Validating Data

Contents

Overview

If computer applications could be made fool-proof, there'd be fewer shelves with books for "Dummies." But they can be made fail-safe. Well-thought-out programs can incorporate a mechanism found mostly in machinery that guarantees that if the contraption should blow up, it will blow the other way.

In Morning Flight, that mechanism is called Data Validation. Its purpose is to keep small errors small and not let them turn into catastrophes. Whenever you enter numerical data, Morning Flight imposes minimum and maximum "validated" values. With validation ON, the program can safely be used by office staff with limited estimating experience. Cousin Mel can handle the low-end stuff, freeing the shop owner or manager to focus on big-dollar projects.

With validation OFF, the sky still isn't the limit, but the range extends well beyond the reasonable.

Meet "Goofy"

There are times when validation has to be turned off to keep flying. For entering a PMS ink color that didn't exist when you downloaded the program, for instance. In that case, clicking on Goofy is the only fix. As for leaving validation off altogether? Stick with the umbrella. If I were to look for a co-pilot, Goofy wouldn't be my first choice!

If the Data Validation button looks like this and you need to enter a number that's outside the normal range, click the button before you enter the number.

If you see Goofy, data validation is already OFF. There's a chance somebody made an entry that probably doesn't make sense in the real world. Click the button, and Morning Flight will validate all numerical entries in the window.

•You can turn data validation OFF altogether, in My File > My World > My Preferences. Remember that when you do, you're flying with Goofy.

Data validation and text formatting states are persistent. Each window initially inherits its states from My Preferences, but then preserves its own validation and formatting settings. When you accept a window with data validation OFF, it will stay off (for that window only) until you turn it back on.