Updating Response documents when parent data changes

Updating Response documents when parent data changes

Occassionally I develop applications that require response documents to maintain certain data contained within the parent document. When certain data in the parent document changes, all response documents also need to change.

The following code/script helps accomplish that task. The parent document maintains a list of field names that are inherited by the response document. When the parent document is saved, that list is used to determine which fields have changed. If any data has changed, the immediate responses are updated with the new data. NOTE: This code only updates immediate reponses. It could be modified to handle responses to responses.


  1. Create a hidden field called "InheritedFields" on the parent form that is multivalue text. The value should be a list of all field names that need to be updated on child document when updates are made to parent(e.g. "Field1" : "Field2" : "Field3").
  2. In the Declarations of the parent form, include the following: 
    'handle to parent document
Dim doc As NotesDocument

'two dimensional array containing field name and field value
Dim inheritFieldsArray As Variant
  3. In the QueryModeChange of the parent form: 
    Dim listOfInheritedFields As Variant
Dim doc As NotesDocument
    
 
'when document enters edit mode, capture original values to compare during save
If Not(source.IsNewDoc) And Not(source.EditMode) Then
 Set doc = Source.Document
  listOfInheritedFields = doc.InheritedFields

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  1.  Redim inheritFieldsArray(0 To Ubound(listOfInheritedFields), 0 To 1)
 For i=0 To Ubound(listOfInheritedFields)
   inheritFieldsArray(i, 0) = listOfInheritedFields(i)
   inheritFieldsArray(i, 1) = Source.FieldGetText(listOfInheritedFields(i))
  Next
 End If
  2. Create UpdateChildDocuments sub routine: 
    Sub UpdateChildDocuments
 Dim actDC As NotesDocumentCollection
 Dim actDoc As NotesDocument
 Stop
 Set actDC = doc.Responses
 If actDC.Count > 0 Then
  Dim fieldUpdateArray() As String
  Dim fieldUpdateCount As Integer
  fieldUpdateCount = 0
  
          'initialize array to ""
  Redim fieldUpdateArray(0 To 0)
  fieldUpdateArray(0) = ""
  
          'there are activities for this document--continue checking to see if updates are necessary
  For i=0 To Ubound(inheritFieldsArray)
   fieldName = inheritFieldsArray(i,0)
   origFieldVal = inheritFieldsArray(i,1)
   currFieldVal = doc.GetItemValue(fieldName)(0)
   If (origFieldVal <> currFieldVal) Then
                    'the value has changed--flag for update
    Redim Preserve fieldUpdateArray(0 To fieldUpdateCount)
    fieldUpdateArray(fieldUpdateCount) = fieldName
    fieldUpdateCount = fieldUpdateCount + 1
   End If
  Next
  
  If fieldUpdateArray(0) <> "" Then
               'updates need to be performed
   Set actDoc = actDC.GetFirstDocument
   While Not (actDoc Is Nothing)
                    'for each activity document, replace the changed values
    For i=0 To Ubound(fieldUpdateArray)
     currVal = doc.GetItemValue(fieldUpdateArray(i))(0)
     Call actDoc.ReplaceItemValue(fieldUpdateArray(i), currVal)
    Next
    Call actDoc.Save(True, True)
    Set actDoc = actDC.GetNextDocument(actDoc)
   Wend
  End If
 End If
 
End Sub
  3. In the QuerySave of parent document: 
    Set doc = Source.Document
'update any child documents if values have changed
If Not (Source.IsNewDoc) Then
 UpdateChildDocuments
End If

This was first published in September 2002

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