Adding Navigation Children from SQL

[leemillard]

Hi Guys,

I am trying to work out how to populate a menu/navigation system from sql.

Basically adding children/nodes from a sql table ?

Do I have to do it in Code ?


Thanks

Lee

[Davidk]

Hey Lee,

There are a few ways to get a menu/navigation system going in Alpha. There's a Button Menu action, a List Control Menu, a Tree Control.

Are you working toward a web page? A Mobile App? Context is important here.

[leemillard]

Hi David,

Its a basic intranet website to learn alpha, usually I would use php/sql.

In Alpha I am using the built in navigation component, should I be using something else ?

Creating a horizontal type menu with custom css looking like tabs



Thanks

Lee

[GGandhi]

alpha provided navigation system is not the greatest, that is their weak point and least attended to by them, if you ask me.
navigation system is nothing more than an un-ordered list with css markup to look pretty. you seems knowledgeable enough and comfortable enough with your exposure in php, i am sure you can do it better. ( if you restrict all navigation end points in pages than components, i would imagine)

ps: alpha also provides tabbed ui component, you could use that for navigation purposes exposing a5w pages, components, dialogs/ux, and reports etc.,

ps2: you can also use dialog/ux with div below it to display the content as injected content. the dialog will only contain buttons and they will open desired component below the dialog/ux as embedded material.

[leemillard]

Can I use either of these to also make the menu show the correct current page on screen too?, as well as getting the menu names from a SQL row ?

[GGandhi]

as well as getting the menu names from a SQL row ?

i haven't tried so i don't know.

Can I use either of these to also make the menu show the correct current page on screen

if you mean that by selecting a button will a correct page load? yes it will. take a look.

[leemillard]

No I mean if i want to highlight the current page thats already loaded on screen ?

[GGandhi]

No I mean if i want to highlight the current page thats already loaded on screen ?

the button will light up, if that is enough for you (just like the way navigation bar works, they are nothing but css)

[leemillard]

I cannot get the navigation bar to even do that

[GGandhi]

I cannot get the navigation bar to even do that

what you want to do?, what is your desire?
i will show you in tabbed ui or ux or in general nav bar.
if you search this board for navigation bar, you will see a commercial product used by steve, you can use it if you don't want to construct by yourself.

[Davidk]

Hi David,

Its a basic intranet website to learn alpha, usually I would use php/sql.

In Alpha I am using the built in navigation component, should I be using something else ?

Creating a horizontal type menu with custom css looking like tabs



Thanks

Lee

Here's an Alpha video showing a UX with a Tab Control.

http://www.ajaxvideotutorials.com/V1...ActivePane.swf

I don't think there is a Component that takes it's Tab label information from a SQL source. However, that's not hard to build... it just depends on how dynamic you want things to be.

The attached UX contains a Tab Control with 4 Tab Panes. The "Get SQL Tab Labels" button makes an Ajax Callback to the Alpha Server which runs an Xbasic Function (found in Xbasic functions)
The Xbasic function queries a SQL Table and formats the data into an Array of JSON Objects. The Xbasic function then returns a call to a Javascript Function (found in Javascript functions)... and includes the data.

The Javascript function gets information about the Tab Control (e.g. the Pane Count) and then goes through a loop setting the Tab Labels.

Since you're new to Alpha this UX demonstrates a few things:

Ajax Callback to the server to run an Xbasic function.
XBasic to query a SQL data source
Return code to run a Javacsript Function with SQL Data formatted as a Javascript Array of JSON Objects.