Form Query windows look different simply because they now have an OS X interface. The rounded rectangles now have a 3D button effect.

The significant visual change is when you click one of the buttons to open the Form Query Term dialog to set the parameters. Instead of a dialog containing many radio buttons, text fields, secondary radio buttons, etc. the new dialog provides an expanding dialog, showing just the options that are currently available. Additional options appear as they are needed.

The dialog starts out with only a single popup control and expands as needed as more information is required. The dialog window expands and contracts as needed to keep the dialog from containing large areas of empty space.

If an operator is selected in the popup that requires text input, an field appears where the input is typed. If the selected operator also makes sense as a ‘multiple part’ specification, another popup appears. The second popup can be ignored or used to specify further restrictions. When an operator is chosen from the second popup, a second field appears for the input.

A message appears when the current input is invalid, for example when you have chosen an operator that requries a typed-in value, but have not specified the value. Or when you are restricting a date field and the typed-in value is not a date.

The error checking for keyword comparisons in the Classic was buggy. For example: error checking was enforced if you were using the Keyword Equals operator but not if you were using Keyword Starts With.

The net effect of these bugs is that in Classic Helix it was possible to create ‘nonsense’ queries that could not match any records. These situations should no longer be seen.

Here is a short movie showing how the new Form Query works.