Updated: Parameter-based query on ID of related record - solutions and bug?

Updated: Parameter-based query on ID of related record - solutions and bug?

This is a combination question / feature request / workaround.

We have several cases of quite-common business need to "view all <other object> related to this record, based accurately, on ID.

Such as:  in our list of Properties:  for any particular property row, to "view all Tasks that have been associated to this Property".

(We are OK with the technical setup: creating on the Properties report the custom action "View Tasks" under the Edit pulldown, which calls a custom function, that opens the Tasks list in popup window and filters for the set of tasks based on URL parameter(s).

EXCEPT for this MAJOR problem:  It is only successful searching by the textual Property Name .  And this is not acceptable since Property names are not (and shoucl not be) Unique.  (This happens to also be the case for the other scenarios we want to implement such a custom action.)

So we need this to search the Task list for related properties, based on PROPERTY ID .

Here's what we found:  Hopefully we missed something!  :-)
  • Can't search by ID when column shows Name:
    • The "related Property" column on the Tasks list shows the Property Names, of course.  And we can't find a way to force the list to search by the underlying ID from this column.   If there is a way, this would be the answer!  please advise.  full stop.
  • Can't search by ID when the ID column is a secondary attribute:
    • OK, so we'll expose the Property ID in a separate column.  turns out, if we do so by adding a column to the Report the normal way (Related Forms: Property:ID) --although it shows fine on the Report, and can be searched manually on the report:  searching by passing parameter does not work.  So we think this must be a bug:  if column search works for the user, it should work for the parameter-passed search as if typed in by user.
  • WORKAROUND:  a separate column, "native" to the form:
    • So we finally created a "native" new field on the form, and we discover and fill it with the Property ID onValidate, and use it for the search column, and the search by passing the Property ID works fine.
Unless we missed something, we'd suggest these product enhancments:
  • Allow parameter-passed search to be able to use the passed ID to search a column by the underlying ID when the display is not the ID.  (This saves creating & showing separate ID column.)
  • OR, if an ID column is necessary, allow the parameter-passed search to search by ID when the column is added to report the normal way, as related-form.ID.
  • AND ideally, allow a parameter-based search to search a column that is not shown on the form, provided this column is available to the user.
Many thanks!   Thoughts?