Assign multiple values to an attribute?

[MrAnalogy]

I realize that Keywords allow you to select multiple values.

Is there a way to create an Attribute that lets you do that?

Basically, I'd like the LIST of String Values but I'd like to be able to select more than one.

[ashwken]

I hear what you're saying.

I work daily with a MLS appliation that, during data entry (multi-tabbed dialog) for a Property Listing, provides a series of checkboxes for Attributes of a group. These Attrbutes are available individually for query building, but are presented as a concatated value in reports and export.

For example, for the group Feature_Frontage the available Attributes are: Road, Lake, River, Creek, Branch, USFS.

Sample value for Feature_Frontage: Road, Creek, USFS

A search for any of these three values will return this Listing.

This functionality can be achieved in UR but you're somewhat hampered in presenting a large number of Attributes in a Form (3-cols X 25-rows, shrinking Viewer Area to zero), or you end up with a very long batch of Attributes in the IA Pane.

Some of this can be mitagated by building child records to group some of the choices - recreate the multi-tabbed data entry dialog from the example.

Calculated Fields (Attributes) would allow for the creation of - Feature_Frontage - and available for Form, Print, or Export.

Also, as you mentioned previously, Checkboxes for Logical Attributes would be nice.

Along these lines, I've also seen Radio Buttons used as logical selectors, but the available selections are governed by a "group rule" that requires a selection of at least one value.

[MrAnalogy]

Originally posted by ashwken
[
Along these lines, I've also seen Radio Buttons used as logical selectors, but the available selections are governed by a "group rule" that requires a selection of at least one value. [/B]

Is that a feature of UR ?

[ashwken]

No, it's a feature of the tabbed data-entry dialog from the example application.

Checkboxes are used and allow for multiple Attribute selection within a Group. Radio Buttons are also used for making a selection, but within the Group of available Attributes a rule has been applied (coded) that enforces uniqueness (only one selection can be made).

This is more a case of controlling data input, but I did find it to be an interersting implementation.

[wordmuse]

I would very much like to be able to assign multiple values to a single attribute.

Example: Attribute Name: Classification

mammal, primate, chimp
car, sedan, camry

etc.

Having to create and then click three attributes to specify this information is indeed time consuming.

Ideally, such an implementation would enable me to search on the attribute Classification to find all cars, or those cars that are sedans, etc.

I showed a hierarchical example, but I can also envision non-hierarchies.

Having multiple value attributes would be very handy.

Regards,
Bal

[quant]

I third the suggestion for having attributes with list of values.

Some time ago I wanted to use "Category" attribute to categorize articles, but couldn't do it (could, but not practical) so instead used logical linking ...

[ashwken]

In the original example application the individual Attributes would still need to be selected individually for each Item, i.e., Attributes that describe the Frontage for a piece of property.

These Frontage Attributes belong to a Group (UR Catagory ???) Feature_Frontage, which on the data-entry dialog is simply a text heading, but on the Reports (and available for Export) is a calculated Attribute named Feature_Frontage.

Granted, at some point you will have a limited (to some multiple of the total number of available choices within the group) set of choices available from the existing records, but this set could be rather large and eventually become counter-productive - selection of the individual Attributes during data-entry is still required because the individual Attribute is needed for searching.

The calculated field Feature_Frontage is simply a presentation of the .T. choices of the group for a record.

It should also be noted that this example application is developed in MS-Access which is expected to offer a wider range of data-entry display and control features than UR.

[kinook]

Multiple selection of attribute values was implemented in v5.2.

http://www.kinook.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=5344