Chapter D 3 : Entering and Editing Data in Windows

This chapter describes how to use windows in Advanced Revelation. Included in this chapter are descriptions of how to move from prompt to prompt in a window and how to enter and edit data at a prompt.

When using a window, you can move forward and backward within a prompt or from prompt to prompt. You can also make use of tab stops or a prompt popup to move quickly across several prompts. If the window consists of several pages in virtual space, you may be able to use the page keys to move from page to page.

You can also use a mouse to move the cursor in windows. For more information, see the chapter “Configuring for the Workstation: Mouse, Display, and Printers” later in this section.

The use of cursor keys at multilined prompts (text or multivalue prompts) is affected by the status of the Editor. The Editor can be on or off. If the Editor is on, cursor movement will be within the prompt. If the Editor is off, the cursor will move between different prompts in the window.

To toggle the Editor on or off, use the [F4] key. The status of the Editor is displayed at the status line. For specifics about the effect of the Editor mode on cursor move- ment keys, note the entries in the following tables carefully.

When entering or editing data at a prompt, you will be using a full featured text editor. The Editor permits you to edit individual characters, words or lines. In addition, you will be able to use features of the Editor to cut and paste blocks of text at the current prompt entry line, or search for specific text within the current prompt entry line.

As you work with windows, remember that [Ctrl-F9] will provide you with a summary of keystrokes which are active.

The tables that follow explain how to move the cursor within a prompt’s entry lines or from prompt to prompt.

Because of the various types of prompts that are available in Advanced Revelation windows, there are separate instructions for moving within and between text, multivalue and associated multivalue prompts.

The following table summarizes how to move the cursor within the entry line for a prompt. Note that the keys used for vertical movement ({ J J, [PgUp], etc.) are active at prompts which contain more than one line of data (text and multivalue prompts).

At text prompts and at multivalue prompts containing data (Editor on)

The following table summarizes how to move between different prompts in a window. When moving from or to a prompt containing more than one line (text or multivalue prompts), note that the meaning of certain keys ({ |], [PgUpl, etc.) is dependent on the status of the Editor.

In order to use the tab prompts, the window must previously have had tab settings established.

For example, if you choose Management-Set Video from the Main menu, the Set Video window appears:

Set Vi < 
Application Windows 

Jorder 
I 

I 

I 
Highlight 
Border type I 

! 

I 

    | 
¢ | 

Border type 2 

The data in this window sets the video display of menus, windows, and popups in your system.

When the window appears, the cursor is on the entry line for the first prompt. To move to the next prompt, use [ J ], [Enter], or [Ctrl-PgDn]. To move to the previous prompt, use [ T ] or [Ctrl-PgUp].

Some prompts are marked with a tab stop. To skip to the next tab prompt, press [Alt-T]. To skip to the previous tab prompt, press [Alt-Y].

The [Alt-A] keys provide a convenient way to go directly to the prompt you want. When you press [Alt-A], a popup appears listing all the window’s prompts. To choose a prompt, move the highlight to the one you want and press [Enter].

Application developers may protect the data displayed at some of the prompts in a window. Ifa prompt has been designated as a protected prompt, the cursor will not stop at the prompt. Instead, the cursor will skip right over the prompt to the next prompt that can be edited. If a prompt is designated as filled and protected (FP), the window will automatically fill in the default data as the cursor skips over it. If a prompt is designated as required and protected (RP), the window will prompt for data in new records, and protect the data from then on.

When the cursor first moves to an empty multivalue prompt, the Editor is off. If you make no entry, [J J or [Enter] sends you to the next prompt. As soon as you begin typing, the Editor turns on and [ J ] or [Enter] sends you to the next multi- value entry line within the prompt.

To move to the next prompt from a multivalue prompt, press [ 1 ] or [Enter] at the lowest empty entry line associated with the multivalue prompt. To move to the next prompt from a text prompt, press [J ] or [Enter] at a blank line at the bottom of the prompt entry area.

To move to a previous prompt from a multivalue or a text prompt, press [ T] on the top line.

You can jump directly to any specific value (line) in a multivalued or text prompt by using [Ctr]-G].

When you press [Ctr]-G] at multivalued or text prompt, or at an associated multi- valued group, a message at the bottom of the screen asks:

Line number to go to? 

Enter the value, indicating the line to which you wish to jump.

If you enter a number higher than the number of values in the prompt or associated group of prompts, you will be positioned at the last value in the prompt or group.

To enter a new value at a multivalued prompt, press [F4] to turn on the Editor and then press [Return] to move through the existing values to a blank entry line.

Associated multivalue prompts contain data in a set of associated prompts, each of which is a multivalue prompt. A master prompt, always the first prompt in the set, is used to identify each set of associated values.

Associated multivalue prompts work in much the same way as any other kind of prompt. The following table explains keys with special behaviors in associated multivalue prompts:

With the Editor off:

In some cases, the complete layout of prompts and entry lines contained in a window is larger than the space visible within the window’s borders. When this occurs, a broken border indicates there is more material in the direction of the broken border.

To move from the last prompt on a page to the next page, use any key that moves you to the next prompt, such as [ J ] or [Enter].

If the window is larger than the displayed area on the screen, one or more page tabs may have been set when the window was designed in order to make it faster for the user to display the hidden areas of the screen. When page tabs are set, you can move from page to page (page tab to page tab) in a window. To do so, use the [PgUp] and [PgDn] keys.

Moving from page to page operates in a circular fashion. You can move consecutive- ly through the pages, going forward or back. If you page down at the last page, you circle back to the beginning. Similarly, from the first page you can page backward to the last. page.

When you enter and edit data in Advanced Revelation windows, you are using a full-featured text editor. This section describes how to use various features of the Editor while at a prompt.

Advanced Revelation’s Editor will enable you to add, change, and delete characters, words, and lines at any prompt in a window. Additional features of the Editor will enable you to create and manipulate blocks of text, and to search for data.

The information presented in this section addresses the use of the Editor within any one prompt in a window. Although you will have access to all the features of the Editor, you will find that not all of these features are applicable to editing a single prompt. Furthermore, you should remember that the editing operations you perform (deleting, marking blocks, searching for text) are happening only within the current prompt (unless otherwise noted).

As you work with windows, remember that [Ctrl-F9] will provide you with a summary of keystrokes which are active.

A setting in the Set Video window allows you to designate a video attribute that is used to display prompts at which a user can enter or edit data. This setting enables you to create a visual marker for prompts used to enter and edit data, making them readily identifiable to a user.

Prompts that typically cannot be edited are those for symbolic fields and those that have been marked as protected. These prompts will not be highlighted when the window is displayed.

To make use of prompt highlighting, you will need to set the appropriate video characteristic in the Set Video window. Edit the Highlight prompt under the label Application Windows. Use [F2] to display a popup of video attributes from which you can choose. Save your changes in the Set Video window by pressing [F9].

When the highlight video attribute is established, prompt entry lines containing data that can be edited will display with this video characteristic. If custom video characteristics have been established for a window or a specific prompt, these characteristics will override the highlight video attribute.

All fields in Advanced Revelation are variable length fields. If your entry is longer than the entry line provided by the window, the characters scroll across the entry line as you type them. Use the [>] and [←] keys or the [Home] and [End] keys to move through the characters. For details on moving the cursor in an entry line, see “Moving the Cursor” earlier in this chapter.

You can choose whether prompt editing is destructive or non-destructive. The prompt Destructive Edit Toggle in the Editor Environment window determines how prompt editing will behave. Select Management-Environment-Editor from the Advanced Revelation Main menu to access the Editor Environment window. If you enter Y at the Destructive Edit Toggle prompt, data will be cleared from a prompt as you begin to type. If you enter N, existing data will be preserved.

If prompt editing is destructive, the existing data at a prompt edit line is cleared when you begin typing at the beginning of that prompt. It will be non-destructive only if you press [F'4] (Edit) prior to editing the prompt.

In non-destructive mode, existing data is preserved. If you are using Insert line mode (a Y entry at the Insert line on (Y/N) prompt), anything you type is inserted in front of the existing data. If you are not using Insert line mode (an N entry at the Insert line on (Y/N) prompt), anything you type will overwrite the existing data.

At prompts that provide more than one entry line, such as text, multivalue, and associated multivalue prompts, the action of certain direction keys changes depending on whether the Editor is on or off. For details on using direction keys in data entry lines, see the discussion “Moving the Cursor” earlier in this chapter. The lower left corner of the status lines shows you the status of the Editor. When you move to a new entry line, the cursor displays as a block. This indicates that the Editor is off. As soon as you begin typing, the cursor changes to a line, indicating that the Editor is on. Use the Edit key [F4] to toggle the Editor on and off.

If you are operating in destructive edit mode and want to edit existing values at a new entry line, turn the Editor on before you start to type. If you start typing on a line that contains existing data when the Editor is off, the existing data disappears. To recover the original information, press [F4] before moving to the next line.

Within windows, an Editor operation only affects the entry lines associated with the prompt at which the cursor is positioned. The Editor turns off auto- matically each time the cursor moves to the entry line for a new prompt.

You can use standard editing keys ([Del], [Backspace], etc.) to edit characters within a prompt. In addition, Advanced Revelation has defined special keys for editing entire words.

When editing characters, you can be in either Overwrite or Insert mode. When Overwrite is on, typed characters replace existing characters at the cursor. When Insert is on, typed characters are inserted at the cursor. Use [Ins] to toggle between the two. The box in the lower left corner of the status line shows whether Overwrite (Ed Ovr) or Insert (Ed Ins) is on.

Use [Backspace] to delete the character to the left of the cursor. Use [Del] to delete the character on which the cursor is resting. To delete the entire word to the right of the cursor, use [Ctr]-Y].

[Ctrl-P] duplicates the previously typed character. This feature is convenient when you want to type a line using a graphics character (a high ASCII value character). For example, you may want to divide two paragraphs at a text prompt with a double-line border (ASCII 205). Type the character once ([Alt] + 205 on the number pad), then press [Ctrl-P] to repeat it. Hold down [Ctrl-P] for a continuous line of the character.

The following table summarizes operations you can perform for an entire line of data.

When you are at a single-value prompt, there is only one line. In that case, operations you perform will affect the entire contents of the field. Certain line editing features (for example, [Ctrl-N] to insert a new line) will not be applicable. At prompts containing multiple lines (text and multivalue prompts), line-oriented operations only affect one line or value at the prompt.

The following do not apply to single-value prompts:

While in an application window, you can copy data from the record displayed previously. You can copy selected fields, or the record in its entirety. Advanced Revelation’s application windows remember the record you last displayed. Once you have displayed a record in an application window, you can save or clear the record, and then use special keystrokes to copy information from that record into the current window. Depending on which key you press, you can fill in any single prompt, or copy the entire previous record.

Advanced Revelation only remembers the previously displayed record until you exit the window by pressing [Esc]. The next time you enter the window, you will have to display a record first before there will be anything to copy.

If you press [Alt-O] while at a prompt, the data displayed at that Fields prompt from the previous record will be copied to the current prompt. For example, if the City prompt from the previous record contained the name “Chicago,” you could fill in “Chicago” at the City prompt of the current record by simply pressing [Alt-O].

You can use [Alt-C] to copy the entire previous record to the current window. Enter the key at the empty window, then press [Alt-C]. The last record displayed will be copied to the current window. You can then edit any prompt normally.

The [Alt-C] keystroke copies every field of the previous record (including those not displayed in the window) except the key. You must provide the new key before pressing [Alt-C].

To delete the current record, press [Alt-D]. Before deleting a record, Advanced Revelation asks you for confirmation. To delete the record, press [Alt-D] again. To cancel the delete action and preserve the record, press any other key instead of [Alt-D].

When entering or editing data at a text prompt, you can change certain settings of the Editor to help you. The settings which you can alter are:

To change or view the different modes, press [Ctrl-W] while editing at a text prompt. This will produce a popup with the status of each mode. To toggle the modes, move the highlight to the appropriate option and press [Enter]. Press [F9] (Save) when you are finished setting modes, or [Esc] to abandon any changes.

To create a larger editing area for a prompt that displays more than one line, press the Zoom key [F3]. The editing area for the current prompt will expand to fill one half the screen. This will enable you to see more of your data while editing. To save your changes and go to the next prompt, press [F9] and then [Esc].

Zoom is commonly used when there are not enough entry lines for all the data at a multivalue or text prompt. For example, a Customer window might include an multivalue ADDRESS prompt that displays two prompt entry lines. Suppose the address for the current record contains three lines:

The Tyler Building 
1234 George Road 
Suite 567 

When the record displays on the window, only two lines of the address are visible. To see all three lines at once and edit them, press [F3] when Address is the current prompt. The prompt expands to display all of the values in the field.

When using Zoom with multivalue prompts, place one value on each line. When using Zoom with text prompts, you can format the data into as many lines as you wish.

Pressing [F3] (Zoom) in a window places you in the full-screen Editor. All functions and keystrokes defined in the Editor will be applicable.

You can define a block of text at a prompt and use that block in a variety of ways. You can copy it once or many times at any cursor position, or you can move or delete the block.

In addition, you can save blocks of text out of a prompt to a holding area called a “buffer” for future use. This feature enables you to create blocks of text that can be used at many different points without having to re-enter the text.

In an application window, a defined block can comprise some or all of the entry lines associated with a single prompt.

For details on defining, copying, moving, deleting and saving blocks of text, see the following chapter.

While working at a prompt, you can search for specific text that appears in that prompt. In addition, you can replace some or all appearances of specific text at the prompt with new text. This feature is explained in the next chapter.

At key prompts that use a sequential counter as the default value, you can reset the counter directly at the prompt.

To set the value of the counter, type = (equal) at the key prompt using a sequential counter default. A window will display asking you to enter a new default value. Enter a new value. After you save the new value, you will be reprompted to enter a value at the key prompt that uses the sequential counter.

For example, if you wish to set the default value of a sequential counter to 100, you would type = (equal) at. the key prompt that uses the counter as a default value. A window will display asking you to enter a new value. Enter 100. The default value will be reset to 100, and you will be prompted again to enter data at that prompt.