Passing Parameters to the Source Dataset

Client datasets can pass parameters to the source dataset to specify what data they want provided in the data packets it sends. These parameters can specify

You can specify parameter values that your client dataset sends to the source dataset at design time or at runtime. At design time, select the client dataset and double-click the Params property in the Object Inspector. This brings up the collection editor, where you can add, delete, or rearrange parameters. By selecting a parameter in the collection editor, you can use the Object Inspector to edit the properties of that parameter.

At runtime, use the CreateParam method of the Params property to add parameters to your client dataset. CreateParam returns a parameter object, given a specified name, parameter type, and datatype. You can then use the properties of that parameter object to assign a value to the parameter.

For example, the following code adds an input parameter named CustNo with a value of 605:

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with ClientDataSet1.Params.CreateParam(ftInteger, 'CustNo', ptInput) do
AsInteger := 605;

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TParam *pParam = ClientDataSet1->Params->CreateParam(ftInteger, "CustNo", ptInput);
pParam->AsInteger = 605;

If the client dataset is not active, you can send the parameters to the application server and retrieve a data packet that reflects those parameter values simply by setting the Active property to True.

Note: You may want to initialize parameter values from the current settings on the source dataset. You can do this by right-clicking the client dataset and choosing Fetch Params at design time or calling the FetchParams method at runtime.