[ic] query built tabbed display... looking for "do once" tag

[interchange-users@icdevgroup.org (Paul Jordan)]

Hi guys,

I built a tabbed-display from a query. I initiate the tabs by generating
it with a [prefix-change] area, thus creating tabs for my 'vendor'
column. This works fine but in this, and other areas, but I always run
into this little ceveat that always negs me as being a inefficient hack.

In short, I was wondering if there was a way to have a block of code
only show once within an iteration, without using a continual
comparison.

Here is an example taken from the more complete usage below:

[stk-change 1][condition][stk-param vendor][/condition]  # start
prefix-change

[if explicit]                        # see if it is the very first
iteration
[condition]
$num = '[stk-increment]';
return 1 if $num eq 1;
return 0;
[/condition]

[else]</table>[/tabbed-panel][/else][/if]   # else close the table and
tabbed-panel

[tabbed-panel [stk-param vendor]]           # and start a new panel
header

 <table cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 width=650 border=0>
   <tr>
      <td colspan=6>&nbsp;</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
      <td width=60>&nbsp;</td>
      <td width=70><b>Date</b></td>
      <td width=100><b>Title</b></td>
      <td width=280><b>Description</b></td>
      <td width=70 align=right><b>Count</b></td>
      <td width=70 align=right><b>Adjusted</b></td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
      <td colspan=6>&nbsp;</td>
   </tr>
           [/stk-change 1]

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I also do something like this with the [table-organize] tag elsewhere.
It seems when you want to take advantage of [prefix-change] it sees the
"first" group of values found as a "change" thus exposing the blocks
code, making it hard to "close" open tags. You kinda have to make an
"empty" initial tabbed area, or table (whatever the case).

I understand this works well for maybe creating an indented list, etc,
but what about for things like sorting things in table columns (or
tabbed pages) based on ORDER BY specs ?

In pseudo code I guess:
[prefix-do_once] Hello World [/prefix-do_once]

Any Ideas? Does this exist in some undocumented bowel of IC?

TIA
Paul

Code below is for completeness and should be snipped if one replies to
this thread.
--------------------------------------------------------

   [query
        ml=40
        type=list
        prefix=stk
        list_prefix=stock
        table=stock
        sp="@@MV_PAGE@@"
        sql=|
            SELECT  code, vendor, received, title, description, count
            FROM    stock
            WHERE   status != 1
            ORDER BY vendor
        |]
[tabbed-display
        panel-width="660"
        tab-width="100"]
[stock]
           [stk-change 1][condition][stk-param vendor][/condition]
[if explicit]
[condition]
$num = '[stk-increment]';
return 1 if $num eq 1;
return 0;
[/condition]
[else]</table>[/tabbed-panel][/else][/if]
[tabbed-panel [stk-param vendor]]
 <table cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 width=650 border=0>
   <tr>
      <td colspan=6>&nbsp;</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
      <td width=60>&nbsp;</td>
      <td width=70><b>Date</b></td>
      <td width=100><b>Title</b></td>
      <td width=280><b>Description</b></td>
      <td width=70 align=right><b>Count</b></td>
      <td width=70 align=right><b>Adjusted</b></td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
      <td colspan=6>&nbsp;</td>
   </tr>
           [/stk-change 1]

[stk-alternate 2][tmp bg]bgcolor=#DFDFDF[/tmp][else][tmp
bg]bgcolor=#F9F9F9[/tmp][/else][/stk-alternate]
  <tr [scratch bg]>
    <td><b>received:</b></td>
    <td>[convert_date fmt="%D"][stk-param received][/convert_date]</td>
    <td><a href="[area href='cg/edit_stock' arg='[stk-param
code]']">[stk-param title]</a></td>
    <td>[stk-param description]</td>
    <td align=right>[stk-param count]</td>
    <td align=right><a href="[area href='cg/add_job' arg='[stk-param
code]']">+ new job</a></td>
  </tr>
[tmp num][stk-param count][/tmp]
[tmp needit][/tmp]
   [query
        ml=30
        type=list
        prefix=job
        list_prefix=jobs
        table=jobs
        sp="@@MV_PAGE@@"
        sql=|
            SELECT  code, job, date, amount
            FROM    jobs
            WHERE   stock_id = '[stk-code]'
            AND     status != 1
        |]

[jobs]
  <tr [scratch bg]>
    <td align=right><a href="[area href='cg/edit_job' arg='[job-param
code]']"><b>sent:</b></a></td>
    <td>[convert_date fmt="%D"][job-param date][/convert_date]</td>
    <td colspan=2><b>job:</b> [job-param job]</td>
    <td align=right><i>-[job-param amount]</i></td>
    <td align=right> &nbsp; </td>
  </tr>
[tmp newnum][/tmp]
[tmp newnum][calc][scratch num] - [job-param amount][/calc][/tmp]
[tmp num][scratch newnum][/tmp]
[tmp needit]1[/tmp]
[/jobs]
[/query]
[if scratch needit]
  <tr [scratch bg]>
    <td colspan=6 align=right>
      <b>  [scratch num]   </b>
    </td>
  </tr>
[/if]
[/stock]
</table>
[/tabbed-panel]
[/tabbed-display]
[/query]