Associating the Help Text with a Field

The Help Facility › Creating Field-Level Help › Associating the Help Text with a Field

Associating the Help Text with a Field

Steps

After you create the help text, you must associate it with the appropriate field using either the online map compiler, MAPC, or the batch compiler, RHDCMAP1. An example using MAPC follows:

Access MAPC

On the main menu, enter the name of the map with which you want to associate the help and select the Layout option.

Add Modify Compile Delete Display Switch ____________________________________________________________________________ CA IDMS Online Map Compiler CA, Inc. Map name . . . . . . . . CHRMEMP1 Map version . . . . . . 1 Dictionary name . . . . SYSDICT Dictionary node . . . . ________ Screen . . . . . . . . . 4 1. General options 2. Map-Level help text definition 3. Associated records 4. Layout 5. Field definition Command ===> Enter F1=Help F3=Exit F10=Action

On the Layout screen, identify which field you want to associate the help with by overtyping the field mark with a selection character, in this case %, as shown, or by placing the cursor on the selected field and pressing <PF2>:

Note: If the field is an OCCURS field, you need only define help once; that message will automatically display when the PF key is placed on any occurrence of the field.


                    ;MAP-EMP-ID %____*


                    ;MAP-EMP-FIRST-NAME      ;__________*

                    ;MAP-EMP-LAST-NAME       ;_______________*

                    ;MAP-EMP-STREET          ;____________________*

                    ;MAP-EMP-CITY            ;_______________*

                    ;MAP-EMP-STATE           ;__*

                    ;MAP-EMP-ZIP-FIRST-FIVE  ;_____*

                    ;MAP-EMP-PHONE           ;__________*

                    ;MAP-STATUS              ;__*

     ...+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7....+..

     Enter  F1=Help  F2=Select  F3=Exit  F4=Prev  F5=Next  F6=Preview  F8=Bottom
     F9=SetCursor  F10=Deselect  F11=AltKeys

From the layout screen, press <PF5> to move to the Field Definition screen, then overtype the page number with 4 to move to the Field-Level Help Text Definition screen.
On the Field-level Help Text Definition screen shown:
- Enter the name of the load module that contains all the help for the map in the Help Name field.
  Important: Only one help load module exists per map.
- Specify the PF key that will be used to access help for the map.
  Important: If a value is not entered in the Help key field, the default is the SYSGEN OLM statement value, which defaults to <PF1>. The PF key value assigned for help supersedes that defined for any other purpose. For example, if <PF1> is defined to a dialog as invoking a response, and <PF1> is also defined as the help key, the help system will get control.
- Specify whether the help should be displayed in a full or half window in the Window format field.
- In the Origin of help text field, specify option 2 and provide the name of the IDD module that contains the help text.
- Press <Enter>.
```
                            Field-Level Help Text Definition       Page  4 of  7
     Map name:  CHRMEMP1  Version:     1

     Help name: CHRMHLP1       Help key:  PF01                 Drop Help (/) _

          Element name  MAP-EMP-ID                        Subscript
          In record     MAP-EMPLOYEE                      Version      1



          Window format . . . . .  1  1. Half   2. Full

          Origin of help text . .  2  1. No text
                                      2. Module   FIELD-HELP-EXAMPLE
                                         Version     1





     DC366303 Help text options processed successfully

     Enter  F1=Help  F3=Exit  F4=Prev  F5=Next  F6=Preview  F7=Bkwd  F8=Fwd
```

Compile the map using the Compile option on the main menu:

Add Modify Compile Delete Display Switch ____________________________________________________________________________ | 1. Compile | | 2. View Messages |line Map Compiler |______________________| | F3=Exit | |______________________| Map name . . . . . . . . CHRMEMP1 Map version . . . . . . 1 Dictionary name . . . . SYSDICT Dictionary node . . . . ________ Screen . . . . . . . . . 5 1. General options 2. Map-Level help text definition 3. Associated records 4. Layout 5. Field definition Command ===> Enter F1=Help F3=Exit F10=Action