Understand Screen Design

Screen Design is the process of defining the visual layouts of views that are imported to procedure steps and exported from procedure steps.
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In an online environment, the primary visual layouts are screens; in a batch environment, they are reports. You design reports, not screens, for batch procedure steps. Each screen provides the user interface for one procedure step or single-step procedure.
A typical screen layout that is built in Screen Design shows literals appearing in white, prompts in blue, and fields in green. Color, intensity, and highlight are set to Normal for all prompts and fields. Justify is set to Left for all prompts.
A screen can contain fields, special fields, prompts, and literals. It can also include one or more templates. A template can contain only literals, special fields, and prompts. Fields, which implement import and export data views, are specific to a particular procedure step. Because templates can be shared by many screens and thus, many procedure steps, they cannot support fields.
The two major types of objects that are defined during Screen Design are:
Object
Description
Screens
The user view of the system (most online procedure steps are associated with a screen).
Templates
Definitions of portions of a screen. A template can be used by many screens across a business system to define and position standard screen objects. One or more templates can be used in each screen to give them all a common look and feel.
Screens and templates contain the following fundamental objects:
Object
Description
Fields
Implements import and export data views
Literals
Provides constant information
Prompts
Labels fields and special fields
Special fields
Reflects a set of special attributes appropriate for placement on a screen
Objectives
The following are the objectives of using Screen Design:
  • Maximize the performance of those who use the resulting screens
  • Ensure the consistency of screens across the business system
  • Format the fields that implement data views so the user can clearly and easily find the information
Screen Design Guidelines
The colors the user sees in the generated system are the system defaults. However, the display properties in the generated system vary with the software and hardware that is used for development and display. Therefore, observe the following guidelines when designing screens and templates.
  • Use highlighting for important information, but note that overuse of highlighting causes confusion.
  • Use display properties to differentiate data fields from prompts and literals. Use discretion in color selection. Overuse of color results in screens that are difficult to read.
  • Synchronize the order of fields on the screen with the user's logical order of use. When both mandatory and optional fields appear, place the mandatory fields above and before the optional fields.
  • Ensure that the order of fields on the screen reflects the user's reading order. For example, in English, left to right and top to bottom.
  • Make literals consistent in text, color, and placement across screens in the business system.
  • Be consistent across screens and across screen types. Be consistent in format and sequence of fields.
  • Avoid overcrowding a screen, and use simple screen formats that convey information in a clear and concise manner. Use additional screens when necessary.
Screen Design Rules
  • Consistency Check verifies the following rules:
  • A screen must contain at least one literal or field or include at least one template.
  • A screen, which is not defined as scrollable, must not contain special attributes for scrolling.
  • A screen, which is not defined as scrollable, must not use a template containing special attributes for scrolling.
  • Each mandatory input predicate view should be input by a screen variable or provided by a dialog flow.
  • The number of occurrences that are placed on the screen for an inner nested repeating group must be the same as its cardinality.
  • A screen must contain special attribute for error message.
  • A screen or its template must contain special attribute for error message.
  • A screen must contain special attribute for trancode.
  • A screen or its template must contain special attribute for trancode.
  • The first field on the screen must be the special variable TRANCODE.
  • A template must contain at least one literal or special field.
  • A template should be used by at least one screen.
  • A variable or literal on a template must not precede a TRANCODE field on that template.
  • A variable or literal on a template must not precede a TRANCODE field on any screen included by that template.
  • A non-hidden field must either be mapped or defined as 'none'.
  • Non-hidden fields must be placed on a screen.
  • The edit pattern type that is specified for a screen variable must be consistent with the type of attribute it represents.
  • The edit pattern type that is specified for a screen variable must be consistent with the type of the edit pattern.
Deliverables
The Screen Design deliverables are a set of screen and report layouts. Each screen layout implements the data views for a particular procedure step.
Downstream Effects
During Construction,
Gen
software generates a set of screens in the target environment, based on the results of Screen Design. Before moving to the Construction stage, you should run a Consistency Check after Screen Design to verify the accuracy of the screen layouts within your business system.
Screen Design Actions
The following actions are in Screen Design:
Action
Description
Diagram
Activates a selected procedure step or template. Creates a template. Removes a selected template. Chains to Dialog Flow, Prototyping, Action Diagram, Structure Chart, or Construction. Runs a Consistency Check. Outputs the screens to a specified printer or file. Stores the entire model.
Edit
Adds, moves, and centers objects (fields, literals, and special fields). Deletes fields and unused prompts. Copies literals and repeating groups.
Detail
Specifies field definition properties, template properties, screen properties, views maintenance, PF keys/commands, screens that use a template (Used In), and templates that are used in a screen (Uses).
Generate
Places all attributes in a selected export view as fields on a screen associated with a procedure step. Generates source code for a selected screen.
View
Displays a sample screen or template layout showing how the screen appears to the end user after system generation. Removes highlighting on all selected objects.
Options
Customizes user interface for multiple or single object adds, inverts the screen, selects dialect, and customizes fonts and pop-up menus.
Window
Arranges the display of all open windows, closes one or more windows, maximizes the width and height of the active window, staggers, and indents all open windows, divides a work area into halves or fourths to display each open window in a part of the screen, then displays each open window in a portion of the screen.
Help
Describes general and specific help. Explains contents and tasks that are performed in the application window, lists key assignments, lists all help topics in alphabetical order, and all consistency check and runtime error messages.
Code Example
This example shows a portion of the generated code for the screen called MAINTAIN_CUSTOMER. The high-level programming language is COBOL.
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION. PROGRAM-ID. PSOUNDX. *************************************************************** * * Source Code Generated By * <productname> 8.5 * Copyright(C)2012 CA. All Rights Reserved. * * Name: TEST_SOUNDEX_FUNCTION Date: 2012/01/14 * TARGET OS: MVS Time:10:30:13 * TARGET DBMS: DB2 z/OS User:Scott * * Generation Options: * Debug trace option not selected * Data modeling constraint enforcement not selected * Optimized import view initialization not selected * High performance view passing ignored for pstep * LAST_STATEMENT_NUM execution selected * Enforce default values with DBMS not selected * Init unspecified optional fields to NULL not selected * Dynamic link (z/OS) used bus sys default of "No" * *************************************************************** ENVIRONMENT DIVISION. DATA DIVISION. WORKING-STORAGE SECTION. 77 COPYRIGHT PIC X(44) VALUE 'COPYRIGHT 2002, Computer Associates'. 77 MODULE-NAME PIC X(0008) VALUE 'MAINTAIS'. 77 MP-VERSION PIC X(0008) VALUE '4.2.A2'. * * Dummy attribute and missing-flag for system variables. 77 NO-DYN-ATTR PIC X(6) VALUE LOW-VALUES. 77 NO-MISS-IND PIC X VALUE LOW-VALUES. 77 POS PIC X VALUE 'Y'. 77 NEG PIC X VALUE 'N'. 77 ACTIVE-ENTRY PIC X VALUE 'Y'. 77 INACTIVE-ENTRY PIC X VALUE 'N'. LINKAGE SECTION. 01 IEF-RUNTIME-PARM1 PIC X. 01 IEF-RUNTIME-PARM2 PIC X. 01 ENVIRONMENT-LIST. 03 REG1-ADR PIC S9(9) COMP SYNC. 03 PSB-DATA. 05 PCB-CNT PIC S9(9) COMP SYNC. 05 PCB-ENTRY OCCURS 255. 07 PCB-ADR PIC S9(9) COMP SYNC. 03 FORMAT-TYPE PIC X. 88 MAPPED-FORMAT VALUE 'M'. 88 BYPASS-FORMAT VALUE 'B'. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * START OF IMPORT VIEWS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 01 W-IA. 03 A-0004784229-IA. 05 IMPORT-001E0V. 07 CUSTOMER-001E0T. 09 NUMBER-001GP. 11 NUMBER-001MS PIC X(0001). 11 NUMBER-001 PIC S9(0006). 11 NUMBER-001XX REDEFINES NUMBER-001 PIC X(0006). 09 ADDRESS-001GP. 11 ADDRESS-001MS PIC X(0001). 11 ADDRESS-001 PIC X(0040). 11 ADDRESS-001XX REDEFINES ADDRESS-001 PIC X(0040). 09 CREDIT-BALANCE-001GP. 11 CREDIT-BALANCE-001MS PIC X(0001). 11 CREDIT-BALANCE-001 PIC S9(0008)V9(0002). 11 CREDIT-BALANCE-001XX REDEFINES CREDIT-BALANCE-001 PIC X(0010). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * START OF EXPORT VIEWS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 01 W-OA. 03 A-0004915302-OA. 05 EXPORT-002E0V. 07 CUSTOMER-002E0T. 09 NUMBER-002AT PIC X(0006). 09 NUMBER-002GP. 11 NUMBER-002MS PIC X(0001). 11 NUMBER-002 PIC S9(0006). 11 NUMBER-002XX REDEFINES NUMBER-002 PIC X(0006). 09 NAME-002AT PIC X(0006). 09 NAME-002GP. 11 NAME-002MS PIC X(0001). 11 NAME-002 PIC X(0040). 11 NAME-002XX REDEFINES NAME-002 PIC X(0040). 09 ADDRESS-002AT PIC X(0006). 09 ADDRESS-002GP. 11 ADDRESS-002MS PIC X(0001). 11 ADDRESS-002 PIC X(0040). 11 ADDRESS-002XX REDEFINES ADDRESS-002 PIC X(0040). 09 CREDIT-BALANCE-002AT PIC X(0006). 09 CREDIT-BALANCE-002GP. 11 CREDIT-BALANCE-002MS PIC X(0001). 11 CREDIT-BALANCE-002 PIC S9(0008)V9(0002). 11 CREDIT-BALANCE-002XX REDEFINES CREDIT-BALANCE-002 PIC X(0010). * ************************************************************** * IEF MAP GENERATION PROCEDURE DIVISION * * ************************************************************** PROCEDURE DIVISION USING IEF-RUNTIME-PARM1, IEF-RUNTIME-PARM2, ENVIRONMENT-LIST, APPLICATION-LIST, SCMGR-CMCB, GURB-BUFFER, W-UA, W-IA, W-OA. * A0000-MAIN. MOVE SPACES TO TMOH-REQUEST-CODE MOVE LOW-VALUES TO TMOH-BUFFER-OFFSET SET TMOH-OK TO TRUE EVALUATE TRUE WHEN SCMGR-IDENTIFY-MAP PERFORM B1000-IDENTIFY-MAP WHEN SCMGR-GET-SCREEN-PROPS PERFORM B1500-GET-SCREEN-PROPS WHEN SCMGR-PARSE-MAP PERFORM B2000-INPUT-MAP WHEN SCMGR-OUTPUT-SCREEN SET OUTPUT-TO-SCREEN TO TRUE PERFORM B3000-OUTPUT-MAP IF TMOH-OK PERFORM B3100-WRITE-BUFFER ELSE MOVE TMOH-RETURN-CODE TO SCMGR-RETURN-CODE MOVE TMOH-MESSAGE TO SCMGR-MESSAGE END-IF WHEN SCMGR-OUTPUT-PRINTER SET OUTPUT-TO-PRINTER TO TRUE PERFORM B3000-OUTPUT-MAP IF TMOH-OK PERFORM B3100-WRITE-BUFFER ELSE MOVE TMOH-RETURN-CODE TO SCMGR-RETURN-CODE MOVE TMOH-MESSAGE TO SCMGR-MESSAGE END-IF
For more information, see Use Screen Design.