName of me) into fNum

to retrieve the field number. I can do it because I have only fields in the group, of course. Many controls (in the group) of different type with variable order make the trick useless.

[dunbarx]

PaulClaude

Paul? Claude?

Anyway, it seems you have this in hand. So the topic really was a NATIVE way to:

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put the number of control targetControlReference of grp targetGroup

This sidesteps the issue of who owns who and knowing where your children are.

The good news is that LC invariably offers direct and straightforward ways around these sorts of things.

Craig

[paulclaude]

PaulClaude

Paul? Claude?

Anyway, it seems you have this in hand. So the topic really was a NATIVE way to:

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put the number of control targetControlReference of grp targetGroup

This sidesteps the issue of who owns who and knowing where your children are.

The good news is that LC invariably offers direct and straightforward ways around these sorts of things.

Craig

I'm Paul.

I thought there was some kind of function like

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put the {internal/order/child} number of fld ID 1234 of group...

It doesn't matter

Greetings

[jacque]

I can do it because I have only fields in the group, of course. Many controls (in the group) of different type with variable order make the trick useless.

If you use the keyword "control" rather than "field" it will work for any object.

[FourthWorld]

I have a hunch that if we knew more about the UI needing this very specific form of addressing we'd be able to come up with an optimal solution for it easily.

[paulclaude]

I can do it because I have only fields in the group, of course. Many controls (in the group) of different type with variable order make the trick useless.

If you use the keyword "control" rather than "field" it will work for any object.

Hi Jaqueline,
Thank you for your advice., but maybe you haven't had time to read the whole thread or maybe it's me who explains myself wrong in English (this is likely).
I try with another example:
I've a group within a group. This group contains fld a (layer 1),fld b(layer 2),btn a(layer 3),fld c(layer 4).
The command "select fld 3" actually select fld c.
The command "select control 3" actually select btn a.

I realized that there is no direct functions to obtain the order number (3, in my example) of fld c (knowing only its ID) in Livecode. There are a thousand workarounds, however.

[[-hh]]

Assume you have a group "main" containing a group "test" that contains fld id 1101 (layer 1), fld id 1012 (layer 2), btn a (layer 3), fld id 1001 (layer 4).

Now use the single function

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function getFldNumberInGroup pNr 
   return 1 - (the number of fld 1 of the owner of fld id pNr) \
            + (the number of fld id pNr)
end getFldNumberInGroup

Then

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put getFldNumberInGroup(1001) into N -- yields 3
select fld N of group "test" of grp "main"

does what you want.

[paulclaude]

Assume you have a group "main" containing a group "test" that contains fld id 1101 (layer 1), fld id 1012 (layer 2), btn a (layer 3), fld id 1001 (layer 4).

Now use the single function

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function getFldNumberInGroup pNr 
   return 1 - (the number of fld 1 of the owner of fld id pNr) \
            + (the number of fld id pNr)
end getFldNumberInGroup

Then

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put getFldNumberInGroup(1001) into N -- yields 3
select fld N of group "test" of grp "main"

does what you want.

Thank you, I'll try it out.

[jacque]

You're right, I was at the LC conference and didn't read the entire thread. Your English is very good so that wasn't a problem.

I think I'd use the method you use now, getting the line offset of the child controls. It seems the most straightforward way.

[bogs]

I have a hunch that if we knew more about the UI needing this very specific form of addressing we'd be able to come up with an optimal solution for it easily.

I have to say, I'm curious myself, because in side testing I've done if I "put" or "get" text into field x of group x, where x is an integer (no matter how nested apparently), it happens no matter how many other controls are in that group where there is a field x.

So if I have 4 fields and 6 buttons in group c of group b of group a (with more controls in a and b), and I write

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put "this text" into field 2 of group {c}
-- or
get field 4 of group {c}

It works as expected, and since I can't think of anything else you might be doing with a field, I'd really love to know just what it is you *are* doing that requires more

So far, the 'clues' we have are you don't want it in a repeat loop. To me, that suggests you have the number of the next field already, but aren't sure if there is a next field. Is that it?

maybe it's me who explains myself wrong in English (this is likely).

I agree with Jacque, your english is fine, but unless it is a top government secret or something, please post what exactly you are trying to accomplish.

[paulclaude]

I agree with Jacque, your english is fine, but unless it is a top government secret or something, please post what exactly you are trying to accomplish.

No top government secrets, Bogs, simply I wrote many applications in these years and, sometimes, I happened to want to refer to the number of a field (to find the next one, the previous one, without using names or properties, or similar things).
I've always used workarounds, but I was curious to know if there was a direct function in Livecode that I may never have considered.
Nothing more than this

[[-hh]]

Once again, there is a direct function: the number.

If you wish to have the number of a fld relative to its enclosing group then this is 1 + the difference of its number to the number of fld 1 of this enclosing group. So

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function getFldNumberInGroupByID pID
   return 1 - (the number of fld 1 of the owner of fld id pID) \
            + (the number of fld id pID)
end getFldNumberInGroupByID 

is what you want.
TMHO, this is still "direct", no "workaround", could be called the "relative number" of fld id x.

Of course you can get this "relative number" also when identifying fields by their number or name rather than by their short ID:

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function getFldNumberInGroupByName pN 
   return 1 - (the number of fld 1 of the owner of fld pN) + (the number of fld pN)
end getFldNumberInGroupByName

function getFldNumberInGroupByNumber pN 
   return 1 - (the number of fld 1 of the owner of fld pN) + pN
end getFldNumberInGroupByNumber

[paulclaude]

Once again, there is a direct function: the number.

If you wish to have the number of a fld relative to its enclosing group then this is 1 + the difference of its number to the number of fld 1 of this enclosing group. So

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function getFldNumberInGroupByID pID
   return 1 - (the number of fld 1 of the owner of fld id pID) \
            + (the number of fld id pID)
end getFldNumberInGroupByID 

is what you want.
TMHO, this is still "direct", no "workaround", could be called the "relative number" of fld id x.

Of course you can get this "relative number" also when identifying fields by their number or name rather than by their short ID:

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function getFldNumberInGroupByName pN 
   return 1 - (the number of fld 1 of the owner of fld pN) + (the number of fld pN)
end getFldNumberInGroupByName

function getFldNumberInGroupByNumber pN 
   return 1 - (the number of fld 1 of the owner of fld pN) + pN
end getFldNumberInGroupByNumber

Once again, your suggestions are very good. I was asking for a native Livecode function (which does not exist). Thanks