Yes, this is perfectly normal. This is the very essence of IQ. Grids don't contain items, they display items. Deleting a grid is basically just deleting a set of filters and a bunch of columns. The items are still in the DB. If you want to delete the items, you need to select them and delete them.
From the manual
[quote]
2.05 Your First Steps
In this step by step tutorial, you'll use InfoQube to create a shopping list. You'll learn how to create a space for the list, how to mark when the task is done and how to show only tasks that aren't completed. Before we start, let me tell you how the information is divided.
1- All the information in IQ is stored in a database.
2- In the database, there are multiple items which can have different characteristics.
3- These items characteristics are recorded in fields
4- Items and fields are displayed/showed in grids (tables) : the items are displayed as rows, the fields are columns. (Note : we won't go into the details of a grid for now, but... let's just say that grid isn't like a traditional folder : an item doesn't "belong" to a grid as it can show any item that meets certain filter criteria. We'll learn about filters later.)
So, to summarize : we usually talk about items (rows)and their fields (columns) inside a grid (table).
Simple, isn't it?
[/quote]
And in 2.06
[quote]
Items shown in a grid are selected from all the ones in the database using filters. How ? Using the edit boxes at the top of the grid, in what is called the source bar (see below -- press <ALT+S> to show it, or click on "Show Source Bar" in the "Grid" menu). Each grid use those filters to define the content
[/quote]
There are other sections where this explained. It's a very important concept. Items are all equal, and grids just show what's in the DB (well, not exactly, as a grid can also act on an item (e.g. auto-addign fields), but erasing a grid doesn't do anything to an item)
Once again, thanks for your help...there is so much to learn here. I think I did look at at that tutorial once upon a time...but must have forgotten those critical, basic concepts. So that all makes sense now. I'll go through that tutorial again.
The thing that still does not seem logical to me is that if I delete a grid and then recreate a grid with a the same name, then all the original items reappear automatically. But on the other hand, is that the only way I can display the list of items (2011, January, February, etc.) that are still in the database but became hidden when I deleted the grid?
The thing that still does not seem logical to me is that if I delete a grid and then recreate a grid with a the same name, then all the original items reappear automatically. But on the other hand, is that the only way I can display the list of items (2011, January, February, etc.) that are still in the database but became hidden when I deleted the grid?
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Dave, if you delete a grid, it's related field remains -
Example:
creating a grid called Storage will create a yes/no field of the same name (which is then shown in source). TLIs in the grid will have this field selected.
Deleting the grid will not delete the source field.
Recreating the grid with the same name will use the existing "Storage" field and thus display items previously displayed.
Re your second sentence there, I'm not sure I understand 100%
> But on the other hand, is that the only way I can display the list of items (2011, January, February, etc.) that are still in the database but became hidden when I deleted the grid?
Grids are very flexible - you can change the source + filters in any grid so as to display whatever you want. In practice you probably wouldnt do this often, as, when you close the grid it will save the new source/filters used . I use the Search or Scratch grid occasionally as "temporary" girds
Re your second sentence there, I'm not sure I understand 100%
> But on the other hand, is that the only way I can display the list of items (2011, January, February, etc.) that are still in the database but became hidden when I deleted the grid?
Grids are very flexible - you can change the source + filters in any grid so as to display whatever you want. In practice you probably wouldnt do this often, as, when you close the grid it will save the new source/filters used . I use the Search or Scratch grid occasionally as "temporary" girds
[/quote]
Hi Tom,
What I meant by my second sentence was, if I delete a grid and the associated items are still in the database, how could I ever find those items again if I wanted to?
2- or just open the "journal" grid (if you still have a "journal" grid from the sample grid), and use the "date filter" tool bar to filter by date
3- or just open a "search" or "scratch" or any grid you'd create for that purpose... Press alt-s and make sure there'S no source and no filter (i.e.: nothing in the text boxes) and use the date filter tool bar to filter by date, if you want.
(The journal grid is in fact a grid with no source and no specific filter (if you press alt-s to see the source bar, you'll see that there's nothing written in the various text boxes.). There's nothing special to it.)
I mentioned the date filter tool bar, but you could use other types of filters if you wanted to (alpha numeric, the filter text box from the source bar, the sort criteria, etc.)
Comments
2.05 Your First Steps
In this step by step tutorial, you'll use InfoQube to create a shopping list. You'll learn how to create a space for the list, how to mark when the task is done and how to show only tasks that aren't completed. Before we start, let me tell you how the information is divided.
1- All the information in IQ is stored in a database.
2- In the database, there are multiple items which can have different characteristics.
3- These items characteristics are recorded in fields
4- Items and fields are displayed/showed in grids (tables) : the items are displayed as rows, the fields are columns. (Note : we won't go into the details of a grid for now, but... let's just say that grid isn't like a traditional folder : an item doesn't "belong" to a grid as it can show any item that meets certain filter criteria. We'll learn about filters later.)
So, to summarize : we usually talk about items (rows) and their fields (columns) inside a grid (table).
Simple, isn't it?