The Config page (an the equivalent Config dialog) contains general information about the current "configuration" (state) of the form, including where this state-saving information is stored (the meta-file), the unique configuration id (functionid), plus a user-defined category, title, and free-form text description.  Command buttons are also provided for actions related to state-saving and restoration.  Note that the default behavior upon exiting from the application is to save the current configuration, unless you deliberately Abandon this state.  A brief explanation of the items on the Config page follows:

Meta-File

Specifies the Commander meta-file in which this configuration's state restoration function resides.  The choice of meta-file is determined when XFormDBF is invoked.  There is no current provision for changing this setting dynamically, although this capability may be added in the future.  It is displayed here purely for informational purposes.

When you save a configuration, what actually happens is that a state-restoration function is generated and stored in the meta-file.  The execution of a state restoration function causes the form to be returned to its prior state.  The facilities for state-saving and restoration are derived from the generic Saver classes.

FunctionId

The id of this configuration, which is unique within a given meta-file.  This serves as a concise identifier for a particular saved state.  There is no hard limit on the number of different configurations you can store in a single meta-file.  You can't edit the functionid directly on this page, but you can create a new functionid or switch to another one via the Switch To... button.  (Note that the special case of a blank functionid disables state-saving and restoration features.)

Category

An optional, user-defined category assigned to this configuration.  This is provided as a way of organizing saved states into logical groupings, but its usefulness is quite limited in the current implementation.  (Further extensions are planned, for example the ability to filter and sort the list of saved configurations by category in the Switch To... dialog.)

Title

A brief description of this configuration, which is displayed in the form's window title.  The Switch To... dialog allows you to pick a saved configuration from a list of their titles.

Notes Editbox

Optional free-form comments about the current configuration.  You can scroll through this essentially unlimited length field.

Command Buttons

Note that the following command buttons can be configured to appear either on the Config page or on the main form body, both, or neither.  (The buttons also appear in the equivalent Config dialog form.)  Regardless of placement, they have the same effect and they logically belong to the Config page, which is derived from the generic Saver classes.

Save Config

Saves the current form configuration (state).  The form's state consists of all the user-supplied parameter settings on every part of the form, as well as the window position and sizing.  The form's state does not include the contents of any external files or tables that may be referenced by these settings, only the settings themselves.  The saved state actually is represented as a Commander-based function definition, whose job is to restore the form to its previous state.  This function is associated with the specified functionid, and it resides in the meta-file.  The Save Config button is disabled if the functionid is blank.  (When you exit normally from the application, an implicit Save Config is done automatically unless the functionid is blank or the last action produced an error, regardless of what actions you may have taken.  You can suppress this automatic state-saving behavior by using the Abandon button.)

Restore Config

Restores the last saved configuration (state) of this form.  This is the converse of the Save Config operation.  Using Restore Config is a convenient, albeit klunky way to undo any kind of unintentional changes to form settings, but this will not reverse the effects of any external file or table changes; it only bears on the state of the form itself.  This button is disabled if the functionid is blank.

Switch To...

Invokes a dialog to select a different configuration and switch to it, or to assign a new unique functionid to the current configuration.  Switching to another configuration does not automatically save the current one, so remember to do an explicit Save Config, if necessary, before switching to a different configuration.

Copy...

Similar to the Switch To... command, Copy... picks another existing configuration to restore into the form, but retains the current functionid.  This effectively clones another configuration into the current one.  Note, however, that the meta-file of saved states is not directly altered by the Copy... command; the resulting state must be saved either explicitly via Save Config, or implicitly by exiting from the application.

Delete

Deletes meta-file records (comprising the saved state) for the current configuration.  This has no immediate effect on the form's appearance, i.e. its current state, except to cause the Delete button to become disabled, indicating that there no longer exists a saved "copy" of the current state in the meta-file.  If a configuration has not been saved or its saved state has been deleted, it will not be listed in the Switch To... dialog.

Config...

Launches a resizable dialog for choosing, saving, and restoring previous configurations.  This dialog is a component of the generic Saver facility, essentially equivalent to the Config page.  Sometimes it may be more convenient to use this separate Saved Configurations dialog, depending on application design and typical usage patterns.

Diagnostics...

Launches a resizable dialog for displaying and setting diagnostics, tracing, logging, debugging, and error output options.  This is the same dialog that is used to display error and tracing messages when you are running in diagnostic mode.  See ErrHandler help for more information.

Abandon

Exits from the form without saving its present configuration.  Remember that the default behavior upon exiting from a Saver-based application is to save its current state.  The Abandon button overrides this, forcing the application to exit immediately without updating the meta-file of saved states.  If you encounter an abnormal error or are in doubt about your most recent changes, use Abandon to assure preservation of the last clean saved state.

OK

This button is only used in the free-standing Config dialog.  It simply closes the dialog, i.e. it has the same effect as clicking on the dialog window's close box.

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