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Look & Feel 3.2 read.me Copyright (c) 1990, Oakland Group, Inc. All rights reserved. 1: INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing Look & Feel version 3.2. Please return your registration card so we can send you information of new versions and features. We automatically notify registered users of new versions. This file contains a description of the Look & Feel disk, recompiling instructions for various compilers, and a list of errors, omissions, updates to the Look & Feel manual, and instructions for converting Look & Feel version 2.1 .lnf files into Look & Feel version 3.2 .lnf files. Sections that describe new information for Look & Feel 3.2 begin with the phrase "NEW FOR 3.2:". If you wish, you can also purchase the source code of Look & Feel from us. 2: INSTALLATION DOS users: read the section below for installation. VMS, UNIX users: consult the installation documentation for your operating system 2.1: DOS We suggest that you create an "lnf" directory on your hard disk to install Look & Feel. To save space, most of the files on the Look & Feel distribution disks have been archived into the file "lnfarc.exe". To decompress the archive, type "lnfarc" on the command line, followed by the drive and directory in which you wish to place the files. For instance, the command lnfarc c:\lnf unpacks the archive and place its contents on your c: drive in the \lnf directory. Before you begin using Look & Feel, make a backup copy of the lnf.oak file. This file contains all Look & Feel's dialogue boxes and basic screens. If you destroy or alter it, you may be unable to perform any actions on your files. 3: DISK CONTENTS After installing the files from your distribution media, your Look & Feel directory should contain the following files: lnf.c source for Look & Feel's main, for recompilation and linking your own functions (see below) lnf.exe Look & Feel's executable file lnf.hlp Look & Feel's help file lnf.oak screen file with Look & Feel's screens lnfpack.c source code for the lnfpack utility piano.c code generated for screen "piano" in sample.lnf piano.tem a sample template file to accompany piano.c sample.lnf sample screens (including sample_screen from Chapter 2 of the manual) screen.c code generated for the example in Chapter 2 of the manual table.c symbol table for the example in the manual On a more obvious note, your disk also contains the file "read.me". Your distribution also contains platform specific library files, as specified below: 3.1: DOS The following library files are also in lnfarc.exe on the disk: m1llnf.lib Look & Feel's library file, for recompilation and linking under the Microsoft C 5.1 compiler (see below) m6llnf.lib Look & Feel's library file, for recompilation and linking under the Microsoft C 6.0 compiler (see below) t2llnf.lib Look & Feel's library file, for recompilation and linking under the Borland Turbo-C 2.0 compiler (see below) tpllnf.lib Look & Feel's library file, for recompilation and linking under the Borland Turbo-C++ 1.0 compiler (see below) 3.2: VMS The following file is also in [.LNF] directory as a result of the installation restoration of the tape saveset cslnf.bck: lnf.olb Look & Feel's library file, for recompilation and linking (see below) 3.3: SCO UNIX, Interactive 386/ix, and SPARC SunOS The following file is also in the lnf directory on your machine: liblnf.a Look & Feel's library file, for recompilation and linking (see below) 4: IF YOU OWN AN OLDER VERSION OF LOOK & FEEL... Conversion of .lnf files from versions previous to Look & Feel 3.1 to new .lnf files is simple. Import the screen from old .lnf file with the Disk-Import command. When you save the screen, Look & Feel places it in a new .lnf file. Sfiles from versions 3.1 are compatible with those for version 3.2; you can load them with the Disk-Load command. For your own convenience, you may wish to keep the old .lnf files in a different directory from that in which the new version and its files reside. 5: IF YOU ARE RUNNING LOOK & FEEL ON A UNIX SYSTEM... NEW FOR 3.2: Because of restrictions on key mappings under UNIX, you cannot use the accelerator keys as specified in the manual. Instead of pressing CTRL and a key simultaneously, press CTRL-X and then the particular key. For instance, to open a new screen, press CTRL-X and then "O", instead of CTRL-O. The unique key ("O", in this example) is always the same key as is named in the manual. 6: IF YOU ARE RUNNING LOOK & FEEL ON A VMS SYSTEM... The VMS version of Look & Feel is functionally identical to the DOS version with these exceptions: * Some Quick-Keys are simulated by a Meta key sequence: Quick Key Meta key Sequence Equivalent Control-M Control-X M Control-I Control-X I Control-Q Control-X Q Control-Home Control-X Find Control-End Control-X Select See the INSTALL.TXT file for a description of the Meta keys. * Only single lines are available for line-drawing, if your terminal supports the line-drawing characters. * The 43-line mode setting in the Tools-Global box has no effect. * The dialogue boxes of Disk-Load, Disk-Save, and Editor-Open behave slightly different. In the "File" field, only filename specifications are significant; relative path specifications are disregarded and not appended to the path specification of the "Dir" field. 6.1: LNF.EXE and screen files The VMS version of Look & Feel expects to find the LNF.OAK system screen file in one of two places. It first looks in the current default directory, then in the directory in which LNF.EXE resides. 6.2: Dialogue boxes Dialogue boxes may contain fields labeled "dir" and "file". Under DOS and UNIX Look & Feel, when you specify a relative path in the "file" field, Look & Feel attempts to join this to the entry in the "dir" field to form the complete path specification. Under VMS, Look & Feel ignores any path specification entered into the "file" field. 6.3: File saving and revision numbers The creation of files with incremental revision numbers occurs in a different manner for screen files than editor files. Screen files (.LNF files) saved to a file with a filename that already exists overwrite the current version of that file, unless you specify a particular revision number in the filename when saving the file. Editor window contents saved to a file with a filename that already exists create a new file with a revision number one greater than the current revision, unless you specify a particular revision number when saving the file. If you do specify a revision number in the filename when saving either a screen file or the contents of an editor window and that file revision exists, then the file overwritten. Finally, if you specify a filename or a filename with a particular revision number that does not yet exist, then a new file is created. 7: RECOMPILING AND LINKING FUNCTIONS To include custom field functions, border functions, and any other functions, you must make the appropriate changes to lnf.c and recompile it. 7.1: Changing lnf.c For information on linking new functions into Look & Feel, consult lnf.c. 7.2: Recompiling lnf.exe Recompiling Look & Feel has different requirements for the different compilers. 7.2.1: Microsoft 5.1 Use the following command line arguments to compile under MS C 5.1: cl /c /DM5 /AL /Olt /Gs /FPc /I\cscape\include lnf.c Then use the following arguments when you link. Make sure you use the Microsoft large model libraries (m1llnf.lib, m1llnf.lib, m1lowl.lib). You MUST link to m1llnf.lib BEFORE the C-scape libraries. link /SE:500 /NOE lnf, , , m1llnf.lib \cscape\lib\m1lcscap.lib \cscape\lib\m1lowl.lib; 7.2.2: Turbo C 2.0 For Turbo C 2.0, use the following command line arguments to compile: tcc -c -ml -I. -I\cscape\include lnf.c Then use the following arguments when you link. Make sure you use the Turbo-C large model libraries (t2llnf.lib, t2llnf.lib, t2lowl.lib). You MUST link to t2llnf.lib BEFORE the C-scape libraries. tlink \tc\lib\c0l lnf, , , \tc\lib\emu \tc\lib\mathl \tc\lib\cl t2llnf.lib \cscape\lib\t2lcscap.lib \cscape\lib\t2lowl.lib 7.2.3: Microsoft C 6.0 Use the following command line arguments to compile under MS C 6.0: cl /c /AL /I\cscape\include lnf.c Then use the following arguments when you link. Make sure you use the Microsoft large model libraries (m6llnf.lib, m6llnf.lib, m6lowl.lib). You MUST link to m6llnf.lib BEFORE the C-scape libraries. link /SE:500 /ST:4096 /NOE lnf, , , m6llnf.lib \cscape\lib\m6lcscap.lib \cscape\lib\m6lowl.lib; 7.2.4: Turbo C++ 1.0 For Turbo C++ 1.0, use the following command line arguments to compile: tcc -P -c -ml -I\cscape\include lnf.c Then use the following arguments when you link. Make sure you use the Turbo-C++ large model libraries (tpllnf.lib, tpllnf.lib, tplowl.lib). You MUST link to tpllnf.lib BEFORE the C-scape libraries. tlink \tc\lib\c0l lnf, lnf, , tpllnf.lib \cscape\lib\tplcscap \cscape\lib\tplowl \tc\lib\emu \tc\lib\mathl \tc\lib\cl 7.2.5: Interactive 386/ix, SCO UNIX, and SPARC SunOS As discussed in the C-scape for UNIX Installation Notes, Look & Feel is distributed on a tar formatted diskette for these three platforms; refer to that document for more information on installation. To rebuild Look & Feel, use the makefile in the lnf directory. You must customize the makefile for the system on which you are running. Use the instructions from the C-scape for UNIX Installation Notes concerning the OWL and C-scape makefiles. Once you have done this, compile and link Look & Feel by typing: make lnf 7.2.6: VMS C Use the MAKELNF.COM file provided on your distribution tape to recompile LNF.EXE. 8: ABOUT LNFPACK When you delete screens from an sfile, the space that they use is not automatically deleted. As you add new screens, Look & Feel uses this empty space. If you want to remove this empty space (for instance, for the sfiles that you wish to ship with a product), we have included the source code for the utility lnfpack, which does this. (Compile it as you would any other C-scape program.) When you run lnfpack on a file, it packs it and gives the packed version of the file the .pak suffix. For example, to pack the file screens.lnf, type lnfpack screens.lnf lnfpack then creates the file screens.pak. After creating the file, it prints the message "screens.pak created." to the display. 9: UPDATES TO THE MANUAL Since printing the manual, there have been several commands added to Look & Feel. Certain commands have been changed and are now more powerful. The structure of this chapter parallels that of the manual, and includes both new and changed commands. NEW FOR 3.2: IMPORTANT: If you are using Look & Feel on a UNIX system, you cannot use the accelerator keys as specified in the manual. Instead of pressing CTRL and a key simultaneously, press CTRL-X and then the particular key. For instance, to open a new screen, press CTRL-X and then O, instead of CTRL-O. The unique key ("O", in this example) is always the same key as is named in the manual. 9.1: General Changes This section discusses changes involving the main menu and status bar, mouse support, dialogue boxes, screen types and the help system. Its contents encompass changes to both "What is Look & Feel?" and "Inside Look & Feel." 9.1.1: The Main Menu There is an additional choice in the Main Menu, the Help choice. This choice allows you to call Look & Feel's help system with the mouse. 9.1.2: The Status Bar The status bar displays the current cursor position within the active screen. Note the uppermost row is row zero and the leftmost column is column zero. 9.1.3: Dialogue Boxes and LNFPATH In all dialogue boxes with a "Dir" field, the field only displays the working directory if you are performing an action on a screen whose directory is different from that of lnf.exe. NEW FOR 3.2: Look & Feel loads its dialogue boxes from the file lnf.oak using the environment variable LNFPATH. When you start Look & Feel running, Look & Feel gets a copy of lnf.oak from your computer. It first searches the directory in which you have lnf.exe, then searches according the path specified by LNFPATH, and then according to your PATH. (You can set LNFPATH like other environment variables, either in your autoexec.bat or at your operating system prompt.) If Look & Feel gets lnf.oak locally, the Config File field of the Global Settings box displays only the file name "lnf.oak"; if Look & Feel gets lnf.oak by searching LNFPATH or PATH, the path of the directory from which it gets lnf.oak appears in the Config File field. Note: Look & Feel also searches for and gets its copies of lnf.hlp in the same manner as it finds lnf.oak. 9.1.4: Mouse Support You can pop up the Field Edit box by double-clicking on a field or clicking on a field in the field list. The Screen Edit box pops up if you double-click on any other area in a screen. Clicking over the screen list removes the list and returns control to whatever screen you clicked on. You can remove any popup box by clicking outside of it. Fields in which the Space Bar toggles between choices also toggle with a mouse click. Look & Feel now has an additional mouse handler, sedmou_Framer. This handler is designed exclusively for use with Framer menuing system. Framers must have it to support the mouse. 9.1.5: Sleds In addition to seds, teds, framers, and slugs, Look & Feel supports the creation and use of the "sled" screen. A sled (Scrolling List EDitor) allows you to view and manipulate a list of data whose size you cannot predict. It has a small number of identical rows, each of which contains one or more fields and manages its own data in internal arrays called column arrays. The field variables point to successive elements in the column array. The sled automatically creates and maintains a column array for each of its field columns. It also governs mapping of field variables to the data of the column arrays. Because they are dynamically resizable, sleds are useful, for instance, as interfaces into databases, and can even be embedded in seds. To create a sled, select sled in the Type field of the Screen Open box. The basic sled is three fields wide; the field functions for its fields are string_funcs, pint_funcs, and cmoney_funcs. It has the border bd_prompt and the special function spc_Sled. To add a row to a running sled, press "+"; to delete a row, press "-". 9.1.6: The Help System You can use Look & Feel's help system with either the keyboard (as discussed in the manual) or with the mouse. To select a keyword with the mouse, click on it. Control then passes to the keyword's screen. You can move back to the screen from which the keyword was selected by choosing the "Previous Screen" keyword. You can enter the help index from any screen by selecting the "Index" keyword. To exit the help system, select the "Quit" keyword. 9.1.7: Keystroke Recording and Playback NEW FOR 3.2: Look & Feel now has the feature of keystroke recording and playback (as in the Look & Feel demo). The -r (or R) option starts it running in RECORD mode; the -p (or P) option starts it running in PLAYBACK mode. To specify the file that you would like to record or play, pass it to Look & Feel as an argument after you specify its mode. For example, to record the file "test.key", start Look & Feel running with the following: lnf -rtest.key To play this script, start Look & Feel running with: lnf -ptest.key 9.2: Disk Commands Disk-Code: The Code Generate box is different from that described in the manual. Instead of automatically generating code for the active screen, you can specify the screen for which you wish to generate code. (By default, the screen listed for generation is the active screen, but you can indicate a different one.) You can specify the directory from which the screen and template both originate. You can also specify the destination directory for the generated code. The Template File field uses the Plus key interface and checks for files with the ".tem" suffix. NEW FOR 3.2: Disk-Code: Selecting "Yes" in the ANSI field of the Code Generate box causes Look & Feel to create code that conforms to ANSI standard C; selecting "No" creates K&R-style code. Disk-Table: The Symbol Table Generate box is different from that described in the manual. Instead of automatically generating a symbol table for the active screen's sfile, you can select the sfile for which you wish to generate a symbol table. (By default, the sfile listed for generation is the active screen's sfile, but you can select a different one.) You can specify the directory from which the sfile and template both originate. You can also specify the destination directory for the generated symbol table. The Template File field uses the Plus key interface and checks for files with the ".tem" suffix. Disk-Import: The manual states that the "Import From" field has two choices, but, in fact, it has three: ASCII, DBD, and OLDLNF. The OLDLNF option allows you to import screens designed with version 2.1 of Look & Feel. See above, in Section 4. Disk-Save: You cannot include the "." (period) character in screen names. If you do this, Look & Feel truncates the name; for instance, the name "input.screen" becomes "input". This is because Look & Feel uses the period to indicate that a screen is nested. For instance, if you embed a text editor called "my_edit" in a data entry screen called "my_data", Look & Feel calls the text editor "my_data.my_edit". 9.3: Screen Commands Screen-Edit: The Screen Edit box has an additional field in its border features area. You can now give a border a "Top" feature, which brings the window to the foreground when you click the mouse on it. Look & Feel gives all its windows this feature in EDIT mode, but, in GO mode or when running, you can only top those windows whose borders have this feature enabled. Screen-Edit: There are several additional functions which allow you to customize your screens. The mouse handler "sedmou_Framer" is available for use with Framer menus. The special function "spc_Sled" is for use with sleds (Scrolling List EDitors). Two additional attributes are available for each screen: HiSel and HiReg. HiSel and HiReg define the colors of the highlighted character in a field when the field is selected and unselected, respectively. See the entry under field commands for more information on highlighted fields. Screen-Edit: The Screen Edit box's "name" field is not a protected field. If you wish to change the name of a screen, call the Screen Edit box and edit its name there. Screen-Wipe: This command allows you to clear all text and fields from the active screen. When you call this command, Look & Feel asks you if you wish to remove the screen's contents. If you choose to do this, the contents of the screens are removed permanently. Once you have wiped a screen, there is no way to restore its contents. Screen-Open: You can give a screen a name and an sfile when you open it. To see which screen names are in use in an sfile, you can use the Plus interface in the screen field of the Screen Open box. If you select a name in use, Look & Feel uses it. If you then save the screen, you will destroy the screen that had the name first. (NOTE: You cannot include the "." (period) character in screen names. If you do this, Look & Feel truncates the name; for instance, the name "input.screen" becomes "input". This is because Look & Feel uses the period to indicate that a screen is nested. For instance, if you embed a text editor called "my_edit" in a data entry screen called "my_data", Look & Feel calls the text editor "my_data.my_edit".) NEW FOR 3.2: Screen-Freshen: This command clears and redraws the screen, in the event that any "trash" appears on the screen, from line noise, OS messages, or other sources. This command is specifically designed for multi-tasking operating systems, such as UNIX, VMS, and QNX. This command's quick key is Ctrl-Z. 9.4: Field Commands Field-Edit: The manual states that the Field Edit box's Bobtype field displays the string "Bob-A," "Bob-E," "Ufunc," or "N/A". It has been changed to instead display the less arcane "Attach," "Embed," "Ufunc," or "*", for the non-bob case. NEW FOR 3.2: Field-Edit: Look & Feel now allows you to highlight a character in every field. Highlighted characters have their own attributes; in a menu, they serve as an identifier for the field during a search (instead of the first letter). To highlight a character, go to the spec field of the field edit box and press the Space Bar. This allows you to move across the spec with the arrow keys. When you are over the character you wish to highlight, press F5. Exit the field edit box and the character you selected is now colored with the screen's highlighted attributes. You can change these attributes in the Screen Edit box. NEW FOR 3.2: Field-Edit: To set the highlighted character for the selection items from a list_funcs list, place an "@" immediately before the character you wish to highlight. For instance, if your choices are blue, black, and brown, and you wish to highlight the "b" in "blue", the "l" in "black", and the "r" in "brown", the string in the second pointer of the Field Edit box should then be "@blue,b@lack,b@rown". Field-Edit: To move from editing one field to another while in the Field Edit box, press Ctrl-N. This passes control to the next field and places all the information about that field in the Field Edit box. Control remains in the same field in the box (i.e., Spec, Name, or wherever it is). Field-Global Edit: With this command, you alter all a screen's fields. You can give every field the same field function, variable type, field width, and protection mode. For instance, if you decide that all your fields should have a width of six, enter a six in the width field and then check off the field. If you do not check off a field, its value is not made global. You can unmark any fields which you have marked and you can also choose whether or not the screens bobs are affected. For more information on the parameters that you can set, consult Section 6.1 of the Look & Feel Manual. 9.5: Block Commands NEW FOR 3.2: You can now use the mouse to execute all Look & Feel block commands. To use a block command, click the mouse at one corner of the region you wish to manipulate and hold it down; next, drag it to the end of that region and release it. Look & Feel then places a popup on the display with a list of the block commands; click on the one you want and Look & Feel calls it. Note that in this interface, marking is always by column in regular screens and by row in editor windows. 9.6: Editor Commands Editor-Open: This command now has the quick key "F6". 9.7: Nesting Commands NEW FOR 3.2: Nesting-Attach: When you attach a screen to a field in another screen, the field in the parent screen should have bob_funcs as its field function. NEW FOR 3.2: Nesting-Attach: When you attach one screen to another, you have control of the child screen's position. (This is a change from Look & Feel 3.1, in which the child position was set automatically.) 9.8: Tools Tools-Global Settings: The Global Settings box has more options than listed in the manual. The "Sound" field turns your computer's sound on and off. The "Overwrite Prompt" field allows you to choose whether or not Look & Feel prompts you before you overwrite a screen or file. The "Monochrome" field allows you to toggle between a color display and a simulation of a monochrome display; this allows you to see how your color applications look on a monochrome monitor. The "43 Line Mode" field allows you to toggle between 25 and 43 line mode on EGA and VGA monitors; on other monitors, toggling this field does nothing. Tools-Character: Under DOS, if you place the right arrow character (hex 1a, dec 26) in a text file, the file is truncated at that character when it is next loaded. This is because the character is the DOS end of file character. 9.9: Help Commands Help-Help: This command calls Look & Feel's help system. See below for more information on the help system. Help-Quick Keys: This command displays a list Look & Feel's Quick Keys. 9.10: Field Functions Look & Feel offers several field functions which are not listed in the manual. These are click_funcs, nowrite_funcs, plong_funcs, radio_funcs, and togint_funcs. click_funcs boolean * Treats the field as a menu choice. Supports grid movement among fields. Pressing the first letter of a field or Enter selects that choice and exits the sed. nowrite_funcs char * Treats the field as a menu choice. Supports grid movement among fields. Identical to menu_funcs except it uses string_senter. The text of the menu choice is determined by the contents of the field's string variable. Hence, it can be changed at run-time but the user may not edit the field. Upon exit the value of the field is not written back to the variable. plong_funcs long * Positive integer function, identical to long_funcs except that it allows only positive values. Needs no space for a minus sign. togint_funcs int * Allows the user to cycle through a list of choices by pressing the space bar. The field's second data pointer contains choice definitions. Copies the number of the final choice into the field's variable. NEW FOR 3.2: radio_funcs boolean * Allows for the exclusive selection of one field from a group of fields, each of which has the same field name. Requires at least one writeable position. Look & Feel does not include select_funcs in its available field functions because it requires a structure for its variable. If you need a field to hold list of options, use toggle_funcs. 9.11: User Functions For pedagogical purposes, we have included a sample user function, lnf_Beep. This function sounds your computer's speaker at a tone. The idata value you select for field's user function determines the pitch of the tone. Refer to the "piano" screen in sample.lnf for a sample of its use. See lnf.c for the function's code. 10: ERRATA IN THE MANUAL Page Correction 6 Warning box directly above 1.3.3: The manual states that "all quick key sequences are keystroke mappings of calls to the main menu." Ctrl-G, which allows you to move to a selected line, does not have an equivalent menu choice. 7 Table: The table refers to FMARK mode, which does not exist. When marking a field, you enter FEDIT (FIELD EDIT) mode (which is discussed in Sections 6.1 and 6.2). 8 Third paragraph under Dialogue Boxes: You can pop up a list of choices not only by pressing "+", but by clicking the mouse. 9 Third paragraph: The manual says that the Type field in the Screen-Open box toggles among several choices. It actually uses the Plus key interface to pop up a list of choices. 11 Mouse box: There is a missing "is" between "which" and "equivalent" in the first sentence. 13 Last paragraph in Section 2.1: The manual says that the main editing area is obscured by the menu and status bar. In fact, the main editing area is only twenty-two lines tall (including its border) and resides between the menu and the status bar. 15 Step 1 in the procedure: The manual says that Field-Mark takes us into FIELD mode, but, in fact, we enter FEDIT mode. 15 Step 3 in the procedure: The manual says, "After writing the spec, press Enter." Before pressing Enter, move the cursor over the last character in the field with the Left arrow. This ensures that the spec has the proper width. 19 Step 1 in the procedure: The manual mentions the "phone" field, but should call it the "Phone" field. 19 Step 2 in the procedure: The manual refers to FIELD MARK mode, but, in fact, we enter FEDIT mode. 25 Screen shot: The screen shot mistakenly places a blank row between each field, while the instructions assume there is no space between the fields. 27 Procedure for code generation: The manual does not describe the Code Generation box as it is. See Section 6.2 of this document for a discussion of the Code Generation box. The code in screen.c includes test code and conforms to ANSI standards, though the manual does not mention this. 27 Screen shot: Same error as in screen shot on p. 25. 35 "A Ted from a Sed," paragraph 2: The special function that you must attach to the screen is spc_EmbedTed. 58 Warning in Section 5.1.8: The manual states "that shadow color determines the screen's color whether or not it is in a shadow." The shadow color determines the color of that section of the screen that is in the shadow. The rest of the screen has its usual colors. 76 Section 6.2 text: The manual states that Field-Mark (Ctrl-F) puts Look & Feel in MARK mode (which does not exist). Look & Feel, in fact, enters FEDIT mode. 91 First paragraph in Section 9.1: The manual says the Editor-Open command pops up the Screen Load box, but it actually pops up the Editor Load box. 108 Section 12.2: The manual does not mention the FSYM_CLASS delimiter, which indicates the start of the class function symbols. Consult the C-scape read.me for more information on this topic. 111 Data type of bob_funcs: Manual says that bob_funcs take NULL when they in fact take void. 112 Data type of framer_funcs: Manual says that framer_funcs take NULL when they in fact take void. 113 Data type of slug_funcs: Manual says that slug_funcs take NULL when they in fact take void. 116 Quick Keys, by Keystroke: The manual states that Ctrl-Z resets a dialogue box to default values. It actually clears and redraws the screen, to remove any "trash" that appears from line noise, OS messages, or other sources. 116 Quick Keys, by Keystroke: The manual contains no references to the "F6" key. F6 calls the Editor Load box. 117 Quick Keys, by Function: The manual states that Ctrl-Z resets a dialogue box to default values. It actually clears and redraws the screen, to remove any "trash" that appears from line noise, OS messages, or other sources. 118 Quick Keys, by Function: The manual contains no references to the "F6" key. F6 calls the Editor Load box. 11: COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS NEW FOR 3.2: Here we offer answers to questions that we have received from Look & Feel users. 11.1 How do I create a menuing system with Look & Feel? There are four basic steps to creating a menuing system from scratch: * design the entire menu; * create the main menu; * create each of the submenus; and * attach each of the submenus to the main menu. Before you begin building a menuing system, figure out how the entire structure works. For instance, let's suppose you have a main menu with four selections: two call submenus, one calls a user function, and the last returns a value. This means that you have to build the main menu and two submenus. You can set up fields that return values or call functions later. To create the main menu screen, start with a basic sed and lay out fields in it in whatever form you like. For a standard vertical slug, you must create a vertical menu: Fields should all have the same width and sit in successive rows. For a framer or a horizontal slug, you must create a horizontal menu: Fields should sit end-to-end in a single row. (You can also create a menu in which the fields are laid out some other way, though a framer menu does not work properly if its fields are laid out vertically.) Give these fields either slug_funcs or framer_funcs; the only functional difference between the two is that the main menu of a slug menu disappears when submenus are displayed, while a framer menu displays main and sub menus simultaneously. Once you have laid out all the fields and given them functions, resize the screen so it holds fields and no more. You now have a main menu and can proceed onward. Having created the main menu, you must now create the submenus. Begin by opening a basic sed. This will be the submenu for your first main menu selection. (When you open any new screen, make sure you give it a name[--] having several screens called "*" can be very confusing.) To create this submenu, use the same method as for the main menu. If your menuing system is a framer or vertical slug, this must be a vertical menu; if it is horizontal slug menu, this must be a horizontal menu. All the fields in this menu should have the same field function as those in the main menu. Now resize the screen to hold only the fields. Once this is finished, use the same procedure to create the second submenu. You should now place the menus where you want them to appear on the display. For a standard framer, the parent menu runs across the top of the display; the submenus should be immediately below the fields that call them. For a slug, the parent menu either runs across the top of the display (horizontal) or down the side (vertical); in either case, the submenus should cover the same section of the display as the parent. Look & Feel allows you to select whatever layout you want[--]these or something new. As you place the parent menu and submenus on the display, you may decide that the default border, bd_prompt, is not the best border for your menuing system. For instance, if you want your horizontal slug menu to resemble a Lotus menuing system, you can use the border, bd_123; bd_123 is a simple border that displays a prompt string immediately below its screen, without putting a box around the screen. If you want your border to display instructive prompts for your users, you must use a border that can hold prompts, such as bd_123, bd_mouse, bd_null, bd_prompt, or bd_std. Keep in mind the difference between a menu with a visible outline and an invisible one; each has its advantages. Once you are satisfied with the location and border of each menu, you can attach the submenus to the main menu. Returning to the particulars of the example, there are two submenus and the main menu. To attach the submenus to the main menu, pass control into the main menu, move to a field to which you want to attach a submenu, and call Look & Feel's Nesting-Attach command, Ctrl-W. Look & Feel then places a list of screen on the display. Go to the submenu you want to select and press Enter. At this point, Look & Feel places the Field Edit box on the display. Make sure that the field to which you are attaching the main menu already has framer_funcs or slug_funcs as its field function and press Enter. You have given the main menu field a submenu. Now repeat the process for the other field with a submenu. If you enter GO mode and select a choice with a submenu, the submenu now pops up. 11.2 When I generate code for a menuing system, it looks different then when I write code to create one according to instructions in the C-scape manual. Both framers and slugs are actually seds. As higher level objects, C-scape allows you to manipulate them with routines that are macros for sed_ functions. In fact, a framer and its pulldowns are a sed and some independent bobs. Though the terminology for menuing systems differs from that of bobs, the two are operationally identical--that's why Look & Feel's generated code for framers and slugs looks as if it's just for a sed with some bobs. If you are looking for frame_Open, slug_Go, or some other function, you will only find their sed_ equivalents. Though this is different from the paradigm described in the C-scape manual, it allows you greater ability to customize your work, since you can manipulate each menu individually, and not only as part of a larger structure. 11.3 After I have opened a basic framer or basic horizontal slug, the display becomes blank when I press Enter. Why is this? Basic framers and horizontal slugs have several traits in common: they are only one line tall, have no border, and have a background attribute of 0x07. If you press Enter, the single row of the basic screen is no longer displaying the menu choices--it's displaying the row beneath the menu choices. This row appears to be invisible because it's black and is sitting on top of the background sed, which is also black. To view the fields in the menuing system, press the UP key to move to the row that contains the fields. You can also give the screen a border, which clearly demarcates the difference between it and the background. Another option is change the menuing system's attributes in the Screen Edit box; by giving it a background attribute with a background color that is not black, the screen will always be visible on a black background. 11.4 How can I or should use the type field in Field Edit box? The type field in the Field Edit box holds the C variable type that the field uses. Normally, you do not need to edit this field or even pay attention to it. If you select a standard field function, Look & Feel automatically sets the type for the field. If you select a field function that is not linked in, the field's variable type is, by default, whatever type the field presently holds. Since, by default, fields have string_funcs as their field functions, the default type is char *. If you select, for instance, click_funcs and then enter a custom field function, the type is void, since click_funcs take a void. Look & Feel actually sets the variable for field by combining the type and the variable. For instance, if you select string_funcs as a field function (with char * as the type) and give the field the variable name, the field's variable is char *name. Look & Feel takes care of this on its own, so you usually need not even think about this; it only becomes important when your application involves arrays (see below). 11.5 How can I use arrays as variables in Look & Feel? To use an array of variables to hold the variables for a screen, you need to perform two actions: (1) pass the variables in question values along the array and (2) ensure that the variable types handle array entries properly. These changes are fairly simple, but vary according to variable types. For instance, if you wish to use an array of strings, you need only set the variables to array values, such as list[0], list[1], and list[2]. Since an array of strings is an array of pointers to characters, you don't need to change the variable type and are finished. For any other kind of variable, you must change the variable's type. For instance, suppose you are creating an array of integers. First, set the variables to array members (as above). Next, change the variables' types so that instead of being pointers to ints (int *) they are simply ints (int). This is because when you select a field function that uses ints, Look & Feel automatically sets the variable type to int *; you need to change this to int, so that the code generated for the field will be int list[2], which is the third member of an array of ints. If you do not change the field's variable type, the generated code will be int *list[2], which is the third member of an array of pointers to ints. Remember that when Look & Feel generates code it simply concatenates the contents of the type and variable fields from the Field Edit box. Example: type: char * var: name code: char *name; type: int * var: x[3] code: int *x[3]; type: int var: x[3] code: int x[3]; If your needs indicate that you may need an array of mixed variable types, use a structure (next). 11.6 How can I use structures as variables in Look & Feel? Using elements of a structure to hold variables has three major steps. These are: (1) defining your variables to hold elements of a structure, (2) generating test code, and (3) defining the structure. Suppose you are designing a screen to hold product registration information, such as the product owner's name, phone number, and serial number. Let's call this screen "reg_screen". It has three fields; one with string_funcs and the other two with digit_funcs. When you create each field, you need to pass it the definition of an element of a structure (instead of the usual variable name). For instance, let's say that you want the structure to be a "reg_struct" (short for registration structure) called "my_struct". A sample variable might be: struct reg_struct my_struct->name This construction of a variable refers to the structure my_struct of type reg_struct. To use this variable, you enter it in the var field of the Field Edit box. The phone and serial number fields would hold the phone and serial elements, respectively. Example: type: char * var: struct reg_struct my_struct->name Having finished creating your screen, generate code for it that includes test code. The generated code will not work, however, as Look & Feel knows nothing about your new structure. You must fix the code by bringing it into Look & Feel's editor. Here, you have to define the structure type that you are using. This definition looks like this: struct reg_struct { char name[100]; char phone[100]; char serial[100]; }; This is a structure with three elements, each of which is an array of up to 100 characters. (Even though the fields probably aren't one hundred characters wide, making the structure's arrays one hundred characters wide ensures that there won't be a memory overwrite.) Place this definition immediately after the #includes in the test code. Within main, place a declaration of the particular structure that you wish to use. In this example, this declaration should be: struct struct_reg my_struct; Next, initialize the values of the variables in the structure: my_struct.name[0] = '\0'; my_struct.phone[0] = '\0'; my_struct.serial[0] = '\0'; Also in main is a function that displays the registration screen, which, by default, has the same name as the screen within Look & Feel: reg_screen(&my_struct); Below main is the reg_screen function. With the alterations you have made to the code, you can now compile it and display an operational screen. If you want to continue manipulating the screen, delete the reg_screen function from the file and save everything you have done. After you are finished with any changes to the screen, generate code without generating test code and calling the file with definitions and declarations as a template file. This gives you code with a structure definition, variable initializations, and a routine to display the screen. 11.7 When I generate code or a symbol table, why does Look & Feel not always include the right header files? Look & Feel cannot check your screens to see which header files you need when you generate code or a symbol table. It automatically includes stdio.h, cscape.h, teddecl.h, msys.h and no other header files. If you want your generated file to call the appropriate header files, you must use a template file. A template file is a file that you create[--]it contains only the "include" lines for a .c file. A sample template file might look like this: #include <stdio.h> #include <string.h> #include <cscape.h> #include <teddecl.h> #include <sled.h> #include <msys.h> To ensure that your generated code has all the headers you need, create a template file that calls them. When you are in the Code Generate or the Symbol Table Generate box, go to the Template field and enter the name of the file with the headers in it. When Look & Feel generates the code, it automatically includes your template and calls the appropriate headers. 12: OAKLAND GROUP BBS NEW FOR 3.2: Our BBS supports color ANSI screens. Here is basic information to use it: BBS Phone Number: (206) 236-6485 Baud Rates 1200 and 2400 Line Protocol: 8 data bits 1 stop bit No parity Download Protocols: ASCII XMODEM XMODEM-CRC YMODEM YMODEM/BATCH ZMODEM We encourage all to use the bulletin board as a forum by which to share C-scape ideas, comments and code. If you have a problem and cannot solve it with the methods described above, call Oakland Group technical support. For more information on technical support and on our user groups on BIX and UUNET, see the pamphlet Oakland Group Support and Training, which is part of the C-scape package.