HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
Task 2 - Painting the Data Screen Image
To run the screen painter:
1. Press the Screen Painter function key
or press the Previous Menu function key.
2. Select the Painter option.
When the screen painter starts, HP ALLBASE/4GL clears the screen
and displays the following prompt at the base of the screen.
Click here to view figure.
Screen Painter Prompt
Step 1 - Entering Text Items
Check the name of the screen entered here.
If you have just defined the product_scrn data screen in the screen
header screen, the default name of product_scrn should appear. If not,
then enter the name now.
Here is the screen you are going to paint:
Click here to view figure.
Product Details Screen
To enter system items:
First create the following system items, in the same way that you did in
the previous lesson.
1. Display the application title application_name at the top of the
screen at line 1, column 2.
2. Enter the screen heading Product Details as a text literal at line
1, column 35.
3. At column 68 of the same line, display the communication area
field *SCREEN.
4. At line 2, column 2 display the communication area field *TIME.
5. At column 72 of the same line, display the DATE system item to
complete the system items required on this screen.
This completes the definition of the header lines for this screen.
Tips On Entering Text
To save yourself time in creating the lines for this screen, read the
following information on using column mode.
Using Vertically Aligned Prompts
This data screen has a number of vertically aligned prompts. Each of
them has a data input field to the right of the prompt.
During the creation of text items on the menu that you have already
defined, the cursor remains at the end of a defined item when you press
the Return key.
When you are entering a number of vertically aligned text items, you can
use the screen painter column mode. In column mode, the cursor returns
to the beginning of the text item, one line down, when you press Return
to terminate an entry. Then you can immediately enter the next prompt,
vertically aligned with the previous.
To use column mode:
1. To set the column mode on, press the Layout Keys function key
and then press the Column Mode function key.
An asterisk appears in the function key label indicating that
column mode is now on.
2. To turn column mode off, simply press the Column Mode function
key again.
The asterisk is cleared from the label when you turn the column
mode off.
Step 2 - Entering the Screen Prompts
To enter vertically aligned items:
1. Set the column mode on and position the cursor at line 6, column
18.
2. Press Return and type in Product Number.
3. Press the Return key to complete the entry.
The cursor will be directly under the "P" in the word "Product".
4. Press cursor down until the cursor is on line 10.
5. Press Return and then enter Description.
6. Enter Supplier Number at line 12.
7. Enter Lead Time at line 14.
8. Turn column mode off and press the Main Keys function key.
You can now define the data fields for this screen.
Step 3 - Defining Data Fields
To complete this screen you must define the input fields and display
fields on the screen image. This is done with two function keys at the
Main Keys function key level: the Input Field function key, and the
Output Field function key.
Click here to view figure.
Input Field and Output Field Function Keys
Two different methods are available for defining input and display
fields. You can retrieve the details of a field specification from the
dictionary by entering its name, or you can indicate the length of the
field now and complete the other details later. Both are described here.
To use the Dictionary Field Specification:
1. Move the cursor to line 6, column 35 and follow these steps to
create an input field for the product number, using the dictionary
field specification.
Action Explanation
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Press Input Field The input field prompt appears at the
bottom of the screen.
Type product_no The painter creates an input field at the
base of the screen as you type the name.
This is the name of an existing dictionary
field specification. If the field
specification does not exist, the field
creation is aborted.
Press Return This terminates the entry of the field
specification name. A field of the correct
length is displayed at line 6, column 35.
By using the dictionary field specification name, you have linked
the dictionary definition of the field to this particular screen
field. When you define further options for some of the field
details, you will see that the painter has automatically retrieved
the dictionary field specifications for this field.
2. Use the same procedure to create the description field. Move the
cursor to line 10, column 35 and follow these steps.
Action Explanation
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Press Input Field This displays the input field prompt at the
bottom of the screen.
Enter description This creates the description field on the
screen.
To specify the number of characters:
You can also create an input field by specifying the number of characters
for the field.
1. Move the cursor to line 12, column 35 and follow these steps to
create the input field for the supplier number.
Action Explanation
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Press Input Field This displays the input field prompt at the
bottom of the screen.
Type 6 This is the size of this field in
characters.
Press Return This displays a 6 character field.
The field has been created with no reference to a dictionary
defined field specification. You will enter the details later in
the screen field details screen.
2. To create the lead time input field, move the cursor to line 14,
column 35 and follow these steps.
Action Explanation
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Press Input Field This displays the input field prompt at the
bottom of the screen.
Enter 2 This completes the creation of the field.
As with the supplier number field above, no reference has been
made to a dictionary field specification. You will do this later
using the screen field details screen.
To create display only fields:
You can create display only fields using the painter in the same way you
create input fields. The only difference is that you use the Output
Field function key instead of the Input Field function key.
You will define some display only fields in one of the later lessons.
Step 4 - Saving the Screen
The screen is now complete and you can save it.
1. Press the Exit function key, and the screen is saved
automatically. Control then passes back to the level from which
you called the painter.
You can now proceed to define details for the fields on this data screen.
This includes the details omitted because you didn't use the field
specification name method to define some fields, as well as other details
you will learn about in the next section. If you are at the screen
development menu, select Details. If you are at the screen header
screen, press the Field Details function key.