11.2 SAA/CUA Panel Elements

When a user executes a LANSA process or function he or she may interact with a series of panels. A panel is what appears on the screen/workstation and is viewed by the end user.

Every single thing that appears on a LANSA panel must fall into one of the following categories:

Panel Element Category Description Of Panel Element Category ABCH Action bar and pull-down choices PBPT Panel title PBPI Panel identifier PBIN Instructions to user PBFP Field prompt / label / description details PBBR Brackets PBCM Field column headings PBGH Group headings PBNT Normal text PBET Emphasized text PBEN Input capable field (normal) PBEE Input capable field (emphasized) PBCH Choices shown on menu PBSC Choice last selected from menu PBUC Choices that are not available PBCN Protected field (normal) PBCE Protected field (emphasized) PBSI Scrolling information PBSL Separator line PBWB Pop-up window border FKCH Function key information

 

When a new LANSA partition is being defined to conform to SAA/CUA standards (or an existing one is being modified), you are asked to define 3 different things for each of these panel element categories.

These are:

• What color elements in this category should be displayed on color screens?

• Any special attributes that apply to panel elements in the category when it is used on a color screen?

• Any special attributes that apply to panel elements in the category when it is used on a monochromatic screen?

For example, the category PBEE (emphasized entry field) is usually set up with color white, no special color screen attributes, and with special attribute HI (high intensity) on monochromatic screens.

This means that on every panel presented by LANSA within the partition, any emphasized entry field will appear in white on color screens and in high intensity on monochromatic screens. (Note that this does not mean high intensity white on color screens).

These panel body categories can actually be associated with fields as input or output attributes within the LANSA Repository. Usually only four of these are ever used in this way:

Panel Element Category	Description Of Panel Element Category
PBEN	Input capable field (normal)
PBEE	Input capable field (emphasized)
PBCN	Protected field (normal)
PBCE	Protected field (emphasized)

 

In an SAA/CUA partition, a vital or key field, such as "Customer Number" might be defined in the LANSA dictionary like this:

Input attributes  : PBEE FE RB

Output attributes : PBCE

Whereas a normal field, such as "Customer zip code" might be defined in the LANSA dictionary like this:

Input attributes  : PBEN RZ

Output attributes : PBCN

Note how additional input or output attributes can also be included into this Repository list. Typically, these include things like FE (field exit required), RB (right adjust and blank fill), etc, etc.

The use of panel element categories in this way reflects the whole philosophy of using SAA/CUA.

The analyst defining the fields in the dictionary can decide whether the field is to be emphasized or normal.

How an emphasized field or a normal field appears on a panel has already been defined as a corporate standard. The analyst need not worry about this.

Even if the corporate standard is reverse video, blinking, in color pink, it should be followed. This is what CUA (common user access) is all about.