RE: Defining a function key...

["Brian James" <bjames@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In reading this thread, I see a recurring theme of mapping the AID byte
values to the actual key pressed (e.g., KEY_F3 --> x'33'). Being able to
unbind the user's function request from the actual key pressed is exactly
why I started using the AID byte method in the first place. How may folks
here have to deal with software developed on
various platforms with differing standards for the function keys? IIRC, that
mixing of standards was what spawned this thread in the first place.

In my /Copy module for AID byte constants, I can code the function key
assignments based on whatever standards are being employed at a customer
site (e.g. S/34: F7=Exit, S/38: F1=Exit, AS/400: F3=Exit) and then in the
program just test for the "user's requested function" not the "function
key". This way I can install my software and have it match whatever standard
is being used without having to modify the RPG code or DDS CA??/CF??
assignments.

Some code snippets as an example:

AS/400 standard uses:
     D cf_Exit       C                   Const(x'33')
     D cf_DoIt       C                   Const(x'F1')

S/38 standard uses:
     D cf_Exit       C                   Const(x'31')
     D cf_DoIt       C                   Const(x'F1')

S/34-36 standard uses:
     D cf_Exit       C                   Const(x'37')
     D cf_DoIt       C                   Const(x'F1')


C                   Select
C                   When      UserRequest = cf_Exit
C                   Eval      PgmAction   = pa_Exit

C                         When      UserRequest = cf_DoIt
C                         Exsr  EdtData
C                         If        Not ErrorFound
C                         Eval      PgmAction   = pa_Update
C                   EndIf

As you can see from these code fragments all I'm concerned with is that the
user requested to <EXIT> the program or to <PROCESS INPUT> not which key was
pressed. For me, this ability to "soft-code" the function key assignments is
THE reason for using the AID byte method.

Regards,

Brian