4.15.11 Screen Design Facility

Once the function checker has been run and no fatal errors were found in the RDML program it is possible to use the screen design facility. The function checker is described in detail in preceding sections of this chapter.

It is easy to tell when the screen design facility can be used because a message like this will appear at the top of the screen:

 

Invoke the design facility for ________ SCREEN,REPORT

If this message does not appear at the top of the screen it will be for one of the following reasons:

• You are currently inputting or changing the RDML program. In this case complete the required input, run the function checker and the message should appear.

• The function checker has just been run but has found fatal error errors in the RDML program. In such cases correct the error(s), run the function checker again and the message should appear.

To invoke the screen design facility enter SCREEN in response to the message previously described and press enter.

Sel  Seq  Lbl Command  Parameters and Screen Format Details         7        REQUEST  FIELDS((#ORDNO) (#PRDNO) (#QTY)                          Format name : R@F00001 Type : Single display          15        DISPLAY  FIELDS((#MAINHEAD))                          Format name : R@F00002 Type : Single display                            Format name : R@F00003 Type : Single display          22        DISPLAY  FIELDS((#ORDERHEAD)) BROWSELIST (#ORDERLINE)                            Format name : R@F00004 Type : Browse hdr/list

This screen is a list of all the DISPLAY and REQUEST commands that were found in the RDML program and information about the screen format(s) that have been designed for them.

In this example, it can be seen that:

• RDML program statement number 7 is a REQUEST command and one record format named R@F00001 has been designed to accommodate it. The record format is a single record display (i.e. it has no browse component).

• RDML program statement number 15 is a DISPLAY command and two record formats named R@F00002 and R@F00003 have been designed to accommodate it. Both are single record displays (i.e. they have no browse component). The fact that 2 record formats have been designed indicates that not all the fields in group #MAINHEAD would fit on one screen. However, at the RDML program level the 2 screens are treated like one "long" screen.

• RDML program statement number 22 is a DISPLAY command and one record format named R@F00004 has been designed to accommodate it. The record format contains a header portion and a browse portion.

The record format names are only provided as a "link" between the screen design facility and the screen design listing produced by the function checker. When examining the screen design listing produced by the function checker it is possibly to directly relate a screen design to information on this display by the screen format name.

After considering the information on the display you can do one of two things:

• Press the enter key without selecting any of the screen formats. In this case the RDML program will be re-displayed for amendment.

• Select one of the screen formats to be (re)designed by entering any non-blank character beside it in the column headed "Sel".