Hidden, Disabled and Mandatory Checkbox Behavior

[Former Member]

In the Visual Composer version released for GA with SAP NetWeaver 2004s, the columns (fields) of tables could be set to be Hidden, Disabled and Mandatory according to checkboxes in the General tab of the Control Properties dialog box.  However, in versions previous to SP10, the Hidden functionality did not always work.  Three means of activating these options were available:

• Checking the box to make the value true. For instance, a Required column would be displayed in an input form at runtime with an indicator (color and/or asterisk) showing that values must be provided in the column. This type of true/false action is called unconditional: the column is either required or not, regardless of the values of another control or field. (By default, it not Required.)
• Selecting a condition based on a value in another field (column) of the same table. For instance, the Bank Country value would be Disabled in a row in which the Bank Key was 2468. In this case, the disablement would function according to cell rather than the entire column. This type of conditional action is dynamic: dependent on values of fields internal to the table.
• Selecting a condition based on the value of a control external to the table itself. For example, selecting a checkbox Customer in the input form might be the condition for hiding a column called Annual Revenues in the Bank List table. In this case, the condition operates on the entire column. This type of condition is also dynamic, but it is dependent on the value of an external control. The result is that in this case, the entire column is either displayed or hidden.

Although these three options are grouped together, in reality, their behavior is inherently different. While a cell of a column can be Disabled or designated as Required, it cannot be Hidden because it is part of an entire column. Since the data is displayed in the table at runtime, the column cannot be hidden – unhidden – hidden . . . as the values within the table are calculated. Therefore, the Hidden option for tables can be either the Boolean a true/false value (first bullet) or else activated by a control external to the table (last bullet).