User Access Utilities › Introduction › Integrating Design and Development

Integrating Design and Development

The menu utilities are used not only to store application menu sets, but also as both design and development tools.

As a design tool:

User functions and menus are rapidly designed in outline, and presented to the user for comment. Help text and panel designs can be set up for each option, and the associated documentation prepared. See the chapter "Toolkit Design Aids" for further details.

As a development tool:

The design menus are carried straight into development, with actual programs replacing panel and report designs when they are completed. Menus are also used:

• To provide a framework to hold large documents for presentation, and for maintenance
• To provide a training aid: users can move around the menus in a system, looking at the help text for options, rather than executing them. Extra explanatory text and formatting can make menus very easy to understand.
• To group commonly used commands with different default parameters, without the need to write CL programs or alternative commands.
• As a presentation tool: functions are combined with explanatory text to provide a structure for computer-based presentations.