HP 3000 Manuals

HP ALLBASE/4GL Developer Reference Manual Vol. 1

Messages Screen 

This screen allows you to name an HP ALLBASE/4GL message and to define
its contents.

Screen Image 


            

Field Descriptions 

Name   Enter the name of the message (up to 16 characters).

Type   The entry in this field determines the type of the message.  The
entry can be one of the abbreviations MESS, QUERY, WARN, ERROR, or ABORT.
The type defines the action to be taken by the system when it displays
the message.  The meaning of the message type codes are as follows:

    Code     Meaning and System Action 

    MESS     A message for information only, which requires no response from the
             user.  The message is displayed for about three seconds.

          Table 5-0.  (cont.) 

    Code     Meaning and System Action 

   QUERY     A question that requires a response from the user.  The terminal
             beeps to alert the user.

    WARN     A warning message.  The terminal beeps to alert the user, although
             the user is not required to make any specific response.

   ERROR     A message informing the user of an error condition that must be
             corrected.  The terminal beeps to alert the user.  If the message has
             been initiated by a user error in a data entry field, the cursor
             remains at the current field.

   ABORT     A message informing the user that an irreparable system error has
             been detected.  The user should note the error details displayed,
             then press Return as an acknowledgment.  The HP ALLBASE/4GL session
             is then terminated.

Response Item   For QUERY type messages only, enter the name of the field
used to store the user's response.  The response item is the field where
the user's response is stored.

The permissible entries for this field are:

   *   A variable.

   *   A file record field reference.

   *   A work area field reference.

   *   A screen field reference.

   *   A scratch-pad field.

   *   An alterable communication area field.

The default entry in this field is *PASS.

When you define a QUERY type message, HP ALLBASE/4GL creates a response
field the length of the response item.  The position of the field depends
on the length of the message:

   *   Less than 80 characters:  row 24, column 1.

   *   Greater than 80 characters, but with sufficient space for the
       answer in row 24:  at the end of the message.

   *   Greater than 80 characters, with insufficient space for the
       answer:  the message is truncated to create sufficient space in
       row 24.

Help Name   For ERROR, ABORT, QUERY type messages only.  Enter the name
of a help screen to be displayed if the user presses the  Help  function
key while HP ALLBASE/4GL is expecting a response to a message.

Message Enter the content of the message display.  The message may be
displayed on two lines (up to 160 characters) if required.

A message may be constructed from any combination of:

   *   Master titles.

   *   Variables or calculated items.

   *   Communication area field references.

   *   Constants.

   *   File record field references.

   *   Work area field references.

   *   Literals (enclosed in quotes ").

   *   Scratch-pad field references.

   *   Screen field references.

Separate items in the message definition with spaces.

If possible, restrict the message or prompt for QUERY messages to the
first line.  This leaves the second line clear for the user to enter a
response.

Function Keys 

f1       Field Specs.    Cancels the current screen and displays the
        field specifications screen.

f2       Ranges  Cancels the current screen and displays the validation
        ranges screen.

f3       Tables  Cancels the current screen and displays the validation
        tables screen.

f4       Help Screens  Cancels the current screen and displays the help
        screens screen.

Additional Information 

Message Display.     

HP ALLBASE/4GL displays messages on lines 23 and 24 on the application
screen.  The message overwrites any information already displayed at that
location.  When the message is removed, HP ALLBASE/4GL restores the
original display on the application screen.

Clearing the Message Display.     

If HP ALLBASE/4GL displays a MESS type message with a total length of
zero characters, (for example, a message that only contains the empty
literal string ""), any existing message display is cleared from the
message window, and the message time delay for the empty message is set
to zero.

You can use an empty message to clear the message window, and then
proceed immediately to the next step in the current logic block.

Message Generation.     

When you press the  Commit Data  function key, HP ALLBASE/4GL generates
messages automatically.

Error Conditions.   

Messages must not exceed 160 characters in length when displayed,
otherwise HP ALLBASE/4GL truncates the message.  HP ALLBASE/4GL issues an
error message if the message definitely exceeds 160 characters when it
has been generated.

HP ALLBASE/4GL also issues an error message if a message contains an
undefined data reference.

HP ALLBASE/4GL issues a warning message if a message exceeds 130
characters in length and contains scratch-pad field references.

MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation