Defining an Application Structure Using ADSA › Summary

Summary

Creating the executable structure

In this chapter, you used ADSA screens to create the executable structure for the sample Department application. The structure includes:

• Responses, which define the possible runtime paths available to users of the application
• Functions, which define the activities that users can perform while using the application
• A task code that defines an entry point into the application and allows users to invoke the application

You built the application structure by establishing relationships between responses and functions as you defined them:

• For each response, you named the function to be invoked by the response.
• For each function, you named the responses to be valid from the function. At runtime, the user can select any of the valid responses from the function.

For menu function DEPTMENU, you also specified how options for the user and the menu's title are to appear on the menu screen at runtime. For each of the application's dialog functions, you also named the executable component (that is, the dialog) to be executed at runtime when the user invokes the associated function. You will actually define these dialogs in Chapter 10, "Defining Dialogs Using ADSC".

Creating the load module

When you finished defining the structure of the Department application, you created a load module for the application. You created this executable load module without explicitly writing any lines of procedural code. By using ADSA screens, you have implicitly coded all potential flow of control for the application.

Even at this early stage in the application development cycle, your application contains fully executable components, such as function DEPTMENU. Your dialog functions (ADDDEP, MODDEP, and DELDEP) are not yet developed fully, so you cannot execute them. As soon as you develop the ADDDEP, MODDEP, and DELDEP dialog functions, your application will be fully executable.

The first step in developing dialogs is to create screens that the dialogs will display to users. You will create the screen display for the ADDDEP, MODDEP, and DELDEP dialog functions in the next chapter.