The Design page shows the DDS source as it would appear on either a screen
(for display files) or a printed page (for printer files). It allows
you to design your application's screens or reports by laying out records
and fields in a graphical user interface.
On the Design page, you can easily create, edit, resize, and move DDS
objects graphically. Create new records, fields, and constants directly
on the Design page by using the palette pushbuttons to the left of the Design
area or from the pop-up menus. The toolbar above the Design area allows
quick access to many of the editing features as well as information about the
currently selected object.
To access the Design page, click on a group name tab in the Workbook or
right-click on a group or record in the DDS Tree. The Design page
comprises of the following areas:
For more information on the actions you can perform, click on the entries
below.
The design area of the Design page represents the visual appearance of the
screen or report you are creating. It graphically displays the DDS
objects for a group of records. In the Design area, you can perform the
following operations:
Selecting objects:
- To select a single object, click once on the object with the mouse.
- To select multiple objects,
- click on an unselected object with the control (Ctrl) key pressed.
This selects the current object without deselecting previously selected
objects.
- press the left mouse button on an empty part of the screen and drag the
mouse to create a selection rectangle. The program selects all objects
within the rectangle.
- Note:
- Pressing the control key while doing a rectangular selection will toggle the
selections within the rectangle.
- select an initial object. Press the shift key and the left mouse
button. This creates an extended selection that selects all objects
between your initial selection and the mouse.
- Note:
- Dragging the mouse changes the size of the extended selection.
- To deselect an object, simply press click on an empty part of the
screen.
- To deselect a particular object in a group of selected objects, hold the
control key and click on one of the objects.
Positioning objects:
- To move an object or objects, press and hold the left mouse button and
drag the item or items to a new location.
- You can position objects by using the alignment operations in the menus or
on the Design page toolbar.
- To help align objects on the design area, select
- Show > Grid from the View menu to display grid
lines.
- Show > Ruler from the View menu to display ruler
lines.
Sizing objects:
- To change the size of a field, place the mouse over its edge. The
cursor will change to a double-headed arrow. Click the mouse and drag
the object boundaries to the desired size.
- To change a window or help specification's size, select one of the
small boxes that appear around the object boundary and drag it to the desired
size.
Copying and pasting objects:
- To copy an object, select it using the mouse and then:
- press Ctrl + C or
- select Copy from the menu or main toolbar.
- To paste an object, position the cursor where you want the object to
appear and then:
- press Ctrl + V or
- select Paste from the menu or main toolbar.
The toolbar provides quick access to commonly performed actions.
When you place the cursor over one of the toolbar's graphic buttons,
tooltip help appears next to the image. This help is a short
description of the action.
The toolbar also shows the properties for the current anchor object on the Design area. The anchor object
is the object that was selected last.
The following is a list of the available push buttons on the
toolbar.
-
- Displays the Group properties for this group.
-
- Displays the Record properties for this record. A drop-down list next to
displays the name of the current record.
-
- Renames the field or record using the combo box if the button is
latched. When the button is unlatched, this field is searchable.
To search for a DDS object, simply type the first character of the DDS
object's name in the combo box. The first matched name will be
selected in the combo box and the object will be the anchor object in the
Design page.
-
- Makes the next record in the group active.
-
- Makes the previous record in the group active.
-
- Displays the Named indicator sets dialog where you can define which
indicators are on or off. A drop-down list box next to
displays the named indicator set that the Design page is currently
using.
A drop-down list box displays the name of the anchor object. You can
change the name of the selected field in this list box.
- Note:
- Help specifications cannot be renamed using this function.
-
- Specifies this field as a character output field.
-
- Specifies this field as a zoned decimal field.
-
- Specifies this field as a floating-point field.
-
- Specifies this field as a DBCS field.
The drop-down list box next to the field type buttons shows the keyboard
shifts specified for the field.
Numeric spin buttons show the length and decimal positions of a field or
constant. For windows or help specifications in display files, these
spin buttons show the width and height.
Display file attributes:
-
- Specifies the field usage specification as input.
-
- Specifies the field usage specification as output.
-
- Specifies the field usage specification as both input and output.
A color button shows the current color of the anchor object. To
change the color of a selected object, select another color from the
palette.
- Note:
- If multiple objects are selected, the color will change for all selected
objects.
-
- Converts the selected text constant to a named field with the appropriate
length, usage, data type and editing keywords to match the original text
constant.
For example, $999,999.99 will create an input/output
numeric field of length 8 with 2 decimal places and the appropriate edit code
to give it a currency symbol and comma delimeters. If the text constant
is the SDA syntax for creating fields, the desired field will be
created. For example, +3(7,2) will create an input capable
field of length 7 with 2 decimal places.
Display file attributes:
-
- Causes the text to blink.
-
- Displays column separators between each character.
-
- Displays fields at high intensity.
-
- Hides the field.
-
- Reverses the foreground and background colors for the selected
fields.
-
- Underlines the field.
Printer file attributes:
-
- Makes the text in the field bold.
-
- Underlines the field.
-
- Inserts a new line above the current cursor position.
-
- Deletes the line the current cursor is on.
-
- Aligns the left side of the selected objects to the left side of the
anchor object.
-
- Aligns the center of the selected objects to the center of the anchor
object.
-
- Aligns the right side of the selected objects to the right side of the
anchor objects.
-
- Aligns the top of the selected object to the top of the anchor
item.
-
- Centers the selected objects within the design
area.
-
- Evenly spaces all objects on the current line horizontally within the
design area.
The palette is a menu of push buttons which allow you to create records,
fields, and constants on the design area. When
you place the cursor over one of these images, tooltip help appears next to
the image. This help is a short description of the action.
The following is a list of the available push buttons on the
palette.
A checkbox toggles the mouse pointer to 'sticky' mode. You
can add multiple instances of the DDS object without reselecting its push
button.
-
- Creates a new standard record on the Design page.
-
- Creates a subfile record in the Design page.
- Note:
- When the subfile or subfile control record is active, numeric spin buttons
appear on the palette. You can edit the SFLPAG, SFLSIZ, and SFLLIN
keyword parameters by using these spin buttons.
-
- Creates a named field that your program can read and update at run
time.
-
- Creates a continued field which can wrap the applications user's
input into several rows in a rectangular area on the design area.
-
- Creates a date field which allows you to store date information.
-
- Creates a time field which allows you to store time information.
-
- Creates a timestamp field which allows you to store timestamp
information.
-
- Creates a database reference field which has the same attributes as a
field in a database file.
-
- Creates a database reference field by selection which allows you to select
multiple database fields from the AS/400 at the same time.
-
- Creates a source reference field which inherits the characteristics of
another field within the same DDS source file.
-
- Creates a text constant which displays a specified text string.
-
- Creates a message constant field which displays a message from a message
file.
-
- Creates a constant field which contains the job date.
-
- Creates a time constant to display the current system time as a constant
(output-only) field.
-
- Creates a user constant which displays the user profile name for the
current job as a constant (output-only) field.
-
- Creates a system constant which contains your application user's
AS/400 system name.
-
- Creates a help specification to provide cursor-sensitive help for an area
of the display by associating the area with text that is stored
elsewhere.
The palette is a menu of push buttons which allow you to create records,
fields, and constants on the design area. When
you place the cursor over one of these images, tooltip help appears next to
the image. This help is a short description of the action.
The following is a list of the available push buttons on the
palette.
A checkbox toggles the mouse pointer to 'sticky' mode. You
can add multiple instances of the DDS object without reselecting its push
button.
-
- Creates a relative record on the Design page.
-
- Creates an absolute record in the Design page.
-
- Creates a named field to the currently active record that can be read and
updated by your program at run time.
-
- Creates a date field which allows you to store date information.
-
- Creates a time field which allows you to store time information.
-
- Creates a timestamp field which allows you to store timestamp
information.
-
- Creates a database reference field which has the same attributes as a
field in a database file.
-
- Creates a database reference field by selection which allows you to select
multiple database fields from the AS/400 at the same time.
-
- Creates a source reference field which inherits the characteristics of
another field within the same DDS source file.
-
- Creates a text constant which supplies a text description (or comment) for
the record format or field that is used for program documentation.
-
- Creates a message constant field which contains text for constant fields
in a message description.
-
- Creates a constant field which contains the job date (or optionally the
system date).
-
- Creates a time constant to display the current system time as a constant
(output-only) field.
-
- Creates a page constant which displays a page number on your
report.
At the bottom of the palette is a numeric spin button. Use this
field to change the number of sample records in this file.
The Design page contains a ruler which allows you to align the layout of
fields and records. For display files, the page contains a horizontal
and vertical ruler. For printer files, the page contains a horizontal
ruler.
At the bottom of the CODE Designer window is the status line. This
information area displays any error messages occurring in your file or
record.
Use the status line to quickly view the edit mode you are in. The
edit mode specifies if the design area replaces or inserts characters into
existing text fields. Press the Insert key to toggle between replace
and insert mode. You can also view the current row and column position
of the cursor. For PRTF files, you can also view the page number which
is in the format ::,.
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