Map Design Considerations › Preliminary Information Gathering › Site-specific Information

Site-specific Information

The map developer should also be familiar with the resources that are available at the site.

Existing Site Information

• Names and version numbers of any existing maps that could be adapted easily for the application being developed
• Name of the dictionary used for map storage
• Name of the dictionary node

Existing Conventions and Standards

Many sites define standards that establish guidelines for map developers. These standards can address the following topics:

• Naming conventions for map-related entities, as presented in Naming Conventions
• Map layout standards, as discussed in chapter "Designing Map Fields".

Different Types of Terminals

For sites at which operators use more than one type of terminal, the developer should be familiar with the types of terminals that are used when the maps are displayed to operators. The map developer should take into account the following considerations:

• Terminal display size differs from terminal to terminal; a map designed for display on more than one type of terminal should be no wider than the width of the narrowest terminal.
• Certain attributes available on 3279-type terminals, such as colors and underscoring, are not available on 3270-type or glass TTY terminals. Certain 3270-type attributes, such as the ability to display in bright mode or to suppress numeric input, are not available on glass TTY terminals.
• Names of control keys (for example, PA1 or PF1) can differ from terminal to terminal. Screens that name control keys should use names that the operator will encounter on all terminals that can display the map.

Online Compiler Options

Finally, a map developer planning to use the online mapping compiler to generate maps should contact the DBA for the online mapping compiler sysgen options in effect at the site.

Note: For more information about available options, see the CA IDMS System Generation Guide.