User Exit [email protected] - an Alternative Help Text Editor

User exit program [email protected] is provided to allow an alternative means of editing field, process or function help text.

If the option to use this alternative editor is enabled in the system definition data area [email protected], and the user indicates that it should be used by selecting it in the check box that appears when beginning the help text edit, all edit requests will be directed to user exit program [email protected] instead of the standard IBM supplied EDTSRC/SEU editor.

Set up this option Enable alternate editor user exits in Compile and Edit Settings.

When [email protected] is called, it is passed the following parameters by the LANSA calling program [email protected]:

Parm Type/Length/Dec Description 1 A(1024) Standard LANSA information data structure 2 A(2048) Standard LANSA exchange data structure 3 A(1) Error return area. Passed in as "N" (no errors). Return as "Y" (error occurred) if a fatal error occurs in the exit program. 4 A(1) Update flag. Passed in as "N" (no updates). Return as "Y" (updates performed) if LANSA is to update the details from the returned data. 5 A(3) Type of help text being edited. "FLD" indicates field level help text. "PRO" indicates process level help text. "FUN" indicates function level help text. 6 A(10) Name of field or process involved. Passed for "FLD", "PRO" and "FUN" edits. 7 A(7) Name of function involved. Passed for "FUN" edits. Passed as blanks for others. 8 A(10) Name of work file being used by LANSA. The work file is a temporary unkeyed data file with a record length of 77 bytes. 9 A(10) Library in which work file resides. 10 A(10) Name of member containing the help text.

 

An example of how program [email protected] could be used follows. This CL (control language) program is used in conjunction with IBM's PC support to allow help text to be edited on a PC using any normal PC editor or word processor.

CL Program [email protected] - Edit Help Text on PC Under PC Support

[email protected]: PGM (&[email protected] &[email protected] &ERROR &UPDATED &TYPE &FLDPRO

               &FUNCTION &FILE &LIB &MEMBER)

/* Declare all parameters and work variables (not described) */

/* Create a shared folder for this IBM i job */

    RTVJOBA   JOB(&JOB)

    CHGVAR    &FOLDER (&JOB *TCAT '.HLP')

    CRTFLR    FLR(&FOLDER) TEXT('Temp help work folder only')

    MONMSG    (CPF0000 MCH0000)

/* Copy details into the file in the shared folder */

 

    CPYTOPCD  FROMFILE(&LIB/&FILE) TOFLR(&FOLDER)

              FROMMBR(&MEMBER) TODOC(&MEMBER) REPLACE(*YES)

/* Set up PC command details and execute PC editor .BAT file */

    CHGVAR    &PCCMD ('MYEDIT' *BCAT &FOLDER *BCAT &MEMBER)

    STRPCCMD  PCCMD(&PCCMD) PAUSE(*NO)

/* At end of edit, copy back into LANSA work member and */

/* then set the updated and error flags before ending */

    CPYFRMPCD FROMFLR(&FOLDER) TOFILE(&LIB/&FILE)

              FROMDOC(&MEMBER) TOMBR(&MEMBER) MBROPT(*REPLACE)

CHGVAR    &UPDATED 'Y'

CHGVAR    &ERROR 'N'

ENDPGM

Example

PC/DOS MYEDIT.BAT Batch Command File Used on the PC

 

These commands:	do this:
FSPC ASSIGN J: %1	Assign shared folder to drive J
ED J:%2	Execute your favourite PC editor over the file containing the help text.
FSPC RELEASE J:	Release the folder from drive J