RE: "Super prompter" program

["Evan Harris" <spanner@xxxxxxxxxx>]

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
>