Data Access provides an IliDataSource class that “glues” table objects (the IliTable class and its subclasses) and gadgets used for data entry.

A data source is a gadget. Like other gadgets, it can have defined callbacks. The data source appears in the Data Access palette of the Views Studio Palettes panel and can be inspected in Views Studio.

Each data source manages an IliTable object and a current row.

Data Access provides other types of gadgets, such as data-source-aware gadgets, that are connected to a data source. These gadgets connect to a particular column and display the value of the current row in this column. Data-source-aware gadgets are discussed later in this chapter. See Data-Source-Aware Gadgets.

The IliDataSource class inherits from the IliDataGem class. IliDataGem is a special class that defines gadgets that are only visible during the design phase. Data source gadgets can be moved and inspected using the Selection mode of Views Studio. However, when the panel is being tested during panel construction or when the application is being run, the data source gadget is no longer visible.

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