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Operation
The Forms-2 utility is an extension to the Micro Focus COBOL software
development system that enables you to interactively create and edit data
entryscreens for applications programs at a terminal. It provides four
powerful facilities to aid you in the design and development of
interactive applications written in Micro Focus COBOL:
*
Translation of user screen layouts into COBOL record descriptions
for inclusion in Micro Focus COBOL applications programs.
*
Verification of user screen layouts in a checkout program before
their incorporation in an application program.
* Retention of exact screen imagesof the user screens in disk files
for subsequent editing and printing.
* Generation of an entire Micro Focus COBOL program to allow data
capture, update and interrogation by means of application screens
and an indexed sequential file.
Forms-2 Basics
This section explains some of the basic concepts you will need to know
before using Forms-2. It covers the following areas:
* Invoking Forms-2.
* The two phases; initialization and work.
* The two modes; command and edit.
* The Forms-2 interface.
* Output formats.
Invoking Forms-2.
You access Forms-2 by entering the following command line:
forms2
You should ensure that the full path-name of the COBDIR environment
variable is not longer than 34 characters before running Forms-2.
Results are undefined if the COBDIR path-name exceeds this limit.See the
appendix Micro Focus Environment Variables for more information on the
COBDIR environment variable.
This displays the initialization screen I01, shown in Figure 14-1.
Phases.
Forms-2 processing is divided into a number of logically distinct units,
but two main phases can be identified: the initialization phase, and the
work phase.
The initialization phase is performed only once and establishes the
characteristics of a particular run of the program. It is a series of
screens containing self-explanatory prompts to which you reply as
necessary. See the section Initialization Phase for details of this
phase.
Once you have completed the initialization phase you enter a work phase.
At least two work phases are performed for each data entry screen that
you design.
You can think of the Forms-2 screen as a paper form, where the printed
fixed text is used as a guide to entering the variable data in the space
provided. To the human eye it is obvious where the variable data entry
areas occur on the form, but a computer needs to have these areas defined
explicitly. There are, therefore, two types of work phase: one in which
you specify fixed text, and one in which you specify variable data
fields. See the section Work Phase for details of this phase.
Modes.
In a work phase there are two modes: command and edit. In command mode,
two underscore (_) characters in the top left corner of the screen
constrain the movement of the cursor, with the only allowed input being a
command. See the section Command Mode for more information on this mode,
as well as descriptions of the commands available.
Edit mode is the mode in which you are free to move the cursor to any
part of the screen, enabling you to make entries for either fixed text or
variable data. See the section Edit Mode for more information on this
mode.
The Forms-2 Interface.
Forms-2 is written in COBOL and uses the extended ACCEPT and DISPLAY
verbs in Micro Focus COBOL. See your Language Reference for descriptions
of these two verbs.
Advantages of this terminal interface are:
* Corrections can be directly overtyped.
* Numeric fields accept only numeric characters.
* The full stop or period (.), when keyed in a numeric field,
automatically zero-fills the field from the left.
Cursor Movement Facilities.
In edit mode you can move the cursor quickly and easily about the screen.
The functions of the cursor control keys are summarized below:
Key Function
-------------------------------------------------------
-> Moves the cursor right one character.
<- Moves the cursor left one character
v Moves the cursor up one row.
^ Moves the cursor down one row.
Home Moves the cursor to the start of the first
line.
Tab Moves the cursor to the start of the next
line.
Backtab Moves the cursor to the start of the line,
or the start of the previous line if
already at the start of a line.
You can correct text either by overtyping or by switching into command
mode and using the editing commands.
Output Formats.
You can choose any valid combination of the facilities provided by
Forms-2, and depending on the options you select from the W01 screen,
Forms-2 automatically produces some or all of the following four types of
disk output file. See the section Work Screen W01 for information on
selecting which output files are created. The four file formats
available are:
* A source file of Micro Focus COBOL data description statements
defining the screens (forms) that you have designed. You can
subsequently include these statements in a Micro Focus COBOL
application program using the COPY verb. The file is generated as
file-name.DDS.
* A checkout program incorporating the data description statements
defining your screens. After you have submitted the program to
your Micro Focus COBOL system, you can verify the data entry form
before building the actual application. The file is generated as
file-name.CHK.
* A screen image file, containing an image of exact copies of the
screens that you have designed. The files are generated as
file-name.Snn.
* A file of the source code for an index program based on a screen
that you have designed. After you have submitted the program to
your Micro Focus COBOL system, the generated program can be used
for the storage, retrieval, updating and deletion of data entered
via the screen. The file is generated as file-name.GEN.
Initialization Phase
The initialization phase of the Forms-2 utility is the first step in the
execution of the program, and is only done once in any one run of
Forms-2. In this phase you are asked to reply to questions asked on the
two initialization screens I01 and I02. The following two sections show
these two screens and describe the options they offer.
Initialization Screen I01.
The initialization screen I01 is displayed when Forms-2 is invoked. This
screen is shown in Figure 14-1.
Initialization screen I01 prompts for four pieces of information. If you
press Enter during this screen, all entries you have made are accepted,
and any information left unanswered takes the default value. Do not
press Enter until you are ready to move on to initialization screen I02,
having made all the required entries for the following:
1. Data-name and the file-name base.
2. Lines available on terminal screen.
3. Currency sign.
4. Decimal point representation.
The purposes of these four pieces of information are described in the
following sections.
![[]](../../pic3k/M015145/FFN483c50.gif)
Figure 14-1 Initialization Screen I01
Data-name and File-name Base.
The file-name base that you key in at this point is used in the following
ways by Forms-2:
* It is taken as the first part of all the data-names and
record-names produced in this Forms-2 run. Uniqueness is achieved
by adding a two-digit sequence number for new records and adding
the sequential number of the field within the form for data-names
within records. Optionally, by means of the G work phase command,
uniquenesscan be achieved by including the screen coordinates into
the file-name. See the section Programming Commands for more
information on the /G command.
* It is taken as the main file-name for generated files. These can
be:
File Description
-------------------------------------------------------
file-name.DDS Contains Micro Focus COBOL data
description statements. See the
section Data Descriptions for more
information on .DDS files.
file-name.CHK Contains a checkout program. See
the section The Checkout Program for
more information on checkout
programs.
Table 14-0. (cont.)
File Description
file-name.Snn Contains screen images, where nn =
00, 01,..., 99. See the section
Screen Image File for information on
this type of file.
file-name.GEN Contains an index program. See the
section Index Program for
information on index programs.
Only one .DDS fileis output per Forms-2 run, whereas a separate screen
image file
is output for each screen built.
Lines Per Terminal Screen.
You can use Forms-2 with screens of 22, 23 or 24 lines. The default for
this entry is 24 lines. If your terminal has fewer than 24 lines,
Forms-2 does not function correctly with this value. With some terminals
you might have to specify one fewer than the number of lines actually
present on the screen in order to avoid the problem where the screen is
scrolled up when an entry is made on the last line.
When selecting G from initialization screen I02 (see the section
Initialization Screen I02), the number of lines per terminal should be
23. This takes into account the extra line at the bottom of the screen
to be displayed as well as Adis messages in order to prevent scrolling.
When selecting C from initialization screen I02 (see the section
Initialization Screen I02), the number of lines per terminal should be 24
if the actual number of lines on the screen is 25. The extra line is not
displayed with this selection.
Currency Sign.
This entry enables you to override the default currency sign, the dollar
sign ($). Forms-2 generates an appropriate entry in the Special-Names
paragraph in either the checkout or index program. You should use the
specified currency sign when specifying numeric edited fields in the work
phase, and Forms-2 uses it in the generated data description statements.
The character that you specify here is validated. See your Language
Reference for a list of valid characters.
Decimal Point.
This entry enables you to specify the character to use to represent a
decimal point. The default is the period (.) but you can change it to
be the comma (,). If you specify the comma, Forms-2 produces the
following clause in the Special-Names paragraph of the checkout or index
program:
decimal-point is comma.
You should use the specified decimal point character when specifying
numeric edited fields in the work phase, and Forms-2 uses it in the
generated data description statements produced when you submit your
program to the Micro Focus COBOL system.
Initialization Screen I02.
The initialization screen I02 is displayed immediately after you
terminate screen I01 entries by pressing the Enter key. This menu is
shown in Figure 14-2.
![[]](../../pic3k/M015145/FFN493c50.gif)
Figure 14-2 Initialization Screen I02
Initialization screen I02 asks you to specify two pieces of information.
Pressing Enter on initialization screen I02 causes the information you
have entered to be accepted and starts a work phase. Once you have
finished the initialization phase you can no longer change information
specified on initialization screens I01 and I02. The information you
enter on initialization screen I02 is:
1. The types of files to be created.
2. The name of the directory into which files are to be written.
These entries are described in the following sections.
File Combinations.
Forms-2 offers seven combinations of files, shown on initialization
screen I02 (see Figure 14-2 The extensions used on the menu are as
follows:
Extension Description
-------------------------------------------------------
DDS A .DDS file contains Micro Focus
COBOL source data description
statements(DDS) corresponding to the
screens you have created. You can
include the statements in any
program using the standard COBOL
COPY verb. .DDS files are used by
the checkout and index programs.
If you are unfamiliar with screen
handling in Micro Focus COBOL,
consult your Language Reference
(especially the sections on ACCEPT,
DISPLAY, FILLER and REDEFINES). Also
see your Language Reference for
information on the COPY verb.
CHK A .CHK file is a checkout program
consisting of the Procedure Division
statements that correspond to the
screens you have created. A
checkout program file-name.CHK uses
the COPY-files file-name.DDS,
FORMS2.CH1 and FORMS2.CH2.
The checkout program enables you to
demonstrate on the screen exactly
how the system operates. It
successively displays the screens
you have just created and allows you
to enter data as you would under
actual operating conditions.
Snn An .Snn file contains the text of
the screen you have just designed in
the form of a screen image. You can
use this file later in the same run
or in subsequent Forms-2 runs, for
further change if required.
Another use of .Snn files is in
producing a hard copy. You can
print the screen images and use the
hard copy as an effective means of
communicating between different
individuals (for example, the end
user and the programmer).
Table 14-0. (cont.)
Extension Description
GEN A .GEN file contains an index
program, including all the code
necessary to set up and maintain an
indexed sequential file with records
corresponding to the structure of
your form. An index program
file-name.GEN uses the COPY-files
file-name.DDS, FORMS2.GN1 and
FORMS2.GN2
Producing an index program places
certain constraints on you during
the Forms-2 run. The creation and
operation of index programs is
discussed in the section Index
Program.
If you select option G from initialization screen I02, at some stage
before termination of the second work phase you must position the cursor
at the first non-key variable data position and enter the work phase
command *. Failure to do this results in Forms-2 continually returning
you to edit mode until you the * command is carried out, or you enter the
! command to terminate the Forms-2 run and abandon the work in progress.
When selecting G from initialization screen I02, the number of lines per
terminal, set using initialization screen I01, should be 23. This takes
into account the extra line at the bottom of the screen to be displayed
as well as Adis messages in order to prevent scrolling.
When selecting C from initialization screen I02, the number of lines per
terminal, set using initialization screen I02, should be 24 if the actual
number of lines on the screen is 25. The extra line is not displayed
with this selection.
If you enter the Q command (see the section Work Phase) at this point,
Forms-2 quits back to screen I01, enabling you to amend the information
given there. This can be useful if you inadvertently pressed Enter
before completing screen I01. This command is not mentioned on the
screen.
Work Phase
You define the screen layouts (forms) to be used in a Micro Focus COBOL
application by entering text at the keyboard to produce model forms on
the screen. You can define as many forms as you wish in a single Forms-2
run. To define one form requires at least two distinct work phases: one
to define the fixed text of the form, and another to define the variable
data entry fields.
There are two work phase screens you encounter in the work phase. The
following sections describe these screens and the options they offer.
Work Phase Screen W01.
Work phase W01 is displayed after the completion of each work phase and
is also used to terminate a Forms-2 run. This screen is shown in Figure
14-3
![[]](../../pic3k/M015145/FFN503c50.gif)
Figure 14-3 Work Phase Screen W01
Usually you use the first work phase to specify the fixed textform and
the second work phase to specify the variable data fields within the
form. However, this need not always be the case, and Forms-2 needs to
know which type of text you are going to input in a particular phase.
Work phase screen W01 presents the various options that are available.
The following sections describe the options available from work phase
screen W01.
Screen Type Selection.
Fixed text selections offered from this screen are as follows:
Option Description
-------------------------------------------------------
A The terminal screen is cleared to spaces
in preparation for you to enter the fixed
text for a new form. This is the default.
B The previous screen is redisplayed to
assist you in defining additional fixed
text.
Text from the previous screen is used only
as a background in this case, and is not
included in the record definition for the
fixed text you are about to key in. You
must therefore ensure that if any part of
the previous screen is inadvertently
overkeyed, the original characters must
not be replaced but cleared to spaces.
Variable data selections offered from this screen are as follows:
Option Description
-------------------------------------------------------
C The previous screen is redisplayed to
assist you in the redefinition of the form
to incorporate variable data field
specifications. In the application the
data is keyed into the fixed text form
itself.
D The previous screen is redisplayed to
assist you in the definition of variable
data area in the application program.
This is sometimes useful, even though it
results in larger application programs.
You must use screen type D when using windowing commands if the start of
the window is not going to be the first line on the screen.
After you have selected the screen type, you are presented with the
appropriate work screen for that text to be entered; for example, if you
selected option A (fixed text on clear screen), a blank screen is
displayed. For the other options, the previous screen is redisplayed to
allow correct alignment of the current input.
Terminating the Run.
Entering the exclamation point (!) for the screen type causes the
Forms-2 to terminate.
On termination, Forms-2 closes the .DDS file and displays an
identification message. If you requested the checkout facility during
initialization, Forms-2 write the checkout program to disk, closes the
.CHK file, and displays an identification message.
Forms-2 terminates automatically after the second work phase if an index
program is being produced (see the section Index Program).
Work Phase Screen W02.
Entering the F work screen manipulation command displays the work screen
W02. See the section Work Screen Manipulation Commands for more
information on the F command.This screen is shown in Figure 14-4.
In order to process only the data entered in a particular work phase,
Forms-2 must keep this data separate from previously entered data, which
is displayed purely for alignment purposes. Forms-2 does this by
constructing the displayed work screen from two separate data areas,
termed background and foreground. The foreground holds the data entered
during the currentwork phase; the background holds previously entered
data that has been retained for alignment of the data entered in the
current work phase. At the end of each work phase Forms-2 processes the
foreground data only.
Work phase screen W02 presents you with a number of options governing the
use of foreground and background.
![[]](../../pic3k/M015145/FFN513c50.gif)
Figure 14-4 Work Phase Screen W02
Foreground/Background Selection.
Foreground/background selection options available from this screen are as
follows:
Option Description
-------------------------------------------------------
A Returns to edit mode. Both foreground and
background are cleared to spaces in
preparation for you to enter a new form.
B Clears the foreground of the form to
spaces, leaving the background unchanged.
C Clears the background of the form to
spaces, leaving the foreground unchanged.
D Overlays the background of the form onto
the foreground.
E Overlays the foreground of the form onto
the background.
F Overlays a screen image file onto the
foreground. Enter the name of the screen
image file at the file-name prompt. This
option enables you to alter forms defined
in previous Forms-2 runs.
G Overlays a screen image file onto the
background. Enter the name of the screen
image file at the file-name prompt. This
option enables you to alter forms defined
in previous Forms-2 runs.
H Displays the foreground of the form. This
option displays only the foreground of the
work screen for examination. The full
work screen is restored on return to edit
mode. Press to Enter remove the display.
I Displays the background of the form. This
option displays only the background of the
work screen for examination. The full
work screen is restored on return to edit
mode. Press Enter to remove the display.
J Displays a screen image file. Enter the
name of the screen image file at the
file-name prompt. This option displays
the specified screen image file without
corrupting the current foreground or
background.
You can override this automatic work screen preparation for the next
phase by using the O work screen manipulation command. See the section
Work Screen Manipulation Commands for more information.
Generally, you enter text into the foreground from the keyboard, and it
is moved into the background only from the foreground.
While entering data into the work screen (that is, foreground), you can
work in either of two modes:
* Edit mode, which is the mode in which you enter data to create the
model form. The initial mode is always edit mode.
* Command mode, in which commands are available to assist you in
creating and processing the edited work screen.
These two modes are explained in the following sections.
Edit Mode.
Edit mode is the mode in which you are free to move the cursor to any
part of the screen by use of the cursor control keys. You can also make
entries into any part of the screen, in accordance with the screen type
that you selected at the start of this work phase.
* Fixed Text
In the design of the fixed text of a form; that is, the fixed
fields analogous to the pre-printed text on a paper form, you can
enter any legible characters anywhere on the screen. This text is
displayed as prompt text during a data entry run of the
application.
* Variable Data
In the design of the variable data fields of a form; that is, the
fields analogous to the entry spaces on a preprinted form, you can
enter the characters X, Y and 8, 9.
When keying in variable data, X denotes an alphanumeric character
and 9 denotes a numeric character. If you need to have two
alphanumeric fields contiguous with each other, place Ys in the
character positions of the second field. Similarly, for
contiguous numeric fields use 8s in the character positions of the
second field.
Example.
Suppose in an application the operator must key in an invoice number.
The fixed text in this example could be "INVOICE NO.....". An example
value of an invoice number could be "CA3021". You must define the size
and type of this variable data explicitly. Hence, if the invoice number
always had two alphanumerics followed by four numerics, you would key in
XX9999 at the point on the screen (the dots in this example) where you
wish the operator to key the actual invoice number when the application
itself is running.
Note that Micro Focus COBOL provides automatic validation of numeric
fields. Additionally, you can input special editing characters to
specify numeric edited fields. These fields should be separated by
spaces. Numeric edited fields are described in your Language Reference.
Valid characters are:
Z, *, +, -, CR, DB, .(period), ,(comma), B, /, 0(zero), $
The $ sign is the currency sign, which may be replaced by another sign as
specified in the Special-Names paragraph of the Micro Focus COBOL
program, either directly or as specified during the initialization phase
of the Forms-2 run (see the section Initialization Phase).
Picture characters S, V and P are not allowed.
Forms-2 checks variable data fields for validity, but only when a .DDS
file is being created. Consult your Language Reference for details of
how screen handling works.
Command Mode.
To switch to command mode from edit mode, simply press Enter.
Command mode is the mode in which two underscore (_) characters initially
bound the cursor, and the cursor is constrained to stay within these two
characters. See the section Commands for information about the commands
available.
Commands
Before you invoke a command, make sure you are in command mode by
checking that two underscore (_) characters are displayed. If they are,
enter the relevant command and press Enter.
The commands available to you during the work phase fall into three main
groups:
* General Work Screen Commands.
General commands perform such functions as releasing the work
screen for processing.
* Work Screen Manipulation Commands.
Work screen manipulation commands help you to prepare and edit the
work screen. You are advised to become very familiar with these
commands.
* Programming Commands.
Programming commands exist mainly for the convenience of the COBOL
programmer, and some of them are not meaningful without an
understanding of COBOL. They include commands to assist in
producing efficient code, and to give you more control over the
output files.
These groups of commands are explained in detail in the following
sections.
General Work Screen Commands.
The following work screen commands are available:
Command Description
-------------------------------------------------------
Enter Return to edit mode.
? Display help screens. The first help
screenis displayed, which includes a
summary of the general commands. This
screen remains displayed until the next
input command. Entering ? then pressing
Enter at the displayed help screen
displays the next help screen. If you
repeat the sequence, each help screen is
displayed in sequence until the end of the
series, when the first screen is displayed
again.
The ? command is also available from work
phase screen W01.
Table 14-0. (cont.)
Command Description
?n Display the nth help screen. Entering ?
followed by a digit then pressing Enter
causes the nth help screen in the series
to bedisplayed. There are four help
screens:
- Help screen H01 gives help on general
commands.
- Help screen H02 gives help on
manipulation commands.
- Help screen H03 gives help on
programming commands.
- Help screen H04 gives help on window
commands.
If you enter a number that is greater than
the number of help screens available (for
example, if you enter ?6), Help Screen H01
is displayed.
Space Terminate the work phase. Pressing Space
terminates the current work phase and
initiate processing of the data you have
just entered in that work screen.
_ Return to edit mode. Pressing the
underscore (_) character exits from
command mode back to edit mode.
Q Quit. Pressing Q returns you to the work
screen screen W01 to enable you to choose
the text type. Whatever text type you
then select, the current
foreground/background components of the
work screen are unchanged when you
re-enter edit mode.
The most likely use for this command is
when you select the default option C
(variable data fields) from work phase
screen W01, then you use the work screen
incorrectly to set up a fixed text form.
Validation errors then occur, and you are
automatically returned to edit mode. To
return to work phase screen W01 and
correct the selection without losing the
text you have just entered, press Enter to
enter command mode and enter the Q
command. You can now correct the screen
type, and the work screen has been
preserved for reprocessing (as fixed
text).
! Terminate the Forms-2 run. Pressing the
exclamation point (!) character
terminates the program. This command is
available to you throughout the Forms-2
run but you would normally use it on
automatic return to work phase screen W01
when you have completed a work phase.
When used elsewhere, it abandons the run.
Table 14-0. (cont.)
Command Description
X Reposition command area.
The standard command area is in columns 1
and 2 of line 1, as indicated by the two
underline characters displayed on entry to
command mode. Forms-2 always attempts to
restore any data in these positions upon
return to edit mode. However, to enable
these positions to be preserved intact at
all times, the facility to reposition the
command area is provided. To do this,
place the cursor at the desired location
before entering command mode. Enter the
command X to cause the required change.
The next time you enter command mode, the
prompting underline characters appear at
the new specified location.
* Define key/data split for index program.
This command is used only in connection
with generation of the index program and
is described in the section Index Program.
If you select the index program option G
at initialization screen I02, at some
stage before termination of the second
work phase you must position the cursor at
the first non-key variable data position
and enter the * command.
Failure to do this results in Forms-2
continually returning you to edit mode
until you either enter the * command, or
enter the ! command to terminate the
Forms-2 run and abandon the work in
progress.
All commands except Space, ! and Q return you to edit mode. The default
command was introduced for convenience in case you enter command mode
accidentally.
Work Screen Manipulation Commands.
The following work screen manipulation commands are available:
Command Description
-------------------------------------------------------
F Invoke the work phase screen W02. Work
Screen W02 contains options to assist you
in setting up the foreground component of
the work screen. See the section Work
Screen Phase W02 for information on the
options available.
Fx Specify a required foreground/background
option, where x is a letter from A to J,
corresponding to the possible options from
the work phase screen W02. See the
section Work Phase Screen W02 for
information on the options available. The
specified option is executed and control
returned to edit mode without display of
work phase screen W02.
Table 14-0. (cont.)
Command Description
O1 Switch off automatic foreground/background
preparation. This command prevents the
current foreground being merged into the
background or either area being cleared
for the next phase.
The O1 command remains effective until you
enter the command O or O0.
O or O0 Reset foreground/background preparation.
The foreground/background preparation
sequence is reset to automatic (starting
at the beginning of the next work phase).
Cn Insert n spaces. This command inserts n
spaces before the character at the current
cursor position, where n is a number from
1 to 9. Only the current line is
affected.
Dn Delete n characters. This command deletes
n characters including the character at
the current cursor position, where n is a
number from 1 to 9. Only the current line
is affected.
In Insert n blank lines. Inserts n blank
lines before the line containing the
current cursor position, irrespective of
the column, where n is a number from 1 to
9. You can only insert whole lines.
Kn Delete n lines. Deletes n lines including
the line containing the current cursor
position, where n is a number from 1 to 9.
You can only delete whole lines using this
command.
An Repeat current line n times. Repeats the
line containing the current cursor
position n times, where n is a number from
1 to 9.
This does not act as an insert. Any
foreground data in the next n lines is
overwritten.
Un Move cursor up n lines. Moves the cursor
up n lines from the current cursor
position, where n is a number from 1 to 9.
Cursor position within the line is
maintained.
You can position the cursor vertically by
using the ^ and v keys after you have
moved the cursor to the first position of
the current line.
You can position the cursor horizontally
by using the <- and -> keys.
Table 14-0. (cont.)
Command Description
Vn Move cursor down n lines. Moves the
cursor down n lines from the current
cursor position, where n is a number from
1 to 9. Cursor position within the line
is maintained.
You can position the cursor vertically by
using the ^ and v keys after you have
moved the cursor to the first position of
the current line.
You can position the cursor horizontally
by using the <- and -> keys.
Programming Commands.
The following programming commands are available:
Command Description
-------------------------------------------------------
G, G0 and G1 The data-name structuring command. The
default record-name format generated by
Forms-2 for inclusion in your Micro Focus
COBOL source program for screen formatting
is as follows:
bbbbbb-rr (01 level)
where:
bbbbbb is the 1-6 character base that you
specified at initialization screen I01.
rr is the record number, starting at 00 in
the first work phase and increasing by one
for each subsequent work phase.
If you use the window commands to define a
window starting in a line other than line
1, the default record-name generated is:
bbbbbb-rr-ll
where:
ll is the line number.
The default elementary data-name structure
generated by Forms-2 for inclusion in the
Micro Focus COBOL source program for
screen formatting is as follows:
bbbbbb-rr-nnnn
where:
nnnn is the sequence of this field within
the screen, starting at 0001.
Table 14-0. (cont.)
Command Description
The G (or GO) command causes nnnn within
the data name to be the screen coordinates
of the start of the field. This can
sometimes be of use as a reference guide
when using Micro Focus COBOL facilities to
set cursor position.
The G1 command restores the default
data-name generation to using sequential
field numbers.
Jn Reset multiple spaces. The Micro Focus
COBOL interactive ACCEPT and DISPLAY verbs
operate only on named fields; FILLER areas
are left alone. The time taken to display
a screen depends both on the size and also
the number of constituent fields. When
processing fixed text screens, Forms-2 by
default generates FILLER items wherever
multiple spaces appear. On some forms
this can result in many small fields
separated by small FILLER fields.
The Jn command resets the number of
contiguous spaces Forms-2 allows within
the VALUE clause of a named field. This
is initially set to 1 but can be from 1 to
9.
Specifying J or J0 forces FILLER items to
be generated even for single spaces.
Mx Change default FILLER. An alternative
method of forcing spaces within named
fields is by use of the hash character
(#), which is designed for this purpose.
Use of the hash character in a field
results in an actual space in the
corresponding position in the generated
VALUE clause.
This command enables you to change the
designated character from hash to
something else (presumably because you
need to generate VALUE "#").
If the space character ( ) itself is
specified, this forces generation of named
fields for the entire screen without any
FILLER items.
Table 14-0. (cont.)
Command Description
Sn File output control command.
S (or S0) Cancels any other Sn commands in effect at
the time.
S1 Suppresses .DDS file (and .CHK file )
generation for this work screen.
Generation of this text resumes for the
next work screen unless the same command
is repeated in the next phase.
S2 Suppresses screen image (.Snn file)
generation for this work screen. This is
commonly used to suppress screen images of
just variable data fields. Again, the
effect only lasts for the current phase.
S3 Overrides the default screen image file
identifier for the current work screen.
Normally, if a file already exists with
the default identifier, you are given the
option of overriding it. If you reject
this option, you are prompted for an
alternative file identifier. This command
forces the alternative file identifier to
be requested even when no file exists with
the default identifier.
S9 Causes Forms-2 to halt after display of
each line of code during .DDS file
generation. Forms-2 re-accepts the line
before outputting it to the .DDS file.
This provides you with a limited editing
capability, which may prove useful under
special circumstances. This option is not
available if you select option B, C, E, F
or G from initialization screen I02.
P Cursor control command. Causes the
coordinates of the current cursor position
to be displayed at the command area
position. This display lasts a few
seconds, after which the work screen
contents at the command area are restored
and control is returned automatically to
edit mode. Where sequential field numbers
are used within data names, this command
provides you with an easy alternative
method of ascertaining the coordinates of
any field.
Table 14-0. (cont.)
Command Description
Wn Window commands. The window defines the
area (full lines) to be processed by
Forms-2 when generating .DDS files. By
default, the window is the full screen.
Where a window's start or end is other
than the start or end of the screen, a
delimiting line of hyphens can be
displayed on the line just outside the
window. For example, if a window starts
in line 4, delimiters appear along the
length of line 3.
The principal use of the window is to
enable you to create a form that begins
below the top of the screen, but saves
memory by avoiding the description of
blank lines at the top of the screen.
Where a window is used in this way, the
generated record-name incorporates the
start line number of the window, which can
then act as a guide to the programmer,
using the Micro Focus COBOL ACCEPT/DISPLAY
AT coordinates facility.
The detailed commands give you very
comprehensive window formatting capability
as follows:
W (or W0) Positions the cursor at the current window
start. This is the equivalent of the Home
key when the window facility is in use.
W1 Sets the start of the window to be the
current line, with delimiters on the
previous line.
W2 Sets the end of the window to be the end
of the current line, with delimiters on
the following line.
W3 Sets the start of the window to be the
current line, without delimiters.
W4 Sets the end of the window at the end of
the current line, without delimiters.
W5 Displays delimiters preceding the current
window start.
W6 Displays delimiters following the current
window end.
W7 Erases start delimiters and restores any
work screen data to the display.
W8 Erases end delimiters and restores any
work screen data to the display.
Table 14-0. (cont.)
Command Description
W9 Positions the cursor at the current window
end.
Delimiters do not corrupt
foreground/background contents.
The current screen image includes the full
foreground part of the work screen without
delimiters, regardless of whether a window
has been defined. You could use this to
include annotation on the screen image
that does not affect .DDS file generation.
One use of the window facility would be to
display a form in two stages. For
example, the first 10 lines, then the
second 10 lines. You could create this as
a single screen image including both
sections of the form, and you could window
in on the relevant portions as required
when the .DDS file is generated.