How To Transfer Forms From The Screen - HP 262SA Reference Manual

Designing and Using Forms
HOW TO TRANSFER FORMS FROM THE SCREEN TO A HOST
COMPUTER
When writing application programs that will display a form structure on the terminal's
screen, you may, of course, choose to code the program statements that issue the necessary
escape sequences, SO and SI codes, and data. For complex form structures however, this
method can be both tedious and prone to error.
An easier method is to design the form at the terminal and then transfer the form structure
from the screen to the host computer where it can be accessed by or incorporated into your
program. If the terminal is connected to an HP 3000 Computer System, you may use the
FORMSPEC portion ·ofV/3000, and then include appropriate V/3000 intrinsic calls in your
application programs to use the form in the run-time environment.
Figure 5-5 shows the source listing of a BASIC/3000 program that reads a completed form
structure from the terminal's screen and generates the PRINT statements necessary to
recreate the form on the screen. FORMIO was designed primarily to assist with the program-
ming of complex data entry forms which are much easier to create using the terminal's
function keys than to code directly in PRINT statements. You may, however, use it with any
type of data (normal alphanumeric text, math symbols, and line drawing set elements).
NOTE: The following program was written to be compatible with the HP 3000 computer. If
it is to be used with another type computer, modification may be necessary. In
addition, the
InhHndShk(G)
and
Inh DC2(H)
fields on the Terminal Configuration
menu must be set to
ttNO".
5-7