How to: Give every page the same header

Give an application shell one header for all its pages - title, subtitle, the commands of the page and a status - instead of buttons and labels that each page or the shell places and measures itself.

Requires WKL Forms Object Library 1.46 or later.

Solution overview

One WklActionBar in the shell, above the subform that shows the pages (sfPage).
The shell sets the page's commands when it shows a page: one JSON text per page, or ClearCommands and AddCommand.
One event procedure runs every command: CommandClick(Key) passes the key to the procedure that knows what each key does.
The state of the record enables and disables commands by key, for example after the list's CommandStateChange.

Implementation

In the module of the shell form frmShell (bar barShell, page subform sfPage):

Option Compare Database
Option Explicit
 
Public Sub ShowPage(ByVal pageForm As String)
    Me!sfPage.SourceObject = pageForm
    With Me!barShell.Object
        .Caption = Me!sfPage.Form.Caption
        .Subtitle = Nz(Me!sfPage.Form.Tag, "")
        .ClearCommands
        Select Case pageForm
            Case "frmPersons"
                .AddCommand "new", "&New", "E710", wcpStandard, "^N"
                .AddCommand "edit", "&Edit", "E70F"
                .AddCommand "delete", "&Delete", "E74D"
                .AddCommand "issue", "&Issue key…", "E8D7", wcpPrimary
                .AddCommand "issue-test", "Issue &test key…", "", , , "issue"
                .AddCommand "revoke", "&Revoke key…", "", wcpMenu
                .AddCommand "columns", "Reset c&olumns", "", wcpMenu, , , , True
        End Select
        .AddCommand "export", "E&xport…", "EDE1", wcpRight
        .AddCommand "refresh", "Re&fresh", "E72C", wcpRight, "{F5}"
    End With
End Sub
 
Private Sub barShell_CommandClick(ByVal Key As String)
    Select Case Key
        Case "new": Me!sfPage.Form!grdList.Object.NewRecord
        Case "edit": Me!sfPage.Form!grdList.Object.EditSelected
        Case "delete": Me!sfPage.Form!grdList.Object.DeleteSelected
        Case "refresh": Me!sfPage.Form!grdList.Object.Requery
        Case "export": Me!sfPage.Form!grdList.Object.ShowExportDialog
        Case Else: RunPageCommand Key
    End Select
End Sub
 
' Called by the page after its list changed what can be done (CommandStateChange of WklGrid).
Public Sub ListStateChanged(ByVal grid As Object)
    With Me!barShell.Object
        .CommandEnabled("new") = grid.CanAdd
        .CommandEnabled("edit") = grid.CanEdit
        .CommandEnabled("delete") = grid.CanDelete
    End With
End Sub
 
Private Sub RunPageCommand(ByVal Key As String)
    ' The commands only this page has, for example opening a dialog.
End Sub

Remarks

A shell that keeps one set per page can store each as JSON text and assign it with .Commands = text; a text with an error is refused as a whole and the bar keeps its commands.
The status pill shows what the whole application is doing, for example .StatusText = "Updated " & Format(Now, "hh:nn:ss") with .StatusKind = wskOk.
List each shortcut once: in the bar (Shortcut of a command) or in WklDockLayout.ShortcutKeys, not in both.
The bar's band takes BackColor and ForeColor; the command row keeps the window color, so the buttons stay readable on a dark band.
Commands set by code in form view do not mark the form as changed; commands set in design view (by code or the designer) are stored with the form.

How to: Give every page the same header

Solution overview

Implementation

Remarks

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