dialogroot

Format: dialogroot( node, historyfile, initialize )

Arguments: [any] node Any valid expression or node name

(text) historyfile Optional name of a file to store session history; default = don't store history

(bool) initialize Optional flag indicating if the history file should be replayed; default = true if historyfile exists

Returns: [any] The result of evaluating command

Description: The dialogroot primitive is used to add Back buttons to input forms in scripts that prompt for user input. Back buttons allow a user who is executing a script to return to a previous form to change the data he or she supplied. This feature is useful for creating Wizard style expert systems.

Place dialogroot around the root node in your script. For example, if your root node is defined as

Root:=Run Script

change it to

Root:=dialogroot(Run Script)

When the user chooses the Back button on a form, the script is reset and re-executed beginning at the node that contains the dialogroot primitive. Dialogroot keeps a history of all responses to previous form requests so that they can be automatically replayed. From the user's perspective, it looks as if the scripts simply back-steps to the previous form. In reality, the entire script execution is repeated up to the previous form.

If file does not contain full path information, the file is assumed to reside in the same directory as the .mdl or .dsb application file. If you include path information, remember that backslash characters must be typed twice in text literals (e.g., "c:\\temp.txt" instead of "c:\temp.txt").

Note: The functionality of this primitive is built into the all scripts by default. Click on Script Options in the Tools menu to activate this option.

See Also: dialog