What Is a Panel Definition?

The Creating Panel Definitions Guide describes what a panel definition is and how to create and modify a panel definition. You should read the chapters in sequence. When you complete this guide, you should be able to create, modify, delete, display, or print a panel definition, and display a list of panel definitions.

In CA Ideal, panels obtain and transmit data from the screen to a program. A CA Ideal program uses the panel definition to map data onto the panel to display information on the screen or to map data from the panel to obtain information from the screen. You can use panel definitions to display only (for browsing) or for data entry. When you use the panel definition for data entry, you must first display the fields either blank or with default values where appropriate. Sometimes you can use the same panel to select and view a record, and then to change the record.

To display information on the screen, use the TRANSMIT statement in the application program (see the Programming Reference Guide for details on the TRANSMIT statement). The panel displays and you can enter information on the screen. Meanwhile, the program does not perform any processing until you press the Enter key or a function key. Then the program receives the data entered on the screen, processes the data according to the defined panel layout, and proceeds to the next instruction in the program.

The panel definition defines the layout of the fields on the displayed screen. A CA Ideal panel definition contains both general characteristics (and parameters) and field‑specific characteristics (or attributes). There are default values for both panel parameters and for field attributes. To define a panel, simply lay out the fields where you want them, name the fields, and accept the available defaults. If you need to change some of the defaults, you can change the values displayed on the definition fill‑ins or, if you need to make the same changes for more than one field, you can change the values on an input rules, an output rules, or a summary table for any or all of the fields.

All items defined on the panel layout are considered fields, whether they contain text, titles, or data values. The field attributes determine whether the value entered on the panel layout is considered text or data. A text field is a protected field with an initial value in it, often a heading or caption. A data field is an unprotected field that expects to receive data when a program is executed.

CA Ideal panels, created and used on the mainframe, are subject to the rules and limitations of the IBM 3270 Information Display System Data Stream. CA Ideal panel attributes correspond to CICS attributes based on the 3270 data stream.