Open Form Dialog – showing a form over the current page¶
The command "Open Form Dialog" opens a form for the current record in a dialog in the middle of the screen, in a panel on the right, or in place of the page. This page is for administrators who build interactive actions that let the user fill in or look at something without leaving the page.
1. At a glance¶
| Purpose | Show a form for the current record without leaving the page |
| Typical use | A compact "Quick edit" form, a side panel with details, a form for a newly created record |
| Where in the editor | Toolbar menu "UI" → "Open Form Dialog" |
| Needs a user interface | Yes |
| Needs a current record | No – without one the form shows an empty record |
| Related | Go To Record, Show Popup, Dispatch UI |
2. Settings¶
The settings are on the tab "Settings". Like every command, the command also has "Display Name", "Description" and "Execution Condition" on the tab "General" (see Actions).
| Setting | Meaning | Default / Required |
|---|---|---|
| "Title" | Expression for the title of the dialog | Empty: no title |
| "Dialog Location" | "Modal": in the middle of the screen, blocking the page behind it. "Sidebar": as a panel on the right. "None": no dialog – the form replaces the current page. | None |
| "Form ID" | Expression that results in the id of the form (not its name), evaluated against the current record | Required |
| "Show Close Button" | The dialog has a close button | Off |
| "Dialog ID Variable" | A variable that receives the id of the opened dialog, so a later command can close it | Empty |
3. Behaviour¶
- Without a user interface, the command is skipped.
- "Form ID" is evaluated. If the result is not a form id, the command is skipped.
- A new dialog id is created and written into "Dialog ID Variable".
- The form is drawn for the current record and shown at "Dialog Location".
- The action continues as soon as the dialog is open. It does not wait until the user closes it.
The form works on the same record object as the action. What the user types there is a change of the current record and is saved like any other change – by a save button in the form, by the user, or by a later command.
To close the dialog from the action, use Dispatch UI with "Action"
ModalCloseAction and a payload that contains the dialog id, for example a text expression that
results in {"ModalId":"<value of the Dialog ID Variable>"}.
4. Example¶
Quick edit in a side panel. App bar item "Quick edit" on the ticket grid:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| "Title" | "Quick edit" |
| "Dialog Location" | Sidebar |
| "Form ID" | a text expression with the id of the form "Ticket – Quick edit" |
| "Show Close Button" | On |
5. Limitations¶
- The action does not wait for the dialog. Commands after it run while the dialog is still open – to react to what the user entered, put a button with its own action into the dialog's form.
- "Form ID" needs the id of the form; a form name is not resolved.
- The default "Dialog Location" is "None", which replaces the page. Choose "Modal" or "Sidebar" for a dialog.