Sorry for the cheesy title, I wanted your attention. What am I missing out on here? I can’t find documentation or explanations in the forum that cover this drop down in the Data Bindings window:
How are these 3 different from one another and where can I learn more about using them? I’m sensing there is untapped power here.
Was wondering the same
It's probably not something to get too excited about I'm afraid. As far as I know, the selection affects what happens when you select values from the various lists. Eg if 'Field' is selected, whatever you select will replace anything which has already been selected or entered. This doesn't happen if you choose 'Expression' because Wappler know you will be building an expression from more than a single value. I think the 'Template' option is for mixing static and dynamic values.
I often ignore this setting because it often seems that everything is replaced anyway - perhaps because I'm a little clumsy and there is already a current selection which I haven't noticed. I always put the contents on the clipboard in expectation of this happening so I can easily rebuild the expression if necessary. Working in these narrow fields is awkward; it's perhaps the weakest area of Wappler's UI. I'll often copy/paste the contents of these fields into a text editor so I can actually see the whole expression (in which case the three options you mention are not relevant).
(Having said that, perhaps there is untapped power I haven't discovered yet...)
Hi, it is easier than you can think.
IT depend what you need to insert
Field is just if you need to put the Variable , like the field of a record and you can add some formattations
Expression if you need to insert an expression like:
{{variable}} > 3
template if you need to mix static data with variables, like:
/folder/{{variable}}
if you try you will see …
@TomD Your workflow in this area sounds exactly the same as my own, and I share your opinion of it. Thanks for your insight!
@updates, that’s interesting because I do all of those things any way (using the clipboard method) and have never before changed the drop down from the Field option and it works. I see what you and @TomD mean though. It seems to just change the behavior of the field (as in, does it replace the first thing you click on or allow you to build off of it, if you choose Expression for example). Using an example of my own, I am making an API call using a dynamic URL which is stored in a variable. It’s contents are: 'https://api.iextrading.com/1.0/stock/' + symbol_search.value + '/quote' and in this example, I have the drop down set to Field even though it is obviously a template, and it works just the same. Based on this, I would have to agree with that @TomD that I think this area can be improved on, and in my estimation, this drop down eliminated entirely since it doesn’t seem to really matter which option you choose so long as you have formatted your Expression or Template correctly. Having 3 options to choose from, if all 3 produce the same result in the end, is a bit confusing.
Thanks for clearing that up guys!
@updates explained it exactly as it is.
@fatherofinvention yes that’s right it changes the field behavior, so you can easily build your expressions clicking in the data picker.
If you write your expressions by hand it does not matter what it’s set to.
@Teodor thank you for the confirmation! 