Modifying a Map Using MAPC › Summary

Summary

You can use MAPC to modify maps during development or at any other time in an application's life cycle. For example, you can modify a map:

• To display information that becomes available as the application is expanded. For example, the name of each department head can be displayed on map XXXMAP when the Department application includes employee data.
• To collect additional information. For example, new government or tax regulations can require the collection of new data.
• To display fields in conformity with end-user requests and site conventions. For example, you modified map XXXMAP in this chapter for these reasons.

In this chapter, you used MAPC to modify the layout of map XXXMAP as described below:

1. You added two new map fields on the Layout screen. You added the DATE literal field and an adjacent variable field.
2. You selected fields for editing on the Layout screen. You used the select-field character (default is %) to select the new variable field and four existing map fields for editing.
3. You edited the five selected fields on the Field Definition and Literal Definition screens. You associated the new variable field with AGR-DATE to display the current calendar date in the runtime field.

   You modified the variable field for department ids so that ids display in bright intensity at runtime. You modified the department ID field and the department head id field to define specific error messages for these fields. You then moved the RESPONSE literal field and the adjacent variable field to a different location on the map.

When you recompiled map XXXMAP, MAPC informed you of a critical change on the map. When you make a critical change to a map, you must recompile dialogs that use the map.

In this chapter, you used ADSC to recompile dialogs XXXDADD and XXXDUPD, which both use map XXXMAP. After you exited from ADSC, you optionally issued a DCMT VARY PROGRAM NEW COPY command for map XXXMAP to load the new map load module in the program pool for execution.

No Process Statements

You then executed the prototype application. Notice that you do not need to write any process statements to develop a working prototype for an application. This is true regardless of the application's size. An application's user interface can be defined, tested, and tailored for your users before you have any process logic to modify.

End users and application development staff can execute the prototype and implement changes until the prototype is approved. You can then use CA ADS development tools to enhance the application so that it can be used to store, display, modify, and delete data in the application database.

As the application developer, you will enhance the Department application by writing process code and creating work records for dialogs, as described in Part III of this manual.