Passing Parameter before execute-query?

Question

I want to do the following scenario, please I need help so I can do this.
On Execute query i want a parameter to be passed.
For Example
I have a table of employees, and if any user executes query on employees form then before execution of query, form must first asks to give it a department name then it executes the query and of course we will get the result of that specific department.
I hope i have made clear what i am looking to do. but i need help here.
Thanks in advance.
Maz

Answer 1

Several ways
May be the easiest:
. define a non-DB Item (of apropriate type) ahead of your block to be queried,
may be in a new non-DB-block (depends on lyout of forms
. check on pre-query if there's a value given and abort if empty
. define in the where clause of the block: emp.columns = :<block.crit_item>
where crit item is the above mentioned non-DB-Item.
More effort for the following alternative:
. define a window
. define a content canvas (for the new window)
. define a non-DB-block with a non-DB-Item
. set focus to that item on KEY-EYEQRY (assumes that key-Exeqry is called in your query process) and ask user to enter the value
. redo query (KEY-EXEQRY on that block or add a button), this includes to set focus back to your daa block and do exe-qry there
. set where claus in analogy to above.