4.25.2 Action Bar Control Table Maintenance
If you are not working in a multilingual environment, ignore this language selection panel and proceed to details of the next screen panel.
If you are working in a multilingual environment, then the initial screen that will appear after choosing to review or change the action bar control table will look like this:
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Use the "/" symbol to select the language that the action bar control table is to be displayed/changed in, then press enter.
Textual changes made to the action bar control table will only effect the selected language.
Structural changes made to the action bar control table (like removing options, changing accelerator keys, etc) will effect all languages.
After the desired language has been selected (if required), a screen similar to the following example will result:
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From the screen it is possible to:
- Review the action bar control table.
- Change the action bar control table. Use the CHANGE key to place the screen in change mode and make the desired changes.
Input Options
The following input options apply to changing the action bar control table.
Upper Half of the Screen Panel
The upper half of the screen panel defines each of the 18 possible action bar choices and their associated pull down options.
Use the scroll keys, with the cursor positioned in the upper half of the screen panel, to scroll backwards and forwards through the 18 possible action bar choices.
Lower Half of the Screen Panel
The lower half of the screen panel lists all the things that are associated with the current process, and that may be eligible for invocation by the selection of a pull down choice.
Things that may appear in this list include:
- RDML functions that belong to the current process.
- Other processes/functions that have been "attached" to the current process by the process attachment facility.
- Special entries that have been associated with the current process such as CL commands, 3GL program calls, etc.
Use the scroll keys, with the cursor positioned in the lower half of the screen panel, to scroll backwards and forwards through this list of allowable associations.
A/Bar Keyword
Specifies the text that is to appear in the action bar to identify this action bar choice:
- Try to use just one word.
- Use upper and lower case characters.
- Support for bidirectional and DBCS languages is provided.
- Conform to the CUA 1989 guidelines.
- Help option is automatic. You do not have to define it.
Sequence
Specifies the sequence that this keyword is to appear in the action bar:
- Generally only used to reorder action bar choices.
- Must be in the range 1 to 18 and unique within the action bar.
AB$OPT Code
AB$OPT is a field defined in the LANSA data dictionary:
- If it isn't, define it as alphanumeric (length 3).
- The value you specify here is placed into field AB$OPT when this action bar choice is used.
- Do not use values CUR or ALL, as they are reserved to mean "current" and "all" to Built-In Function SET_ACTION_BAR
- The field is accessible to RDML functions.
- Allows them to decide exactly which action bar choice was used to cause them to be invoked.
- One RDML function handling multiple action bar choices can have good performance implications. Refer to the Sample Program: All 3 Functions in One Program in the .
- Value specified should be unique within this action bar.
- Standards for AB$OPT values should be established.
P/D
The list of 9 options (numbered 1 through 9) define the 9 possible pull down choices that can be associated with the action bar choice that is on display:
- To add a new choice, simply enter its details into the next available free space.
- To remove a choice, simply blank out/field exit over all its details.
- To change a choice, just type over the details that are to be changed.
- Avoid using the 9th choice in the first pull down. By the CUA 1989 standards this is reserved for the "Exit" choice. The inclusion of the exit choice into the first pull down is automatic. You do not have to specify it.
No
Specifies the number associated with the pull down choice. It cannot be typed over. To reorder choices in a pull down you must type over the details. Deleted choices cause following choices to move up so that all choices are always numbered consecutively.
Description
Specifies the text that is to appear in the pull down to identify this pull down choice:
- Use upper and lower case characters.
- Support for bidirectional and DBCS languages is provided.
- Conform to the CUA 1989 guidelines.
- Include "Fnn" to identify accelerator keys (where required).
- Include "..." ellipses for resulting pop-ups (where required).
- Help pull downs are automatic. You do not have to define them.
AK(Accelerator Key)
Specifies the accelerator key that is to be associated with this pull down choice:
- Use values in range 01 to 24 to identify.
- Accelerator keys are optional.
- Avoid conflicts with other key assignments. This is not checked.
- Avoid overuse. They will confuse users and complicate the system.
- Conform to the CUA 1989 guidelines.
- Activated on any panel showing this action bar.
- Can be changed dynamically without requiring recompilation.
Pd$Opt
PD$OPT is a field defined in the LANSA data dictionary:
- If it isn't, define it as alphanumeric (length 3).
- The value you specify here is placed into field PD$OPT when this pull down choice is used.
- Do not use values CUR or ALL, as they are reserved to mean "current" and "all" to Built-In Function SET_ACTION_BAR
- The field is accessible to RDML functions.
- Allows them to decide exactly which pull down choice was used to cause them to be invoked.
- One RDML function handling multiple pull down choices can have good performance implications. Refer to the Sample Program: All 3 Functions in One Program in the .
- Value specified should be unique within this pull down, and preferably, within the entire action bar.
- Standards for PD$OPT values should be established.
IA (Initial Availability)
Specifies whether or not this pull down choice is to be made available on the initial invocation of the action bar:
- Leave as blank or enter Y to specify initial availability.
- Specify as N to cause initial non-availability.
- Unavailable pull down choices are shown in blue and have their associated selection numbers replaced by an "*".
- RDML program access to make pull down choices available/ unavailable is provide by the SET_ACTION_BAR Built-In Function.
Associated With ....
Specifies which function/process/special entry from the list on the lower half of the screen is to be invoked when this pull down choice is selected:
- Enter number corresponding to entry in list at bottom.
- Change number as desired.
- Repeated use of the same number is acceptable.
- What happens when the selected option is used depends upon the function/process/special entry.
- Being invoked from an action bar has panel design ramifications for RDML functions. Refer to the Pull Down Definition (for Each Action Bar Option Defined) in the .
Allowable Associations Are ....
Displays the list of functions/processes/special entries that may be invoked by selection of a pull down choice:
- The number associates top of screen details with the bottom.
- The number is not fixed and may change from time to time.
- Text is in format xxxxxxxx / dddddddddddddddd.
- xxxxxxxx may be "Function" indicating an RDML function that belongs to the current process.
- xxxxxxxx may be "Attached Process" indicating a process that has been attached to the current process.
- xxxxxxxx may be "Attached Function" indicating a function that has been attached to the current process from another process.
- xxxxxxxx may be "Special Entry" indicating a special entry that has been defined within the current process.
- dddddddddddddd is the description associated with the object.
- Attached processes may cause a menu to appear if they are menu style (i.e. SAA/CUA) and thus do not have an action bar.
- Attached functions may cause the action bar to disappear if they are menu style (i.e. SAA/CUA) and thus do not have an action bar.
- Attached processes may cause another action bar to appear if they are action bar style. This facility can be used to build up a "hierarchy" of action bars in an acceptable manner.
- Attached functions may cause another action bar to appear. (i.e. the action bar associated with the process to which they belong, not the current process's action bar). This can be confusing to end users in some situations and should be carefully controlled or avoided.