CWI - Menu 'Shortcuts'

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Menu 'Shortcuts'

Unlike SPEED II, APPX allows us to put fields (modifiable or not) on the images associated with menus. We can take advantage of this to allow the user to enter something directly on the menu, instead of clicking on a choice. This 'shortcut' could refer to any process, not just the ones in the current application or menu.

The approach is this: We'll create a file that contains a user defined code for the shortcut (CUST for Customer File Maintenance, for example) and the application id, process type and process name of the actual APPX process to be invoked. We'll put this field on the menu image as a modifiable field, and in the menu process, test to see if the user entered anything. If they did, we'll run the APPX process indicated by the information in the file.

Let's start with a file to contain our shortcuts:

                                                                      -Options--

File     Descriptive Name               Org     File Type             T DP AA RP
======== ============================== ======= ===================== ==========
SHORTCUT Menu Shortcuts                 INDEXED PERMANENT             T DP

This file contains Mnemonics and their associated APPX process. Used in MENUs to allow the user to directly execute a process by entering the Mnemonic.

                               Fld                   D --Stored---   -Options--
Seq No  Field Name             Typ Format            S Start   Len   T DL AA KC
------- ---------------------- --- ----------------- - ----- -----   ----------
100     SHORTCUT CODE          Alp X(6)              1     1     6   T       P
200     SHORTCUT DESCRIPTION   Alp X(20)             1     7    20   T
300     SHORTCUT APPLICATION   Alp X(3)              1    27     3   T
400     SHORTCUT PROC TYPE     Alp X(10), Tbl        1    30    10
500     SHORTCUT PROC NAM      Alp X(30)             1    40    30   T
600     SHORTCUT ADDED BY      Sys User Add          1    70     3
700     SHORTCUT DATE ADDED    Sys Date Add, CC-DD   1    73     5
800     SHORTCUT CHANGED BY    Sys User Chg          1    78     3
900     SHORTCUT DATE CHANGED  Sys Date Chg, CC-DD   1    81     5

The SHORTCUT PROC TYPE validation table just contains the normal APPX process types, MENU, JOB, INPUT, etc.

Next, we'll need a process to maintain this file. This is simple enough so we won't go over it in detail here, but there are a couple of 'tricks' to validate that the application, process type and process name really exist. It would also be nice if the user could SCAN the design files. To validate the process type, put the following code in the Verify Event Point:

      SET      --- NEXT APPLICATION           =  TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION
      SET      --- NEXT VERSION               =  --- VERSION
      OPEN     0AD PROCESS   SHARE? Y  FAIL 0
F     ERROR    No Source Files for specified Application
F     END
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     MENU
T     SET      0AD PROCESS TYPE               =      MENU
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     JOB
T     SET      0AD PROCESS TYPE               =      JOB
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     INPUT
T     SET      0AD PROCESS TYPE               =      INPUT
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     OUTPUT
T     SET      0AD PROCESS TYPE               =      OUTPUT
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     UPDATE
T     SET      0AD PROCESS TYPE               =      UPDATE
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     QUERY
T     SET      0AD PROCESS TYPE               =      QUERY
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     STATUS
T     SET      0AD PROCESS TYPE               =      STATUS
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     INQUIRY
T     SET      0AD PROCESS TYPE               =      INQUIRY
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     SUBROUTINE
T     SET      0AD PROCESS TYPE               =      SUBROUTINE
      SET      0AD PROCESS NAM                =  TSY SHORTCUT PROC NAM
      READ     0AD PROCESS   HOLD 0    FAIL 0    KEY IS  PROCESS KEY
F     ERROR    Process Not Found
F     POSITION TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         (AT APPEARANCE #    )

The reason we have to move constants into the 0AD PROCESS TYPE instead of just moving the SHORTCUT PROC TYPE is that the 0AD field is a token field, and unless our tokens matched exactly, it wouldn't work. There may be more elegant ways of doing this, but this is good enough for the 9 process types we have to deal with.

To let the user SCAN into the Application Design files, put the following code in the Option Intercept Event Point:

      IF       --- OPTION                     EQ     SCAN
T     AT FIELD TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION       (AT APPEARANCE #    )
TT    SCAN     TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION       =  0SA APPL ID
T     SET      --- NEXT APPLICATION           =  TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION
T     SET      --- NEXT VERSION               =  --- VERSION
T     AT FIELD TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         (AT APPEARANCE #    )
TT    IF       TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION       EQ
TTT   ERROR    Can't SCAN for Processes Until Application is Entered
TTT   END
TT    SCAN     TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         =  0AD PROCESS TYPE
TT    SCAN     TSY SHORTCUT PROC NAM          =  0AD PROCESS NAM
T     AT FIELD TSY SHORTCUT PROC NAM          (AT APPEARANCE #    )
TT    IF       TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION       EQ
TTT   ERROR    Can't SCAN for Processes Until Application is Entered
TTT   END
TT    SCAN     TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         =  0AD PROCESS TYPE
TT    SCAN     TSY SHORTCUT PROC NAM          =  0AD PROCESS NAM

The way this is written, the user can scan on either the type or name, and both fields are always returned. Note that they have to fill in the application id before they can scan.

Now all we have to do is put the field SHORTCUT CODE on the menu's image as a modifiable field and with DLU to the SHORTCUT file (if we want to be nice...:-). We need some code to see if the user entered anything, and if so, perform the appropriate action. The subroutine that does this is called CHECK FOR SHORTCUT, and contains the following code:

      IF       --- OPTION                     EQ     RETURN
      AND      TSY SHORTCUT CODE              NE
T     GOSUB        :RUN SHORTCUT
      *        APPX Bug (?), if RETURN pressed on a menu with a modifiable
      *        field, then field becomes non modifiable, so throw it away
      IF       --- OPTION                     EQ     RETURN
T     SET      --- OPTION                     =
      RETURN
      *
      LABEL    :RUN SHORTCUT
      READ     TSY SHORTCUT  HOLD 0    FAIL 0    KEY IS  SHORTCUT CODE
F     RETURN
      SET      --- NEXT APPLICATION           =  TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION
      SET      --- NEXT VERSION               =  --- VERSION
      SET      --- NEXT PROCESS NAME          =  TSY SHORTCUT PROC NAM
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     MENU
T     MENU                                          DETACHED     END? N  FAIL 0
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     JOB
T     JOB                                           DETACHED     END? N  FAIL 0
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     INPUT
T     INPUT                                         DETACHED     END? N  FAIL 0
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     OUTPUT
T     OUTPUT                                        DETACHED     END? N  FAIL 0
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     UPDATE
T     UPDATE                                        DETACHED     END? N  FAIL 0
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     QUERY
T     QUERY                                         DETACHED     END? N  FAIL 0
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     STATUS
T     STATUS                                        DETACHED     END? N  FAIL 0
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     INQUIRY
T     INQUIRY                                       DETACHED     END? N  FAIL 0
      IF       TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE         EQ     SUBROUTINE
T     SUBR                                          DETACHED     END? N  FAIL 0
      RETURN

This code is pretty self explanatory. First we check to see if the user entered anything in the shortcut field followed by pressing Return. If so, we read the SHORTCUT table to get the rest of the information we need to run the requested process, set the --- NEXT fields so APPX knows what application, version and process name we want to run, then invoke it directly via the appropriate ILF command (MENU, INPUT, etc). Note that executing these types of ILF commands (MENU, INPUT, etc) without specifying the application or process to run causes APPX to use the contents of NEXT APPLICATION and NEXT PROCESS NAME. Note the business about setting OPTION to blank if it is RETURN. We found that letting APPX process the RETURN key causes the modifiable fields on the menu to become non modifiable, so we just throw the RETURN away.

Now that we have it all set up, we can go to any menu we want, add the SHORTCUT CODE field to the image and GOSUB TSY CHECK FOR SHORTCUT to the Option Intercept Event Point, and we have enabled shortcuts on that menu.

Other enhancements might include restricting certain shortcuts to certain menus, making the shortcuts user specific, or making the input process that maintains the SHORTCUT table the default input process for the table so that users can add their own shortcuts on the fly. In this case, you might also want to only allow MENU, JOB, and INPUT type processes. This would prevent a user from adding a shortcut and then running some UPDATE process. This could be accomplished by modifying the SHORTCUT PROCESS TYPE so it only allows MENU, JOB, and INPUT.

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For additional information, contact tips@cwi-appx.com

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[Read Full Article] APPX Product Info Reseller Opportunities Reseller Portal Downloads Training Tips & Tricks Find an APPX Reseller Amsterdam Conference Presentations & Pictures APPX Blog	A \| B \| C \| D \| E \|F \| G \| H \| I \| J \| K \| L \| M \| N \| O \| P Q \| R \| S \| T \| U \| V \| W \| X \| Y \| Z Menu 'Shortcuts' Unlike SPEED II, APPX allows us to put fields (modifiable or not) on the images associated with menus. We can take advantage of this to allow the user to enter something directly on the menu, instead of clicking on a choice. This 'shortcut' could refer to any process, not just the ones in the current application or menu. The approach is this: We'll create a file that contains a user defined code for the shortcut (CUST for Customer File Maintenance, for example) and the application id, process type and process name of the actual APPX process to be invoked. We'll put this field on the menu image as a modifiable field, and in the menu process, test to see if the user entered anything. If they did, we'll run the APPX process indicated by the information in the file. Let's start with a file to contain our shortcuts: -Options-- File Descriptive Name Org File Type T DP AA RP ======== ============================== ======= ===================== ========== SHORTCUT Menu Shortcuts INDEXED PERMANENT T DP This file contains Mnemonics and their associated APPX process. Used in MENUs to allow the user to directly execute a process by entering the Mnemonic. Fld D --Stored--- -Options-- Seq No Field Name Typ Format S Start Len T DL AA KC ------- ---------------------- --- ----------------- - ----- ----- ---------- 100 SHORTCUT CODE Alp X(6) 1 1 6 T P 200 SHORTCUT DESCRIPTION Alp X(20) 1 7 20 T 300 SHORTCUT APPLICATION Alp X(3) 1 27 3 T 400 SHORTCUT PROC TYPE Alp X(10), Tbl 1 30 10 500 SHORTCUT PROC NAM Alp X(30) 1 40 30 T 600 SHORTCUT ADDED BY Sys User Add 1 70 3 700 SHORTCUT DATE ADDED Sys Date Add, CC-DD 1 73 5 800 SHORTCUT CHANGED BY Sys User Chg 1 78 3 900 SHORTCUT DATE CHANGED Sys Date Chg, CC-DD 1 81 5 The SHORTCUT PROC TYPE validation table just contains the normal APPX process types, MENU, JOB, INPUT, etc. Next, we'll need a process to maintain this file. This is simple enough so we won't go over it in detail here, but there are a couple of 'tricks' to validate that the application, process type and process name really exist. It would also be nice if the user could SCAN the design files. To validate the process type, put the following code in the Verify Event Point: SET --- NEXT APPLICATION = TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION SET --- NEXT VERSION = --- VERSION OPEN 0AD PROCESS SHARE? Y FAIL 0 F ERROR No Source Files for specified Application F END IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ MENU T SET 0AD PROCESS TYPE = MENU IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ JOB T SET 0AD PROCESS TYPE = JOB IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ INPUT T SET 0AD PROCESS TYPE = INPUT IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ OUTPUT T SET 0AD PROCESS TYPE = OUTPUT IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ UPDATE T SET 0AD PROCESS TYPE = UPDATE IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ QUERY T SET 0AD PROCESS TYPE = QUERY IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ STATUS T SET 0AD PROCESS TYPE = STATUS IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ INQUIRY T SET 0AD PROCESS TYPE = INQUIRY IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ SUBROUTINE T SET 0AD PROCESS TYPE = SUBROUTINE SET 0AD PROCESS NAM = TSY SHORTCUT PROC NAM READ 0AD PROCESS HOLD 0 FAIL 0 KEY IS PROCESS KEY F ERROR Process Not Found F POSITION TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE (AT APPEARANCE # ) The reason we have to move constants into the 0AD PROCESS TYPE instead of just moving the SHORTCUT PROC TYPE is that the 0AD field is a token field, and unless our tokens matched exactly, it wouldn't work. There may be more elegant ways of doing this, but this is good enough for the 9 process types we have to deal with. To let the user SCAN into the Application Design files, put the following code in the Option Intercept Event Point: IF --- OPTION EQ SCAN T AT FIELD TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION (AT APPEARANCE # ) TT SCAN TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION = 0SA APPL ID T SET --- NEXT APPLICATION = TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION T SET --- NEXT VERSION = --- VERSION T AT FIELD TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE (AT APPEARANCE # ) TT IF TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION EQ TTT ERROR Can't SCAN for Processes Until Application is Entered TTT END TT SCAN TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE = 0AD PROCESS TYPE TT SCAN TSY SHORTCUT PROC NAM = 0AD PROCESS NAM T AT FIELD TSY SHORTCUT PROC NAM (AT APPEARANCE # ) TT IF TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION EQ TTT ERROR Can't SCAN for Processes Until Application is Entered TTT END TT SCAN TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE = 0AD PROCESS TYPE TT SCAN TSY SHORTCUT PROC NAM = 0AD PROCESS NAM The way this is written, the user can scan on either the type or name, and both fields are always returned. Note that they have to fill in the application id before they can scan. Now all we have to do is put the field SHORTCUT CODE on the menu's image as a modifiable field and with DLU to the SHORTCUT file (if we want to be nice...:-). We need some code to see if the user entered anything, and if so, perform the appropriate action. The subroutine that does this is called CHECK FOR SHORTCUT, and contains the following code: IF --- OPTION EQ RETURN AND TSY SHORTCUT CODE NE T GOSUB :RUN SHORTCUT * APPX Bug (?), if RETURN pressed on a menu with a modifiable * field, then field becomes non modifiable, so throw it away IF --- OPTION EQ RETURN T SET --- OPTION = RETURN * LABEL :RUN SHORTCUT READ TSY SHORTCUT HOLD 0 FAIL 0 KEY IS SHORTCUT CODE F RETURN SET --- NEXT APPLICATION = TSY SHORTCUT APPLICATION SET --- NEXT VERSION = --- VERSION SET --- NEXT PROCESS NAME = TSY SHORTCUT PROC NAM IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ MENU T MENU DETACHED END? N FAIL 0 IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ JOB T JOB DETACHED END? N FAIL 0 IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ INPUT T INPUT DETACHED END? N FAIL 0 IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ OUTPUT T OUTPUT DETACHED END? N FAIL 0 IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ UPDATE T UPDATE DETACHED END? N FAIL 0 IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ QUERY T QUERY DETACHED END? N FAIL 0 IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ STATUS T STATUS DETACHED END? N FAIL 0 IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ INQUIRY T INQUIRY DETACHED END? N FAIL 0 IF TSY SHORTCUT PROC TYPE EQ SUBROUTINE T SUBR DETACHED END? N FAIL 0 RETURN This code is pretty self explanatory. First we check to see if the user entered anything in the shortcut field followed by pressing Return. If so, we read the SHORTCUT table to get the rest of the information we need to run the requested process, set the --- NEXT fields so APPX knows what application, version and process name we want to run, then invoke it directly via the appropriate ILF command (MENU, INPUT, etc). Note that executing these types of ILF commands (MENU, INPUT, etc) without specifying the application or process to run causes APPX to use the contents of NEXT APPLICATION and NEXT PROCESS NAME. Note the business about setting OPTION to blank if it is RETURN. We found that letting APPX process the RETURN key causes the modifiable fields on the menu to become non modifiable, so we just throw the RETURN away. Now that we have it all set up, we can go to any menu we want, add the SHORTCUT CODE field to the image and GOSUB TSY CHECK FOR SHORTCUT to the Option Intercept Event Point, and we have enabled shortcuts on that menu. Other enhancements might include restricting certain shortcuts to certain menus, making the shortcuts user specific, or making the input process that maintains the SHORTCUT table the default input process for the table so that users can add their own shortcuts on the fly. In this case, you might also want to only allow MENU, JOB, and INPUT type processes. This would prevent a user from adding a shortcut and then running some UPDATE process. This could be accomplished by modifying the SHORTCUT PROCESS TYPE so it only allows MENU, JOB, and INPUT. « Return For additional information, contact tips@cwi-appx.com [back to top]
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