Re: Learning UIM (BPCS Help Screen Panels) -- BPCS-L

We do all of our help text through UIM ... it's a little cumbersome
initially, but the end result is worth it.  The only book I've ever found on
it is called Unleash the Power of UIM, by Richard Shaler, and is available
through Mid-Range Computing.  There is a front end tool available, but I'm
drawing a blank on the name ... I got some info on it about 2 years ago, and
never had an opportunity to try it out.

Our users are (finally!) getting better about reading help text before they
call us with problems, so it's a big advantage for us to be able to provide
them the same cursor sensitive help they're used to in BPCS.

I'n always hoping to see someone who really does this well do a class on it
at Commons sometime ... any volunteers?  My first exposure was actually at a
breakout session at an ASUG meeting several years ago, and that was enough
to get me started.

Good luck!

>
>
>>I just got back from attending IBM school in DB2/400 which was heavy into
>DDS
>>& I specifically asked what IBM class teaches us to work with UIM, which
>>happens to be the language BPCS uses for the Help Screen Panels.  I have
>>looked at source code & I need a manual on this & some big picture before
I
>>feel confident that I can include cursor position sensitive help
consistent
>>with SSA standards in my internal modifications.  I might be able to copy
>>some stuff, like I did with DDS before it made any sense, but I want to
>learn
>>this AS/400 language.
>>
>>The DDS teacher told me that UIM (BPCS Help Screens) are not taught in any
>>IBM class ...try technical conferences or pick it up elsewhere.
>>
>>So do any folks on BPCS_L grok UIM & how & where did you pick up that
>>know-how?
>>
>>Is there an SSA-provided utility, that I have managed to overlook,
>something
>>like IBM's SDA where we can doodle the panel & then have it create the
>>requisite code?
>>
>>I discovered UIM by looking inside the source code of HELP for some jobs
we
>>were interested in finding out info on them without actually executing
them
>&
>>it rapidly dawned on me that these Help Panels were not written in any
>>language I had studied so far - not RPG not CL not DDS - but something
>else.
>>
>>Al Macintyre
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>
>

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