[Progress Communities] [Progress OpenEdge ABL] Forum Post: Is there a workaround to update a screen variable when you only have it's Widget Handle?

[MGreenwood]

Hi All, Running OE10.2B We have a feature in our software that allows a user to modify widgets on a screen. We build a replica of the screen, allow users to specify changes (i.e. change labels, change the location of a widget apply validation to a widget) and store the changes with the Widget Handles via XML. A customer has said "It would be great if you could convert text entered to FORCE CAPS, which happens elsewhere in the system for Postcodes." The problem of course is that as per KBase articles Progress KB - How to assign the internal value of a FILL-IN widget via its handle HOW TO ASSIGN THE INTERNAL VALUE OF A FILL-IN WIDGET VIA ITS HANDLE Progress KB - Given a widgets handle can you assign its SCREEN-VALUE to the underlying variable/database field? GIVEN A WIDGETS HANDLE CAN YOU ASSIGN ITS SCREEN-VALUE TO THE UNDERLYING VARIABLE/DATABASE FIELD? "... it is not possible to directly assign the handles SCREEN-VALUE attribute to the underlying variable (or database field) because the widget handle does not know about the underlying variable (or database field). The widget handle knows only about the graphical (UI) widget. ..." The code that executes the validation is contained in an include which is present in 1700+ screens and in most if not all screens it's after the assignment of the screen values which, of course moves the screen-value into the underlying variable. As we do not want to have to check and move this include in all of those screens can anyone suggest a solution to the question "GIVEN A WIDGETS HANDLE CAN YOU ASSIGN ITS SCREEN-VALUE TO THE UNDERLYING VARIABLE/DATABASE FIELD?"

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