Updating Custom Header Totals Dynamically in Acumatica

Introduction

In Acumatica customizations, you may have scenarios where detail records contribute to a total value displayed in the header of a screen. A common challenge arises when an action — such as setting multiple rows to a default value — updates the detail rows but does not trigger the header field to recalculate automatically. This article outlines a solution for ensuring a custom header field reflects the correct total after bulk updates.

The Challenge

Consider a scenario where you have two custom fields:

●     Detail Field: Absolute Variance Quantity (for each row)

●     Header Field: Total Absolute Variance Quantity (which sums the detail values)

While the header field updates correctly during individual row modifications (e.g., when using standard review or scan functions), it may not update properly when an action (like “Set Not Entered To Zero”) modifies all rows at once. In one reported case, only the first line’s value was applied (e.g., 21), whereas the expected total should have been much larger (e.g., around 101,772).

The Initial Setup

The custom fields were defined as follows:

Detail Field Definition (in the Detail DAC Extension):

[PXDBQuantity()]

[PXUIField(DisplayName="Absolute Variance Quantity", Enabled = false)]

[PXFormula(

    typeof(Switch<

        Case<Where<Detail.varQty, Less<decimal0>>, Minus<Detail.varQty>>,

        Detail.varQty>),

    typeof(SumCalc<HeaderExt.usrTotalAbsVarQty>))]

public virtual decimal? usrAbsVarQty { get; set; }

public abstract class usrAbsVarQty : PX.Data.BQL.BqlDecimal.Field<usrAbsVarQty> { }

In this declaration, the formula calculates the absolute value of the variance quantity using a Switch expression (with the use of Minus or, ideally, Subtract in newer code) and sums these values into the header field via the SumCalc attribute.

Header Field Definition (in the Header DAC Extension):

[PXDBQuantity]

[PXDefault(TypeCode.Decimal, "0.00")]

[PXUIField(DisplayName = "Total Absolute Variance Qty.", Visibility = PXUIVisibility.SelectorVisible, Enabled = false)]

public virtual decimal? usrTotalAbsVarQty { get; set; }

public abstract class usrTotalAbsVarQty : PX.Data.BQL.BqlDecimal.Field<usrTotalAbsVarQty> { }

The Problem with Bulk Actions

When an action updates all detail rows at once, the built-in SumCalc mechanism may not immediately update the header field. Instead, it can end up capturing only a partial value or remain one update behind. This behavior is particularly evident when the action bypasses the typical field-level recalculations.

The Solution: Overriding RecalcTotals

A proven approach is to override the RecalcTotals method in the graph. By doing so, you can iterate through all detail records and manually compute the running total for the header field. Here’s an example implementation:

Graph Extension with RecalcTotals Override:

Key Points in the Solution:

●     Base Recalculation: The override first calls the base RecalcTotals method to ensure any standard calculations are applied.

●     Iterative Summing: It then iterates over all detail rows, sums up the absolute variance values, and assigns the total to the header field.

●     Immediate Update: This approach forces the header field to reflect the correct aggregate value even after bulk actions, eliminating the one-row-behind issue.

Conclusion

Ensuring that custom header totals update dynamically in response to bulk actions is critical for accurate reporting and user interface consistency. By combining a carefully crafted formula on the detail fields with an override of the RecalcTotals method in your graph, you can guarantee that the header always displays the correct total.

This method not only solves the immediate issue but also provides a template for similar scenarios where header fields must aggregate values from detail records reliably.

Have you encountered similar challenges in your Acumatica customizations? Share your experiences and solutions in the comments below!