OnLoad Events

OnLoad Events execute prior to the page displaying, allowing lazy data population. Use OnLoad Events only when necessary because executing a SQL Stored Procedure automatically increases page load time by at least 100 milliseconds, and page load time should never exceed a full second for a good user experience.

Refer to Create Events and Event Design Process for general information.

Event Complexity

An event that runs every single page load should perform very little work. If it is an event that is only meant to run once after a certain scenario, then there should be a quick check to determine whether the condition has been met. For example, a Metrics page may need to be refreshed after data on a Task page has been modified. Instead of recomputing metrics after every update on the Task page, toggle a dirty flag OnValidate of a record on the Task page. Then, the OnLoad event on the Metrics page can determine whether a recompilation is necessary or not. Even though adding this flag to the OnValidate record on the Task page adds complexity to the Task page, the load time of the Metrics page is only affected when recomputing metrics.

Use complex events to reduce the scope of the processing based on, for example, binding or key criteria, distributing that 500ms among several other page navigations. Complex events can distribute the overhead based on need.

Complex Events can also be used for:

  • Preparing for rendering static content (like an .aspx page)
  • Computing or recomputing metrics
  • Creating a temporary record (commonly used as form input)