Introduction to Action Scripting (Desktop)

Description

Action Scripting is a visual way for creating scripts in Alpha Anywhere desktop applications. In this guide, you'll learn about Action Scripting and how to use it in your desktop apps.

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Description
Overview - Action Scripting

In this overview, we'll give a basic introduction to Action Scripting.

Benefits of Action Scripting

Action Scripting offers several benefits when compared to the traditional methods of creating scripts.

Creating Your First Action Script

To follow the examples in this tutorial, open the Learning Action Scripting workspace stored in the "Learning Action Scripting" folder in the main folder where you installed Alpha Anywhere.

Action Scripting

This page describes how to create, edit, and delete an action script.

Making an Action Conditional

In our Action Script, the second Action which displays the message box executes even if the user clicks the cancel button when prompted for his or her name. Try this:

Using the "Same Condition as Previous" Setting

The condition for an action can be copied to other actions that use the same conditions using the Action is conditional and Same as Previous option.

Creating an Action Script for a Button on a Form

The scripts we've been working with so far are not associated with any particular "events." To run the "Lesson1" script, you double-click it in the Control Panel. This script is called a Global Script because it can be run at any time.

Pre-Defined Actions

Common operations have been built-in to Alpha Anywhere as Pre-Defined Actions, allowing you to quickly add these operations to your desktop applications using Action Scripting.

Using the Pop-up Event Editor

The pop-up event editor provides a quick way to see what events are available for an object.

Setting Object Properties

Scripts can be attached to object events, listed in the object's properties.

More on Editing Action Scripts

There are multiple ways to create Action Scripts. Learn how to copy actions, convert actions into their underlying Xbasic implementation, and how to utilize the Action Script Genie in the Xbasic Editor.

Limitations

Desktop Applications Only