Add columns to an existing grid

Kinetic

Sooner or later someone asks for “just one more column” on a base grid, such as the PO total on the Purchase Order Entry landing page or a UD field on a tracker grid. If the field is already in the grid’s data view, you just add the column. When it isn’t, the cleanest fix is usually on the server: add the value to the rows the grid already receives, then add a column for it.

Choosing an approach

Approach	When it fits	Downsides
Add a column for a field already in the data	The field is in the view (check with Ctrl+Alt+V)	None, so check this first
Replace the grid with a BAQ grid	You need lots of extra fields, or a different shape of data	The new grid doesn’t interact with the rest of the screen the way the base grid does
Fill the value client-side with events	Server changes aren’t an option	Fragile: depends on the right events firing at the right time
Post-processing BPM (this page)	You need one or a few extra values per row	Needs BPM access, and runs on every call to that method

The BPM approach leaves the base grid and all its behavior intact. The rows simply arrive with extra columns.

What it does

A post-processing method directive runs after the business object method that fills the grid. It looks up the extra values and adds them to each result row under a new column name. Kinetic passes those extra columns through to the browser, where a grid column can bind to them like any other field.

Where it runs

A post-processing method directive on the method that populates the grid. See the BPM overview for creating directives.

Post-processing directive on Erp.BO.PODetailSearch.GetList in the BPM designer: Start connected to an Execute Custom Code widget

To find the method:

Open the screen with the browser’s developer tools on the Network tab.
Load the grid (open the landing page, search, or select the record).
Find the request that returned the grid’s rows. Its URL names the service and method, for example Erp.BO.PODetailSearchSvc/GetList for the PO landing page. The response shows the result table’s name and the key fields on each row.

Example

Add each PO’s total order value to a landing grid whose rows carry PONum:

// Post-processing on the method that fills the grid.
// "ResultTable" is a placeholder: use the table name from the method's result.
var rows = result.ResultTable;

if (rows.Any())
{
    // One query for all rows, not one per row.
    var poNums = rows.Select(r => r.PONum).Distinct().ToList();

    var totals = Db.POHeader
        .Where(h => h.Company == Session.CompanyID && poNums.Contains(h.PONum))
        .Select(h => new { h.PONum, h.DocTotalOrder })
        .ToList()
        .ToDictionary(h => h.PONum, h => h.DocTotalOrder);

    foreach (var row in rows)
    {
        if (totals.TryGetValue(row.PONum, out var total))
        {
            // New column name. The grid column's Field must match it exactly.
            row["XX_POTotal"] = total;
        }
    }
}

Then, in Application Studio on the screen with the grid:

Select the grid and open Data > Grid Model > Columns.
Click + and set Field to XX_POTotal and Title to PO Total.
Save, publish and test.

How it works

row["XX_POTotal"] = … adds a column that isn’t part of the table’s schema. The value travels with the row to the client and appears in the grid’s data view under that name.
Collecting the keys first and running a single query keeps the directive fast. The landing page may return hundreds of rows, and a query per row adds up.
The column name is yours to choose. Stick to letters, digits and underscores, and use your prefix so it can’t clash with a future Epicor field.

Variations

Several fields: select more columns in the query and set several row[...] values in the loop.
UD fields: read the UD column (Character01, or an _c field) from its table the same way.
Detail grids: the same approach works on GetRows-style tracker methods. Find the method in the Network tab the same way.

Sources

This page is written in our own words. It was informed by: