DOCERR: NewIndex Property of Lists Doesn't Work as Documented (149182)

SUMMARY

The Help file describes the NewIndex property of the ListBox and ComboBox controls thus:

Specifies the index of the item most recently added to a ComboBox or ListBox control.

Then, later in the same topic, it continues:

The NewIndex property is especially useful when adding items to a sorted list.

The NewIndex property does not work this way when new items are added to a sorted list. If a list is not sorted, the property simply returns the number of the last item in the list because it will always be the index of the last item added.

MORE INFORMATION

If you need to use a sorted list, you can use the ItemIdtoIndex with in conjunction with the NewItemID property, which does work as expected.

According to Help, if you add an item to a sorted list or combo box, NewIndex returns the number of the most recently added item. But this is not the case. Instead, it returns the number of the last item in the list, regardless of whether the list is sorted or not.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

Create a new form, and place a combo box on the form.

Type the following in the Init event of the combo box:

     THIS.Sorted = .T.    && you can try it with Sorted either .T. or .F.
   SET STEP ON          && to bring up the Trace window, allow stepping.
   THIS.AddItem('AAA')  && Adds 'AAA' to the list
   THIS.AddItem('BBB')  && Adds 'BBB' to the list
   THIS.AddItem('CCC')  && Adds 'CCC' to the list
   THIS.AddItem('ABC')  && If Sorted = .T., it should insert 'ABC' into
                         * the list between item 'AAA' and item 'BBB' and
                         * NewIndex should be 2.
                         * If Sorted = .F., it should append 'ABC' to
                         * the list and NewIndex should be 4.
   THIS.AddItem('DDD')  && Adds 'DDD' to the list
   THIS.AddItem('EEE')  && Adds 'EEE' to the list

Place a command button on the form, and place the following code in its Click event:

   THISFORM.Combo1.AddItem('BCD')
   * If Sorted = .T, it should insert 'BCD' into the list between item
   * 'BBB' and item 'CCC'. NewIndex should be 4.
   ? THISFORM.Combo1.ItemIdtoIndex(THISFORM.combo1.NewItemID)

On the Program menu, click Debug, and enter the following lines into the Debug window:
```
   THISFORM.Combo1.NewIndex
   _SCREEN.ActiveForm.Combo1.NewIndex
						
```
Run the form, and use the Step menu item in the Trace window to step through each of the commands as you watch the value of THISFORM.Combo1.NewIndex change.
Click the button on the form. Notice that the value displayed on the form is 4 if the Sorted property is true (.T.) while the Value displayed in the Debug Window for NewIndex is 7.

NOTE: If you have THIS.Sorted set to true (.T.), NewIndex does not so indicate when item 'ABC' is inserted into position 2 of the list.