ENTDISPL Mode - Entity Display › Display Index › Define a Path

Define a Path

You can use a path to display an index of occurrences related to a specific occurrence. If you are displaying a DATABASE structure, you can use the STANDARD path to display all occurrences in the structure. To display only a portion of the structure or display occurrences of entities which are not in the STANDARD path, you can use the Path Definition panel to specify the entities and relationships to trace the path.

When you define a path, you can use the skip option to omit occurrences of a specific entity from display. You can designate which entities to skip on the Path Definition panel.

When you select the option for a path selection and do not specify STANDARD as the type of path, CA Datacom Datadictionary presents the Path Definition panel. At this point, you can still select the STANDARD path by pressing Enter without entering any data on the panel.

The Path Definition panel lists the types of fields and the type of entry that is valid for each field at the top of the panel. The rest of the panel displays repeating groups of the fields. Define as many field groups as are allowed on this screen.

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 DDOL: Path Definition                                                   T02F

 FROM: Entity-Type                         VIA: Relationship Name
   TO: Entity-Type                           SKIP: 'Y' to skip processing

 FROM: DATABASE                            VIA: _______________________________
   TO: ________________________________      SKIP: _
 FROM: ________________________________    VIA: _______________________________
   TO: ________________________________      SKIP: _
 FROM: ________________________________    VIA: _______________________________
   TO: ________________________________      SKIP: _
 FROM: ________________________________    VIA: _______________________________
   TO: ________________________________      SKIP: _
 FROM: ________________________________    VIA: _______________________________
   TO: ________________________________      SKIP: _
 FROM: ________________________________    VIA: _______________________________
   TO: ________________________________      SKIP: _
 PF1=HELP   PF2=END  PF3=CLARIFY    PF4=PROCESS    PF5=MENU     PF6=STATUS
 PF7=SCB    PF8=SCF  PF9=APPLY      PF10=PATH      PF11=NEXT    PF12=INPUT

FROM:

The first FROM field contains the entity you entered on the Selection Criteria Fill-in panel. In subsequent FROM fields, you can enter a valid entity or you can leave these fields blank. When you leave a FROM field blank, CA Datacom Datadictionary uses the entry in the previous TO field. You cannot use abbreviations in this field.

Valid Entries:

An existing entity

Default Value:

Entry in previous TO field

TO:

Enter the entity which is the next in the path sequence. A relationship definition connecting the FROM and TO entities must exist in CA Datacom Datadictionary. You cannot use abbreviations in this field.

Valid Entries:

An existing entity

Default Value:

(No default)

VIA:

Enter the name of the relationship connecting the FROM and TO entities. If you are tracing a path for occurrences of entities in the CA Datacom/DB or CA FILE Model structures, you can leave this field blank. CA Datacom Datadictionary defaults to $INTERNAL for these entities.

Valid Entries:

A valid relationship name

Default Value:

$INTERNAL for CA Datacom/DB Model or CA FILE Model entity-types; otherwise, no default

SKIP:

Enter Y to omit occurrences of the TO entity from the display. Leave this field blank to include the occurrences of the TO entity in the display.

Valid Entries:

Y (yes)

Default Value:

Do not omit

When you press Enter, CA Datacom Datadictionary returns the display you selected according to the data you entered on the Selection Criteria panel and the Path Definition panel.