I was working on a feature addition for which I decided to use the Extender SP4 for GP 10.0.

With Extender SP4 for GP 10.0, we have new features called “Extender Forms” and “Extender Detailed Forms”. This is different from Windows and Detailed Windows. The Forms and Detailed Forms will be created as a Stand Alone Forms just like any other GP Form under a Menu Item which we define in Extender Menus.

Pro: This is a great boon for us to define additional Masters which are not provided in GP. Anything that we need, can be created. We don’t have to place this form anywhere in GP as an Additional Form.

Con: There is something called ID Field Prompt. Extender by default and mandatorily gives us an ID field for each such Individual Form. This ID field is also configurable to Auto-Increment the ID values. An example is shown below:

In the Options section for this Detailed Form, I setup the Next ID Number (which will be incremented whenever I create a new record). This is shown below:

Now, once this is setup and saved, when I try to create a new record, the Next ID Number is taken correctly from the Extender Options Setup. But if I don’t save this record and simply click on Clear to start a fresh entry, I can notice that my Next ID Number is not reverted back.

It just increment the ID Number but it does not revert back even if I do not use the generated one.

You just keep on press Clear, and it will keep on incrementing my Next ID Number. Which is absurd to any user’s point of view. But we cannot help it I believe, as GP does not maintain the Unused ID Numbers and prompt the user whether he/she would like to use any of these Unused Numbers.

Nevertheless this is a BIG MISS and I would like to see some improvement in this area when the next version is released.

VAIDY