Re-enable column values in tabular form before submit

Question

Hi,
I am using Apex 4.1. I have a tabular form. I created a dynamic action to disable some of the columns on page load.
It works fine and I am able to add new rows. But when I click submit, all the column values are null and it is throwing validation error.
I need to enable all the columns before submit. I invoked a javascript to enable all the fields, but still i get the validation error.
I also tried creating dynamic action to enable the values but still I get the validation error becuase the values are all null.
Please help me to resolve this issue.
Thanks
SR

Answer 1

Per HTML standards, disabled items are not submitted. Therefore if they are disabled at the point of submit, their corresponding session state values will be null (as you discovered). Apex validates against what is is session state, not against what is on your screen, so since the values didn't get submitted (per standards for HTML disabled items) that's why Apex thinks they are null.
Before submit, re-enable the items/columns and it should work fine.
Edit: Sorry, looks like you are doing this already. But are you doing it in the right order?
How I have done it is:
1. Change the save/apply changes button (whatever is doing the submit) to call a URL.
2. Make the URL call javascript, such as:
javascript:formSave('SAVE');
3. Put a javascript function on your region or page (hypothetical example):
<script type="text/javascript">
function formSave(pRequest)
{ //Put all checking and processing prior to form save here.
  var vRequest="SAVE"; //default value taken from orig. "apply changes" button
  if(pRequest)
    vRequest=pRequest;
  enableAllCells(gMaintActionCol); //Put whatever code you have to re-enable your tabular form items here, must fire before apex.submit.
  //Do the save
  apex.submit(vRequest);
</script>Edited by: gti_matt on Dec 1, 2011 3:04 PM