#26 Changing Field-Attributes for Screens like CICS-Maps

[Klaus Schäfer]

Is there a possibility to change the Field-Characteristics for Fields in a screen-Section fo a TUI? I habe some applications which can be used stand-alone or called from other programs. Some Input-Fields schould be not updatable, if the program is called from another one but updatable, if it is used stand-alone. I help me at this time by using two screen-definitions and the value of nummer-of-call-parameters to decide, which should be used - but if the screen changes i must change both definitions
and i hate redundant code. In CICS one could change this attributs in the map by filling the corresponding attribute-bytes in the map-definition. It would be a "nice o have" if it would be possible in open-cobol too.

Greetings from Germany
Klaus

[Luke Smith]

I haven't done anything with CICS in over 25 years. I've forgotten what it looks like.

Please post some code samples here of what it should look like.

[Klaus Schäfer]

For CICS-Maps you define some more fields for the real Field upon the screen.
You have a structure wich is generated by the BMS-Macros for CICS-Maps.
it looks like

01   map.
     05 fieldlength pic s9(004) comp.
     05 fieldtype   pic x.     *> here you can change the field-attributes (protect, skip and so on...).
     05 readlfield  pic x(30). *> This is the real Data-Field.

If you use the extended data-stream you have some more fields, to change Color, highlight and so on.
I think, it would be enough, when we have the possibility to change a
field from an input-field to a protected field and reverse and it would be
fine, if changing the color and highlighting would be possible.
I have some Applications, where the Enduserdata should be kept in the Screen-Map until he/she changes to a new case or so. Then protecting the fields protects the enduser from entering wrong data and when the protected fields have autoskip the enduser has much less to type on his keyboard.
For example the enduser enters an account-number and get a list of some data for this account. Now he can select some functions and after returning to the
main screen the account-field should be protected that the cursor is direct on the field, where he can select a new function and so on...
I think something like set screen fieldname protected with color... would be a nice to have.
In the screen section you have then

01 map.
    05       fieldname using mydatafield  *> that in working-storage
            position, color and so on...

in Procedure Division you have

showpic.
            display map.
           *> ... here the enduser fills in his data...
            accept map.
            *> ... work with the data
            set screen fieldname protected color green.
            go to showpic.

[Simon Sobisch]

I think that's something Christian is working on.

[Eugenio Di Lorenzo]

A request that has appeared many times.
see FR 103 (see screenshot) and FR 367.
Together with the request for a way to read the screen content
(which characters are at row / column) together with the attributes (e.g. which colors).

[Vincent (Bryan) Coen]

On 08/07/2022 19:37, Eugenio Di Lorenzo wrote:

A request that has appeared many times.
see FR 103 (see screenshot) and FR 367.
Together with the request for a way to read the screen content
(which characters are at row / column) together with the attributes
(e.g. which colors).

This was a feature when running under Dos and CPM where you could
capture, display a screen
full of text etc as you had access to the screen buffer.

You cannot do this in Linux without using specific (may be) libraries.

The point I am trying to make is that what, how, where etc will vary
depending on the O/S if at all.

Needless to say they are not in any way similar to CICS, DMS, CMS maps etc.

[Eugenio Di Lorenzo]

Totally agree with you.
But the ncurses and pdcurses libraries already have the functions to read characters and attributes that are on the screen (es. mvinch() ).
What is needed is to make them available with GnuCOBOL for example through verbs like DISPLAY OMITTED AT 0203 WITH ... etc etc to set attributes without changing characters. Or something like ACCEPT FROM SCREEN AT 0203 ... etc etc ... to read the characters on the screen, similarly to what is available in AcuCOBOL.
Alternatively, GC_CBL_READ_SCRCHAR or GC_CBL_READ_SCRATTR routines could be written and made available similarly to what was available with Realia COBOL.

[cl]

Hi Klaus,

maybe I could implement a "read-only" attribute in XAD, that could be
changes at runtime.

Could you pleade send a sample CICS source?

Regards,
Christian

Am 09.07.22 um 09:02 schrieb Eugenio Di Lorenzo:

Totally agree with you.
But the ncurses and pdcurses libraries already have the functions to
read characters and attributes that are on the screen (es. mvinch() ).
What is needed is to make them available with GnuCOBOL for example
through verbs like |DISPLAY OMITTED AT 0203 WITH ...| etc etc to set
attributes without changing characters. Or something like |ACCEPT FROM
SCREEN AT 0203 ...| etc etc ... to read the characters on the screen,
similarly to what is available in AcuCOBOL.
Alternatively, GC_CBL_READ_SCRCHAR or GC_CBL_READ_SCRATTR routines
could be written and made available similarly to what was available
with Realia COBOL.

---

[feature-requests:#26]
https://sourceforge.net/p/gnucobol/feature-requests/26/ Changing
Field-Attributes for Screens like CICS-Maps

Status: open
Group: unclassified
Created: Wed Apr 09, 2014 05:04 PM UTC by Klaus Schäfer
Last Updated: Fri Jul 08, 2022 06:37 PM UTC
Owner: cl

Is there a possibility to change the Field-Characteristics for Fields
in a screen-Section fo a TUI? I habe some applications which can be
used stand-alone or called from other programs. Some Input-Fields
schould be not updatable, if the program is called from another one
but updatable, if it is used stand-alone. I help me at this time by
using two screen-definitions and the value of
nummer-of-call-parameters to decide, which should be used - but if the
screen changes i must change both definitions
and i hate redundant code. In CICS one could change this attributs in
the map by filling the corresponding attribute-bytes in the
map-definition. It would be a "nice o have" if it would be possible in
open-cobol too.

Greetings from Germany
Klaus

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