Provides step-by-step instructions to create the BLDRCU screen using the AMB Screen Painter.
Restriction: This topic applies only when the AppMaster Builder AddPack has been installed, and applies only to Windows platforms.
To paint the BLDRCU (Parts Update) screen, you start the
Screen Painter from the
Project Explorer view, paint the text and entry fields, assign a field for system messages, paint a field to save the database key, and title
the screen.
Note: Before you begin, review the tools and techniques described in the
Screen Painter Basics topic, and use that topic as a reference as you work through the steps.
Start the Screen Painter
- In the
Project Explorer, expand
BLDRAPPL > BLDRUPD.
- Double-click the
BLDRCU screen entry.
This starts the
Screen Painter in its default mode. To help you align screen fields, turn on the
Screen Painter grid.
- From the
Screen Painter toolbar, click
Options > Show grid.
Paint static text fields
In this section, you draw, resize, and label all of the static text that serves as field labels on the BLDRCU screen.
- Draw static text fields
- Use the static text tool to drop static text fields onto the BLDRCU screen. Some of the static text fields serve as text labels
for entry fields. Others serve as screen title labels. Use the
Static Text Fields figure as your guide for this procedure.
Figure 1. Static Text Fields
- To toggle sticky mode on, click
Tools >
Sticky Mode. When sticky mode is toggled on, the tool you select next stays active until you toggle sticky mode off or select another
tool.
- Click
Tools >
Static Text, or
Static Text Tool
. The mouse pointer changes to the static text tool.
- Using the
Static Text Fields figure as your guide, position the tool on the top center area of the screen, where you want to paint the first screen title.
- Click to drop the field.
- Repeat steps
3 and
4 to drop the nine remaining static text fields. At this point, all fields read
Text. Do not be concerned if the fields are not properly aligned.
- To toggle sticky mode off, click
Tools >
Sticky Mode.
- Increase static text field sizes
- Before you can assign descriptive text to these fields, you must first increase the size of each to accommodate the text.
Use the
Static Text Field Lengths table and the
Labeled Static Text Fields figure as your guides for this procedure. While the table indicates the label for the fields, you do not actually put the
labels onto the fields until the next section.
Table 1. Static Text Field Lengths
Static Text Field Label
|
Length
|
AMB DEMONSTRATION SYSTEM
|
25
|
PARTS UPDATE SCREEN
|
20
|
FUNCTION:
|
10
|
(Q=QUERY, U=UPDATE, D=DELETE)
|
30
|
PART NUMBER:
|
13
|
DESCRIPTION:
|
13
|
UNITS:
|
7
|
BASE PRICE:
|
12
|
DIMENSIONS:
|
12
|
INVENTORY VALUE:
|
17
|
HIT F3 TO BYPASS FIELDS AND RETURN TO MAIN MENU SCREEN
|
55
|
Figure 2. Labeled Static Text Fields
- First, activate the
Tracking option. To do this, click
Options > Show tracking. The bottom right field on the
Screen Painter dialog box shows
Track, indicating that tracking is active.
- On the BLDRCU screen, click the first screen title field, located at the top center. The anchor blocks appear. This field
must accommodate the text
AMB DEMONSTRATION SYSTEM, which is 24 characters in length.
- Move the mouse pointer to the right border of the field. The pointer changes to a double-sided arrow.
- Drag the border to the right until the LEN specification in the
Screen Painter Tracking field reads
LEN=24.
- Using the
Static Text Field Lengths table and the
Labeled Static Text Fields figure as your guides, repeat steps
2 through
4 for each text field.
- Label static text fields
- Next, label the fields with descriptive text. Use the
Labeled Static Text Fields figure as your guide for this procedure.
- Double-click the
AMB Demonstration System field on the top center of the screen. The
Text Attributes dialog box appears.
- Highlight the word
Text in the
Text field, located on the top right column of the
Text Attributes dialog box.
- Type
AMB DEMONSTRATION SYSTEM to replace it.
- Click the check mark
to accept the change.
- Close the
Text Attributes dialog box by clicking the
x icon in the upper right corner.
- Using the
Labeled Static Text Fields figure as your guide, repeat steps
1 through
5 for each static text field, substituting the appropriate label text in step
3.
Paint entry fields
In this section, you draw, resize, and assign attributes to all of the entry fields on the BLDRCU screen.
- Draw entry fields
- Use the
Entryfield tool to drop entry fields onto the BLDRCU screen. Use the
Entry Fields figure as your guide for this procedure.
Figure 3. Entry Fields
- To toggle sticky mode on, click
Tools > Sticky Mode.
- Click
Tools > Entryfield, or click
Entryfield
. The mouse pointer changes to the Entryfield tool.
- Position the tool to the right of the
FUNCTION static text field.
- Click to drop the entry field.
- Using
Figure 3 as your guide, position and drop the remaining entry fields. Do not be concerned if all fields are not aligned.
- To toggle sticky mode off, click
Tools > Sticky Mode.
- Resize entry fields
- Because the
Screen Painter default length for entry fields is 4, all of your entry fields are now four characters in length. You need to make them the
size needed for data entry. Use the
Entry Field Lengths table to determine field lengths.
Table 2. Entry Field Lengths
Field
|
Length
|
Function
|
1
|
Part Number
|
8
|
Description
|
20
|
Units
|
2
|
Base Price
|
7
|
Dimensions
|
8
|
Inventory Value
|
12
|
Savekey (located below and to the left of the Dimensions field)
|
9
|
System Message (located below the Savekey field)
|
79
|
- Click the
FUNCTION entry field. The anchor blocks appear.
- Move the mouse pointer to the right border of the field. The pointer changes to a double-sided arrow.
- Drag the border to the left until the LEN specification in the
Screen Painter Tracking field reads
LEN=1, and release the mouse.
- Repeat steps
1 through
3 for each entry field, dragging each border to the left or the right as necessary, using the
Entry Field Lengths table to determine field lengths.
- Now is a good time to save your work. Click
File > Save.
- Assign field attributes to DATA fields
-
- Double-click the entry field next to the
FUNCTION text field. The
Field Attributes dialog box appears.
- In the
Name field, change
DATA1 to
function.
- Check
Cursor. This positions the cursor in the
Function field when you run the application.
- Click the check mark
to accept the change.
- Close the
Field Attributes dialog box.
- Repeat steps
1,
2,
4, and
5 once for each remaining entry field, using the following table to determine field names.
For the field with this label . . .
|
Change DATAx1 to . . .
|
FUNCTION:
|
function
|
PART NUMBER:
|
part-nbr
|
DESCRIPTION:
|
short-desc
|
UNITS:
|
units-instock
|
BASE PRICE:
|
base-price
|
DIMENSIONS:
|
dimensions
|
INVENTORY VALUE:
|
inv-value
|
1
x represents the number generated for the default name of the field.
|
- Assign attributes to the
Savekey field
-
- Double-click the
Savekey field.
- In the
Name field, change
DATAx to
savekey.
- Check
Protected. This prohibits the end user from entering data.
- From the
Intensity drop-down list, click
Dark. This changes the field from normal intensity to dark (hidden) so that the field does not display on the screen that the
end user sees.
- Click the check mark
to accept the changes.
- Close the
Field Attributes dialog box.
- Assign attributes to the
System Message field
-
- Double-click the
System Message field.
- In the
Name field, change
DATAx to
system.
- Check
Protected. This prohibits the end user from entering data.
- Click the check mark
to accept the changes.
- Close the
Field Attributes dialog box.
Paint screen parameters
In this procedure, you assign screen parameters to the BLDRCU screen, including an internal screen title to appear in all
generated BLDRAPPL reports, a system message field to accept and display messages from the application, and a CICS transaction
ID. When you run the application, the transaction ID identifies the screen to CICS.
- Assign an internal screen title
-
- Double-click on a blank portion of the screen. The
Screen Parameters dialog box appears.
- In the
Title field, type
Parts Update.
- Assign the System Message field
-
- On the
Screen Parameters dialog box tool bar, click
EDITS. The
Field Edit Messages and Attributes dialog box appears.
- From the
Message Display Field drop-down list, select
SYSTEM.
- Click
OK. This returns you to the
Screen Parameters dialog box.
- Assign a transaction ID for the screen
-
- On the
Screen Parameters dialog box tool bar, click
CICS. The CICS Generation Parameters dialog box appears.
- In the
Transaction ID field, type
BLDU.
- Click
OK. This returns you to the
Screen Parameters dialog box.
- Click
OK. This returns you to the
Screen Painter.
Note: The CICS transaction IDs for the BLDRCA and BLDRCM screens have been set for you.
Align screen fields
In this section, you use the alignment features of the
Screen Painter to clean up the appearance of the BLDRCU screen.
- Center the title fields
-
- Using one of the methods presented in the
Select multiple fields section of the
Screen Painter Basics topic, select the
AMB Demonstration System and
Parts Update text fields.
- Click
Arrange > Alignment. The Alignment dialog box appears.
- On the horizontal list, click
Center.
- On the vertical list, click
None.
- Click
OK to make the alignment. The
Screen Painter centers the screen title fields relative to the screen and each other.
- Align the
Function and
Units text fields with the
Part Number text field
-
- Using one of the methods presented in the
Select multiple fields section of the
Screen Painter Basics topic, select the
Function,
Part Number, and
Units text fields.
- To set the
Part Number field as the primary field, click on it. Its anchor blocks become solid.
- Click
Arrange > Alignment. The
Alignment dialog box appears.
- On the horizontal list, click
Left.
- On the vertical list, click
None.
- Click
OK to make the alignment. AMB left-aligns the
Function and
Units fields with the
Part Number field.
- Align remaining fields
-
- Using the techniques you have learned in this tutorial and in
Screen Painter Basics, continue to adjust fields on the screen until they appear as shown in the
Completed Parts Update Screen figure.
- Click
File > Save to save your work.
- Click the
x icon in the upper right corner of the toolbar to close the
Screen Painter.
Figure 4. Completed Parts Update Screen