Dot Walking on Catalog Client Script for Department Head

[Harold Felder]

I have a reference field on the cmn_department table in a Catalog Client Script. when someone changes the department, I want to populate a field with the name of the department head. It does not look like my dot walking is working.

function onChange(control, oldValue, newValue, isLoading) {
if (isLoading || newValue == '') {
return;
}
var dept = g_form.getReference('change_supervisory_organization_department_id', populateOtherFields);

function populateOtherFields(dept) {
alert(JSON.stringify(dept.dept_head.name));
}
//Type appropriate comment here, and begin script below

}

[jaheerhattiwale · Accepted solution]

@Harold Felder Using get reference function you can only dot walk one level not further.

The below line is not valid as you dot walking twice.

alert(JSON.stringify(dept.dept_head.name));

Change the line as below to get the sys id of department head

alert(dept.dept_head);

So create the field department_head on catalog form which refers to user table and use below line to populate it.

g_form.setValue('<DEPARTMENT HEAD FIELD NAME HERE>',dept.dept_head);

this should solve your issue.

Please mark as correct answer if this solves your issue.

[ricker]

@Harold Felder,

Doesn't getReference return a GlideRecord?  Try removing JSON.stringify.

Instead of having an extra field to try and keep in sync why not show the referenced field on the form?

[Harold Felder]

When I try to populate the field with dept.dept_head  I get the sys_id.  When I try using dept.dept_head.name I get undefined.

var dept = g_form.getReference('change_supervisory_organization_department_id', populateOtherFields);
if (newValue == '') {
g_form.setValue('change_manager_department_owner', '');
}

function populateOtherFields(dept) {
// alert(JSON.stringify(dept.dept_head.name));
g_form.setValue('change_manager_department_owner', dept.dept_head);
}

[ricker · Accepted solution]

@Harold Felder,

That's good, you can use the sys_id to get the dept head name with a script include and glide ajax or Efficient Glide Record.

I'm not sure if dept.getDisplayValue('dept_head') will work but worth a try...

The best way though would be to make the field "change_manager_department_owner" a reference (or lookup select) to the user table and set the value to the sys_id with dept.dept_head.

[jaheerhattiwale · Accepted solution]

@Harold Felder Using get reference function you can only dot walk one level not further.

The below line is not valid as you dot walking twice.

alert(JSON.stringify(dept.dept_head.name));

Change the line as below to get the sys id of department head

alert(dept.dept_head);

So create the field department_head on catalog form which refers to user table and use below line to populate it.

g_form.setValue('<DEPARTMENT HEAD FIELD NAME HERE>',dept.dept_head);

this should solve your issue.

Please mark as correct answer if this solves your issue.