PAINT Command

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PAINT Command

The PAINT command creates or modifies CA VM:Director screen definitions.

PAINT filename [skeleton]

Definitions

filename: Specifies the filename of a screen to create or modify. This name is usually the same as the optimized macro that displays the screen. The filetype is always SCREEN.
skeleton: Specifies the filename of a screen definition to use as the beginning definition for this screen if you are creating a screen.

Description

Painting involves entering and manipulating background text, defining and naming fields, and assigning field attributes. It supports up to 84 fields for each panel.

To modify an existing screen file, issue the PAINT command with the existing screen’s filename. Keep a backup copy of the original screen, because using the Enter key writes a copy of the current screen to the CA VM:Director A‑disk.

To create a screen file:

Issue the PAINT command with the filename of the screen to paint. A blank, unformatted screen displays.
Enter background text anywhere on the screen except in the last byte of the last line. Background text includes screen title, field name, graphic display, and lines of text.
After you position the background text on the screen, identify the data fields. Enter a field mark character at the positions at which each field begins and ends. Leave enough blanks between the field mark characters for the field length.
For example, this positions an 8‑character data field after the background text Enter Userid:
```
Enter Userid:;........;
```
(On 3270 display terminals the field mark character displays as a semicolon with a bar over it).
Check the screen in formatted mode by pressing PF10. Formatted mode converts the field mark characters to start‑field characters that appear as blanks. You can use the tab keys to move the cursor from one field mark character to the next. (Because all field mark characters have been translated to a start‑field character, the cursor will move to areas of the screen that may not be data fields.)
Protect portions of the screen, such as background text, so that the cursor cannot move to them. Use the tab keys to position the cursor in an area to be protected and press PF4. This protects the area bounded by the closest field mark characters on each side of the cursor.
When you finish protecting the necessary fields on the screen, the tab key positions the cursor only at the unprotected fields.
To assign or remove other field attributes, position the cursor and press the PF keys, or special keys, for those attributes. Attributes can be set when the screen is in formatted or unformatted mode (toggle between them with PF10). Set the field protection attribute in formatted mode.
Special keys and their functions are listed in the table, PAINT Command Function Keys.
To highlight an area, position the cursor at the area and press PF6. Shift to formatted mode (PF10) to check it. The area bounded by the closest field mark characters on each side of the cursor is now highlighted. To highlight a smaller portion of the area, add field‑mark characters where the highlighting begins and ends. Remember that the field mark characters are translated to blanks in formatted mode.
For example, to highlight only the word Userid:, add a field mark character as follows:
```
Enter;Userid:;........;
```
Then place the cursor over Userid and press PF6. Return to formatted mode (press PF10) to check the highlighting. Because you also created a new field by adding the field mark character, recheck the protected fields.
To review the attributes set up for any field, position the cursor over the field and press PF12. All field attributes are displayed on the field identification menu. Fields that are accessible by programs must be assigned names. The name can be set or changed by typing the new field name in the unprotected field tagged Name:. Attributes controlled by PF keys (that is, protected, highlighted, modified, numeric, or displayed) can also be changed from the field identification menu screen by pressing the appropriate PF keys. Press Enter to return to the screen being painted.
If you add or remove field mark characters at any time, the associated field definition is cleared. Recheck all fields by doing the following:
1. View the screen in formatted mode (PF10).
2. Tab through fields to make sure appropriate fields are protected.
3. Review the field identification menu for each field. (Return to unformatted mode (PF10), position the cursor at each field mark character, and press PF12.)
In general, it is a good idea to define fields on the screen (that is, insert field‑mark characters) only after the background text has been completed.
When the screen is complete, press Enter to write the screen file on the CA VM:Director A‑disk.