CA IDMS Reference 19.0

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Using Menu Facility Screens

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idmscu
Contents
The IDD menu facility provides the following features that allow efficient access and use of screens:
  • Predefined control keys
  • Cursor positioning
  • Message display and field highlighting
  • Default value assignment
  • Help screens
These features and the functions they perform are explained in this section.
Predefined Control Keys
Control keys and their associated functions are predefined under the IDD menu facility. Control key assignments fall into two categories: global and local. These two categories are discussed, followed by a description of using PF-key simulation (for terminals with no PF keys).
Global Control Keys
Global control keys always perform the same functions during a menu facility session. Menu facility global-control key assignments correspond to online IDD control-key assignments. Online IDD control-key assignments are established during IDD installation or with the system generation compiler.
Installation defaults for global control keys are shown in the following table.
Control key
Description
ENTER
Submits information through the IDD menu facility for processing.
CLEAR
Displays the previous screen. You can press CLEAR from the Master Selection screen to leave the IDD menu facility and return to the DC/UCF system.
PA1
Clears fixed screens; on pageable screens, PA1 cancels a FIND command.
PA2
Refreshes the screen. Pressing PA2 cancels changes just typed on the screen. The screen is rewritten as it appeared the last time you pressed a control key.
PF1
Invokes the HELP function of the IDD menu facility; the appropriate help screen is displayed for the current IDD option or entity type. For further information about help screens, see Help Screens later in this section.
PF7
(pageable screens only)
Scrolls backward to the previous page of the pageable screen.
PF8
(pageable screens only)
Scrolls forward to the next page of the pageable screen.
Local Control Keys
The screen that a local control key invokes depends on the screen from which it is pressed. Each screen selection area lists the local control-key assignments for that screen. For example, PF7 invokes the Record Entity screen from the Master Selection screen.
PF Key Simulation
On terminals that have no PF keys, you can perform PF-key related functions by using PF-key simulation. To activate PF-key simulation, type any character in the PF-KEY SIMULATION ON field on the Master Selection screen. To request the next action from any menu facility screen, type a 1- or 2-digit PF key number in the simulated PF key field and press ENTER. For example, to perform the function associated with PF2, type 2 in the simulated PF-key field and press ENTER.
Cursor Positioning
On all IDD menu facility screens, you can enter or change information only in response fields. To move the cursor quickly between menu facility response fields, the cursor control keys can be used in conjunction with the tab, back tab, or return keys.
When the cursor is positioned at a response field, you can type in new information or replace existing information. The space bar or the erase end-of-field key can be used to delete characters across the response field. The cursor control keys can be used to move across the response field without deleting characters.
Message Display and Field Highlighting
The IDD menu facility displays messages and highlights fields in response to the use of a screen.
Message Display
Messages are displayed on the message line. They:
  • Request that additional information be supplied
  • Inform you about the next required action
  • Confirm the results of current processing
  • Indicate why information has not been processed
Field Highlighting
Highlighting is used in conjunction with a message to reference a related field on the screen. The IDD menu facility highlights fields that have been modified or those that are in error. Screen names and the cursor position are also highlighted.
Error Display Screen
When the menu facility returns a message that appears to be truncated, you can request the Error Display screen by typing ERRS in the command area. The Error Display screen displays the IDD DDDL syntax that corresponds to the requested entity options; error messages are listed immediately following each line in error. Error messages consist of the message identifier, the line (CARD) number and word that caused the processing error, and the message text.
After identifying the error, you can return to the screen on which the error occurred by pressing the CLEAR key. You can then correct the error and resubmit the entity options to the compiler.
Default Value Assignment
The IDD menu facility automatically supplies default values in many response fields. These default values allow you quick access to information most likely to be used in response fields.
You can accept a default value or override it by typing the appropriate value over the default. In most cases, even if the new value is placed in a separate response field from the default field, IDD menu facility automatically recognizes the new information and ignores the default value.
Example of Overriding a Default
For example, on the Display All screen, the default value for the COMPARISON ACTION field is EQ (equal). To override the default, you type an x in the CONTAINS field.

      IDD REL nn.n         *** DISPLAY ALL ***                         DISP
 ─►


 DISPLAY PROCESSING ORDER..:X FIRST  _ NEXT   _ LAST   _ PRIOR  _ ALL

 NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES.....:20

 OF ENTITY TYPE............:_ ATTRIBUTES       _ PROCESSES        _ TABLES
                            _ CLASSES          _ PROGRAMS         _ USERS
                            x ELEMENTS         _ QFILES           _ MESSAGES
                            _ FILES            _ RECORDS
                            _ MODULES          _ SYSTEMS
                            _ MODULES ONLY (WITHOUT PROCESSES, QFILES, TABLES)
                            _ USER DEFINED ENTITY...:

    WHERE 'VALUE'/FIELD....:name

        COMPARISON ACTION..:X EQ   _ NE   _ GT   _ GE   _ LT   _ LE
                            
x CONTAINS
     _ MATCHES

          'VALUE'/FIELD....:'w-emp'
       OR 'VALUE'/FIELD....:
       OR 'VALUE'/FIELD....:
Help Screens
The IDD menu facility features an online help screen for each menu facility screen. Each help screen contains the following:
  • Table of contents
  • List of global control keys
  • Description of screen usage
  • Special rules, if any
  • List of screen titles and names
  • Overview of the IDD menu facility
Requesting a Help Screen
To request a help screen, choose one of the following options:
  • Type HELP in the command area and press ENTER.
  • Press PF1.
  • If applicable, type a nonblank character in the appropriate field in the screen selection area and press ENTER.
Exiting a Help Screen
To exit a help screen and return to the previous screen, press CLEAR.