[eluser]Kenneth Allen[/eluser]
While I have been programming for too many years (everything from compilers to space craft telemetry) I am relatively new to web programming, and CI in particular.
I am developing a web app to manage 'seasons' of Little League baseball, and I have run into one of those things that seem to be difficult to do with web programming, but which I handle as a regular event in desktop programming (usually with modal dialogs that can be invoked from multiple places).
I have an edit form where the user can create a new or edit an existing element, which is working fine. One optional field in the table is a user ID, and I have this displayed as a drop-down that permits the user to select one of the qualified entries from a database table. This works fine and the record can be saved with or without such a user reference, and it can be changed at will.
The issue I am struggling with is how to permit a new user record to be entered on the fly! I can only see three options, and they all have difficulties.
1. Add a link to an "Add User" page and handle it as it would be handled from anywhere else -- but how do I get back to my original edit form with the original data, some modified by the user, in place.
2. Add a link that opens a new window to permit the user to be added -- but how does the original page know that this was completed and thus update the list of users in the drop-down?
3. Add a second form to the edit form page that permits the user to be created -- but where would the 'submit' button direct control to actually add the user, and how do I get back to my main form with the updated user list and any pending edits made by the user?
Perhaps this is rudimentary stuff and I just have not tweaked on the proper search phrases to find samples of a design pattern for this, so please forgive me if this is basic stuff I should be able to find on my own.
