Example: An inquiry display with two record formats in DDS

The display is defined by the DDS in this example. It is displayed by output operations to the record formats PROMPT and RESPONSE.

CUSTOMER FILE ADD/UPDATE

Enter new or existing customer number
Enter A to ADD new Customer

Name      XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Address   XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
City      XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
State     XX       Zip code NNNNN


Credit limit        $NNN,NNN.NN











F3 - End Program & Print Report  F6 - Return to prompt

Name XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

If the cursor is positioned in the area with Xs on the NAME field and the Help key is pressed, online help information will appear.

The following keywords are important in the example:

The example uses +n to specify position.

|...+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7....+....8
00010A                                  (1) PRINT
00020A                                      CAO3(21 'End & Print')
00030A                                      CAO6(22 'Display PROMPT')
00040A                                  (7) HELP
00050A                                  (8) HLPDOC(START GENERAL HELP)
00060A      (2) R PROMPT
00070A          H                       (9) HLPDOC(LBL1 HELP#1 HELP)
00080A                                  (9) HLPARA(2 2 2 50)
00090A                                  1 30'CUSTOMER FILE ADD/UPDATE'
00100A                                  3  2'Enter new or existing customer +
00110A                                      number'
00120A  (3)       ACTNUM         5  0B    +1CHECK(MF)
00130A 40                               (4) ERRMSG('Customer number not +
00140A                                  (4) found' 40)
00150A                                  4  2'Enter A to ADD new Customer'
00160A            ADD            1   I    +1
00170A      (5) R RESPONSE              (6) OVERLAY
00180A          H                      (10) HLPRCD(NAMEHELP)
00190A                                      HLPARA(6 10 6 28)
00200A          H                      (11) HLPRCD(ADDRHELP)
00210A                                      HLPARA(7 10 9 33)
00220A                                 (12) HLPBDY
00230A          H                           HLPRCD(HELPRCD1 HELPFILE)
00240A                                 (13) HLPARA(12 18 12 40)
     A
     A
     A

|...+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7....+....8
00250A*
00260A                                  6  2'Name'      (14)
00270A            NAME          18   B  6 10            (14)
00280A                                  7  2'Address'   (14)
00290A            ADDR          18   B  7 10            (14)
00300A                                  8  2'City'      (14)
00310A            CITY          18   B  8 10            (14)
00320A                                  9  2'State'     (14)
00330A            STATE          2   B  9 10            (14)
00340A                                  9 19'Zip code'  (14)
00350A            ZIP            5Y 0B    +1            (14)
00360A                                 12  2'Credit Limit'
00370A       (15) CRDLMT         8Y 2B 12 21EDTCDE(2 $)   DSPATR(HI)(16)
00380A                           (17)  23  2'F3 - End Program & Print Report   +
00390A                                      F6 - Return to prompt'
00400A*
00410A*    HELP RECORDS
00420A*
00430A          R NAMEHELP
00440A                                  2  2'HELP TEXT FOR NAME FIELD'
00450A                                  4  2'ENTER THE CUSTOMER NAME'
00460A          R ADDRHELP
00470A                                  4  2'HELP FOR ADDRESS,CITY,STATE,ZIP'
00480A                                  6  2'ENTER ADDRESS,CITY,STATE & ZIP'
     A
     A
     A

Legend:

(1)

The PRINT keyword allows the display station user to print the display at any time by pressing the Print key.

(2)

An application program displays a prompt by issuing an output operation to the record PROMPT, displaying the constant fields 'CUSTOMER FILE ADD/UPDATE', 'ENTER EXISTING CUSTOMER NUMBER', 'ENTER A TO ADD NEW CUSTOMER', and the named fields ACTNUM and ADD.

(3)

The CHECK(MF) keyword specifies that when the user types into one position of the field ACTNUM, he must type into all five positions before pressing the Enter key, or an error message is displayed and the keyboard is locked. The user must press the Reset key and reenter through the input field.

(4)

If record format PROMPT is displayed and your program sets on indicator 40 when an output operation is sent to record format PROMPT, the error message 'Customer number not found' is displayed on the message line (line 24 of the 24-line display unless the MSGLOC keyword is specified). The message is highlighted, field ACTNUM is displayed with its image reversed, and the keyboard is locked until the user presses the Reset key.

(5)

After the user presses the Enter key, the application program retrieves the required information from the database and sends an output operation to record format RESPONSE, displaying the fields described in the next paragraphs.

(6)

The OVERLAY keyword specifies that an output operation to this record format (RESPONSE) does not cause the entire display to be cleared, as it is by default.

(7)

The HELP keyword enables the Help key for this display.

(8)

The HLPDOC keyword specified at the file level identifies the document to be displayed when no help area for the active records contains the current cursor location.

(9)

The HLPDOC and HLPARA keywords on this H specification specify that the HELP#1 document in the HELP folder will be displayed starting at the LBL1 help label if the Help key is pressed while the cursor is in positions 2 through 50 of line 2.

(10)

The HLPRCD and HLPARA keywords on this H specification cause the record NAMEHELP to be displayed if the Help key is pressed while the cursor is in positions 10 through 28 of line 6. The record NAMEHELP is defined in this display file; therefore, a file name does not have to be specified on the HLPRCD keyword.

Note: When using application help keywords, the screen is automatically cleared.

(11)

The HLPRCD and HLPARA keywords on this H specification cause the ADDRHELP record to be displayed if the Help key is pressed while the cursor is in positions 10 through 28 of line 7, 8, or 9.

(12)

The HLPBDY keyword limits the help records displayed when the Page key is pressed. If either NAMEHELP or ADDRHELP is displayed when the Help key is pressed, the NAMEHELP and ADDRHELP records are accessible using the Page key. If HELPRCD1 is displayed when the Help key is pressed, the help records from other H specifications are not accessible using the Page key.

(13)

The HLPRCD and HLPARA keywords on this H specification cause the record HELPRCD1 in the file HELPFILE to be displayed if the Help key is pressed while the cursor is in positions 18 through 40 of lines 12 through 40. This record is in a separate display file called HELPFILE.

(14)

Five constant fields ('Name', 'Address', 'City', 'State', and 'Zip Code') and five named fields (NAME, ADDRES, CITY, STATE, ZIP) are grouped together on the display by the line/position specifications. NAME, ADDRES, CITY, and STATE default to character-type fields (A in position 35) because no decimal positions are specified. ZIP is a numeric-only, integer field (Y in position 35; 0 in position 37), so its display length equals its specified length.

(15)

The field CRDLMT is specified with EDTCDE (2 $). EDTCDE(2) is used for monetary amounts, and the $ specifies the floating currency symbol.

(16)

The DSPATR(H1) keyword highlights the field CRDLMT.

(17)

Instructions to the workstation user are generally located at the bottom of the display, just above the message line.