RE: "Super prompter" program

Hi Vern

From memory the problem is that you can present the list of choices, and as

you say you could pop up a list box or something to allow for friendlier
selection, but how would you then get the selected value back into the
actual command parameter ?

Regards
Evan Harris


-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Vern Hamberg
Sent: Saturday, 13 February 2010 11:59 a.m.
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: "Super prompter" program

James

I've thought of this kind of thing many times. Take a look at the
CHOICEPGM parameter of the PARM command - there is no reason not to have
it put up a screen for a user to enter things. Now what they choose
would show up in the list of items when you press F4. It is also used to
populate things to the right of a parameter, but you probably would not
want it to put up the screen for that - only for F4 - there is a flag to
tell your choice program what the context is.

You could keep the selections somewhere for the next time it is prompted
- like for entering multiple values - then things would be pre-selected.

This moves outside the box quite a bit but might be doable.!!!

Vern

James H. H. Lampert wrote:

Suppose you were tasked with writing a "super prompter" program for a
system command: one that expands on the existing prompt, e.g., where the
existing command asks for the names of one or more fields in a file, the
"super prompter" would allow the user to choose those fields from a list.

How would you approach such an undertaking?

--
JHHL