Links

Links – context and handling

Links – Explanations

The following explanations relate to this example. The customer ‘Seven Seas Imports’ orders products from your company. There will be a record created in the Customers table. You have several contacts with this customer. You create a record for each contact in the Contacts table and link it to the customer. The customer sends 2 orders. For each order a data record is created in the Orders table and linked to the customer. Each order can have multiple items.

What is a link

„Logically common information can be technically linked together.“

Why are links used

Commonly used information needs to be entered in the system only once and you can navigate quickly from a data record to the linked objects.

What kind of links exist

1:n Verknüpfung ONE customer can be linked with several contacts. But a contact can be linked only to ONE customer
m:n Verknüpfung Several orders can be linked to several articles. An article can be linked to several orders.

Note: The type of link is defined by the ADMIN.

How is a link created

Method A
Step 1, create the data records – in the example create the customer and the contacts
Step 2, create the link between the data records – in the example create the link between the customer and the contacts

Method B
Create / Edit the data record customer and create a link and a new data record at once.

How to remove a link

This depends on the type of the link and the method.

You can either just remove the link or also delete the linked data record. Both functions (fig 2 and fig 3) are available in the ‘Toolbar for links’ in the Record View.

>variation A
For a 1:n type link the link will be removed and the linked data record will be deleted.

>variation B
For a n:m type link only the link will be removed. The linked data record remains.

>variation C
LIMBAS offers also the possibility to edit links through the function ‘Open Link’. You can choose whether you want to remove the link and delete the data record or not, independent from the type of link (1:n or n:m). Where the data record to be deleted is still linked to another data record, you will receive the following error message: ‘Referential integrity has been violated, the following dependencies exist…(information about further links)’.

The data record can only be deleted with the function ‘FORCE DELETE’. Special user rights are required.

Links – Handling

Links can be handled through the ‘Toolbar Links’. The other option is the ‘Open Link’ icon to open a new window with the Record List of existing links for an extended functionality.
This document guides you through both options, starting with the ‘Toolbar Links’, followed by a new window which is either started by ‘Show Links’ or ‘Open Links’.

How to create a link – Standard

Method A – Data records are already created and will be linked.

Assumption: Customer ‘Sportverein‘ has already been created

Contacts ‘Ammer’ and ‘Lindner ’ are created and linked. Contact ‘Smith’ is created but not yet linked. We will now link the contact with the customer in the Record View.

Quick search using the input field ‘Link to’ to display not linked contacts. Enter * or double click the field to show all contacts that are not linked. You can also search for Substrings, minimum are 3 characters.

Click on a contact in the drop down list and it will be linked to your customer.

Note: The link is saved automatically, no need to click the SAVE button The displayed width and order of the data fields corresponds to the settings of the Record List. Personal settings in the Record List are also relevant for the listed Links.

Method B Create date record customer or use an existing customer. Create a new contact and link it to the customer

After the confirmation with OK a new window opens to create the new contact. The contact is automatically linked to the customer.

Enter contact name, department and so on. Use the SAVE button to store the data and close the window.

Refresh the screen to see the new created contact. Click either on the table name or the SAVE button.

Note: All the function from the Record List are available, such as filter, sort, change fields… Description: See Record List – Edit Menu

How to create a link – Open Link Icon

Click Open Link Icon

After clicking the Open Link Icon a new window appears where existing links are displayed. All the functions from the Record List are available. Click on the Create Data Icon to create a new record. (in this example a new contact). It will automatically be linked to the customer ‘Seven Seas Imports’.

Further procedure as described above.

How to remove a link

It depends on the type of link, if only the link will be removed or also the linked data record will be deleted. The ‘Toolbar Linked Tables’ in the Record View offers the default functions based on the type of link. (Variant A and B)
variation A – Remove the link and delete the linked data record.
variation B – Remove the link and the linked data record remains. Default for n:m.
variation C – You have the choice to remove only the link or also delete the data record.

variation A – Remove the link and delete the linked data record. Default for 1:n variation B – Remove the link and delete the linked data record. Default for 1:n variation C – You can choose whether you want to remove the link and delete the data record or not, independent from the type of link (1:n or n:m) through the command Open Link.

Click on the Icon ‘with the red x’ in front of the contact and a pop-up window opens to confirm.

‘Do you want to delete this data record?’ Click ‘Ok’ to confirm and the data record contact Mr. Smith will be deleted.

variation B – Remove the link and the linked data record remains. Default for n:m.

‘Do you want to delete this data record?’ Click ‘Ok’ to confirm and the data record contact will be deleted.

variation C – You have the choice to remove only the link or also delete the data record.

Table window ‘Open link’

Both commands are available. Remove only the link or remove the link and delete the linked data record.

You can select one or more links. Where a data record that is linked several times is chosen to be deleted, a notification will appear.

The data record can be deleted with the command ‘FORCE DELETE’. Special user rights are required.

Special Feature – Display links in Record List

Links can also be displayed in the ‘Record List’.

Click on the Table Selection icon Group Selection and a drop down menu offers you the possible links for this table.

The links will be displayed by expanding the rows.
-> expand one row with a click on the arrow in the 1st column of the line
-> expand all rows with a Shift and click on the arrow in the 1st column of a line

Recommendation: If this information is no longer needed in the ‘Record List’, you should reset the selection for a better overview.