Duplicating a Record with a Webserver Application

Question

Hello,
We have a Designer generated webserver application. The users want me to add a button that will duplicate the existing record, except for a few fields. They then want to change a few fields, and save it as a new record.
I know how to add the button using User/Help Text, but I do not think I can go to forminsert, actioninsert, actionview, or anywhere else with the data. If anyone has conquered a similar problem, please share the solution with me.
Thank you,

Answer 1

Kevin, are you actually trying to insert the record and then show it to them so they can make changes? In that case, you could
-- build your button, with a hidden value for the current record's primary key
-- have it call a procedure you build which would
-- get a primary key for the new record
-- insert that record
-- commit
-- call queryviewbykey with the record identifier
so they get an update page
If you don't want to insert the record before they see the page, then it's a little more complicated. Here's how I'd do it.
-- have your procedure (as above) set a package-level variable to the key of the original record
-- put an onLoad into your Insert page which calls a Javascript function
-- dynamically build the Javascript for that function in a packaged utility function called from your bottom of page text. If the package-level variable is not null, you take the values from the record it points to and build Javascript which will set the Form values. You'll need to look at the HTML and Javascript source for the Insert page to get the variable names, etc. If the package-level variable is null, as it will be for the normal "New" button, then you just create a function that doesn't do anything.
-- then call ActionView with the right action for an insert
-- jim