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The data area editor is used to create and modify a data area. A data area is a Natural object of the type global data area (GDA), local data area (LDA) or parameter data area (PDA). For information on using a data area, see Data Areas in the Programming Guide.

A data area contains data element definitions, such as user-defined variables, constants and database fields referenced with a data view in a data definition module (DDM), which can be used by one or more Natural objects. You can also create copycode from a data area. Note that data views from a DDM cannot be defined in PDAs.

The Data Area Editor documentation covers the following topics:

• Invoking the Data Area Editor

• Top Information Line

• Editor Command Line

• Bottom Information Line

• Using the Editing Area

• Columns in the Editing Area

• Extended Field Definition Editing

• Line Commands

• Editor Commands

• Editor Commands for Positioning

• Storing and Cataloging a Data Area

• User Exit for the Data Area Editor

• Exit Function

Related Topic:

For information on Unicode and code page support for Natural editors, see Editors in the Unicode and Code Page Support documentation.

Invoking the Data Area Editor

You invoke the data area editor with the system command EDIT described in the System Commands documentation.

To invoke the data area editor for a new data area

• Issue the EDIT command specifying the type of data area (GLOBAL, LOCAL or PARAMETER) you want to create.

  For example:

  EDIT LOCAL

  An editor screen with an empty editing area appears for a local data area (indicated in the top left corner of the screen) similar to the example shown in the following instructions.

To invoke the data area editor for an existing data area

• Issue the command EDIT specifying the name of a data area that has been stored as a source object in your current Natural environment.

  For example:

  EDIT LDA1

  An editor screen similar to the example below appears which contains the source of the local data area LDA1:

  Local LDA1 Library SAGTEST DBID 10 FNR 32 Command > + I T L Name F Length Miscellaneous All -- -------------------------------- - ---------- -------------------------> * LDA for new application 1 INCOME A 20 (1:3,1:5) INIT ALL<'0'> 1 PERSON 2 SEX A 6 2 AGE N 3 1 NAME A 24 R 1 NAME /* REDEF. BEGIN : NAME 2 FIRST-NAME A 10 2 MIDDLE-INIT A 2 2 LAST-NAME A 10 C 1 DOLLAR A 5 CONST<'$US'> V 1 FINANCE-VIEW FINANCE 2 PERSONNEL-NUMBER N 8.0 P 2 MAJOR-CREDIT (1:1) /* PERIODIC GROUP 3 CREDIT-CARD A 18 (EM=XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX) 3 CREDIT-LIMIT N 4.0 3 CURRENT-BALANCE N 4.0 -- Current Source Size: 1969 Free: 78200 ----------------------- S 12 L 1

  The editor screen contains the following items (from top to bottom): the top information line, the editor command line, the editing area and the bottom information line. These items are explained in the following sections.

Top Information Line

The top information line of the editor screen can contain the following items (from left to right):

Editor Command Line

The command line is indicated by the editor's Command prompt. In the command line, you can enter one of the following:

• Any Natural system command.

  For example: The system command CHECK can be used for checking the syntax of source code and SAVE for saving source code (see also Storing and Cataloging a Data Area).

  For other system commands related to maintaining and using object sources, see Editing and Storing Programming Objects in the System Commands documentation.

• The name of a Natural program to be executed.

• One or more editor commands.

Note:
If you have changed a definition by typing in a modification or by using an editor command, a system command cannot be entered until you press ENTER.

Direction Indicator

The direction indicator entered next to the > (greater than) sign in the command line determines the operation direction of particular editor and line commands:

• +

  (plus sign)

  The command executes from the top line displayed on the screen (or from the line in which a line command is entered) towards the end of the source. This is the default setting.

• -

  (minus sign)

  The command executes from the top line displayed on the screen (or from the line in which a line command is entered) towards the beginning of the source.

More detailed information on the direction indicator can be found in the descriptions of the editor and line commands affected by the operation direction.

See also the editor profile option Direction Indicator described in Editor Profile.

Bottom Information Line

The bottom information line of the editor screen can contain the following:

• Current Source Size

  The size (number of characters) of the current source. This information is only displayed if the editor profile option Source Size Information is set to Y (see Editor Profile).

• Free

  The number of characters still available in the source work area. This information is only displayed if the editor profile option Source Size Information is set to Y (see Editor Profile).

• S

  The size (number of lines) of the source being edited.

• L

  The number of the source line currently displayed as the top line.

Using the Editing Area

The editing area is either empty or contains source code that was last read into the source work area with the command EDIT or READ as shown in the example in Invoking the Data Area Editor.

When you read in the source of an existing object, the entire source code is loaded into the source work area and is available for editing. However, depending on the size of the source, the editing area may not show all of the lines that belong to the source. In this case, you have to scroll down in the source to go to the line you want to view or modify.

In addition, if you use split-screen mode, the editing area displays fewer lines of source code. See also Split-Screen Mode.

To navigate in the editing area

• Use the editor commands described for the program editor in Editor Commands for Positioning.

  All positioning commands described for the program editor can be used with the data area editor as well.

To create or modify variables or fields

• Type in or modify all variable or field definitions in the columns of the relevant source line.

  You can specify whether the characters you type are automatically converted to upper case by using the editor profile options Editing in Lower Case and Dynamic Conversion of Lower Case (see Editor Profile).

  Or:
  Use one or more line commands as described in the relevant section.

  A line command, for example, is used to insert a line, copy variable or field definitions from another Natural object, or invoke the extended field definition editing function.

  Or:
  Use one or more editor commands as described in the relevant section.

  An editor command, for example, is used to delete a block of lines or specify prefixes for names.

Columns in the Editing Area

The editing area of the editor screen is organized in columns where all attribute definitions that belong to a variable or field are maintained in one line.

The editing area contains the following columns:

Using the Miscellaneous Column

The definitions that can be entered in the fields of the Miscellaneous column are described in this section.

As the Miscellaneous field may be too short to make all required specifications, the .E line command is provided for extended field definition editing.

A definition can be of up to 32 characters, whereby only 26 characters are displayed on the screen. You can scroll in the field by using the editor command M +/-. You can display all of the 32 characters or enter additional characters in an extra window, which opens when you enter a question mark (?) in the first position of the Miscellaneous field.

You can define the following:

Array

Enter the upper and lower bounds of an array. For detailed information on defining arrays, see Arrays in the Programming Guide.

Examples:

(2,2)   /* 2 dimensions, 2 occurrences
(2,2,2) /* 3 dimensions, 2 occurrences
(1:10,2)
(-1:3,2)

Initial Value

Not applicable to PDAs.

Enter an initial value according to the common Natural syntax definitions in a DEFINE DATA statement. For detailed information on defining initial values, see Initial-Value Definition and Initial/Constant Values for an Array in the Statements documentation.

Examples:

INIT<3>
INIT<'ABC'>
INIT<H'F1F2'> /* binary variable (B2)
CONST<12>
INIT ALL<'ABC'>

Edit Mask, Header and/or Print Mode

Edit masks and headers do not apply to PDAs.

Enter an edit mask or a header definition and/or the print mode according to the syntax rules that apply to the corresponding session parameter EM, HD or PM described in the Parameter Reference documentation.

Examples:

(EM=999.99)
(HD='TEXT' EM=XXX.XXX.XX PM=N)

Comment

A commentary text which must be preceded by a slash and an asterisk ( /*).

Name of a DDM

For a view definition, you must enter the name of the DDM from which the view is derived.

You can modify the name of the DDM if all fields of the view are also contained in the DDM with the modified name.

Name of a Parent Block

For a block definition, you must enter the name of the corresponding parent block.

Extended Field Definition Editing

The extended field definition editing function can be used to define the following:

• Parameters and arrays within PDAs.

• Arrays, initial values, edit masks and headers within LDAs and GDAs. This is an alternative to using the Miscellaneous column.

To execute the extended field definition editing function

1. In the T column, next to the variable or field for which you want to define extended attributes, enter the following line command:

   .E

   An Extended Field Definition Editing menu similar to the example screen for a user-defined variable in an LDA is shown below:

   10:15:08 ***** EDIT FIELD ***** 2008-09-22 - Extended Field Definition Editing - Local LDA2* Library SAGTEST DBID 10 FNR 32 Code Function Definition ----- ------------------------------ ---------- S Single Value Initialization no F Free Mode Initialization no E Edit Mask Definition no A Array Index Definition no ? Help . Exit ----- ------------------------------ ---------- Code ? for Field: #USER-VARIABLE-1(A10)

   The functions provided on the Extended Field Definition Editing menu depend on the type of the data area, the type of variable and the contents of the Miscellaneous field. For example, if a variable has already been initialized in the Miscellaneous field, the functions Single Value Initialization and Free Mode Initialization are not available.

   Note:
   If .E is executed for a DDM field, the Define Edit Mask / Header screen (see the following step) is invoked immediately, because only edit masks and headers can be defined for DDM fields. It is not possible to define initial values for DDM fields.

2. Select the function required by entering the code that corresponds to the function required. For explanations of the functions available, see Functions in the Extended Field Definition Editing Menu.

   Depending on the function selected, either another menu or an extended field editing area similar to the example of a Define Edit Mask / Header screen below appears:

   10:15:08 ***** EDIT FIELD ***** 2008-09-22 - Define Edit Mask / Header - Local LDA2* Library SAGTEST DBID 10 FNR 32 Command #USER-VARIABLE-1(A10) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (EM= ) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- #USER-VARIABLE-1(A10) ------------------------------------------------------------------- (HD=' ') -------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Type a definition or enter a function code respectively.

   Note:
   A definition is not checked for syntax errors during editing. You can check a definition with the CHECK command after you terminated extended field definition editing.

4. When you are finished and return to the Extended Field Definition Editing menu, the Definition column reflects the changes as shown in the following example:

   10:22:52 ***** EDIT FIELD ***** 2008-09-22 - Extended Field Definition Editing - Local LDA2* Library SAGTEST DBID 10 FNR 32 Code Function Definition ----- ------------------------------ ---------- S Single Value Initialization no F Free Mode Initialization no E Edit Mask Definition yes A Array Index Definition no D Delete all Definitions ? Help . Exit ----- ------------------------------ ---------- Code ? for Field: #USER-VARIABLE-1(A10)

   If any initial values, edit masks, headers or array index definitions have been defined, the corresponding status message in the Definition column changes from no to yes. If in a PDA any parameter type has been defined, an abbreviation of the parameter type (for example, Val for call-by-value) is displayed in the Definition column.

Any definitions made within the Initial Values and Edit Mask / Header subfunctions are immediately incorporated into the data area currently displayed in the data area editor but are not displayed in the Miscellaneous column of the editing area. A corresponding entry is only displayed in the I column (label indicator).

The functions available in the Extended Field Definition Editing menu and the commands available in an extended field editing area are described in the following section.

• Functions in the Extended Field Definition Editing Menu

• Commands in the Extended Field Editing Area

Functions in the Extended Field Definition Editing Menu

All functions that can be available in the Extended Field Definition Editing menu are described in the following table.

For an attribute control variable, only the functions codes S, F, P, A and D are allowed.

For a field that redefines another field, only the function codes E, A and D are allowed.

Commands in the Extended Field Editing Area

The commands that can be entered in the command line of an extended field editing area are described in the following table:

Line Commands

You enter a line command in the T column of a source line. You are recommended to enter a blank at the end of each line command. This prevents the editor from attempting to interpret any information existing on the line as part of the line command.

The default escape character which must precede each line command is a period (.). You can change the default character by using the editor profile option Escape Character for Line Command (see Editor Profile).

The line commands provided by the program editor are described in the following section. The notation (n), (nnn) or (nnnn) indicates a repetition factor. The default repetition value is 1 (with the exception of the .I line command). For explanations of the syntax symbols used in this section, refer to System Command Syntax in the System Commands documentation.

Notes for Line Commands:

• The commands .I(obj), .R and .* are available in full-screen mode only, not in split-screen mode.

• If both the commands .X and .Y are applied to one line, it is treated as being marked with an X and with a Y; the line marker actually shown to reflect this status is a Z.

• If the direction indicator is set to + (plus sign), the copied, inserted or moved lines are placed after the line in which the corresponding command was entered; if the direction indicator is set to - (minus sign), the copied, inserted or moved lines are placed before the line in which the command was entered.

Editor Commands

The editor commands that can be entered in the command line of the data area editor are described in the following section. For explanations of the syntax symbols used in this section, refer to System Command Syntax in the System Commands documentation.

Editor Commands for Positioning

The editor commands that can be used for navigating through the current data area are described in the following section. You enter an editor command in the command line of the data area editor.

Storing and Cataloging a Data Area

Before a data area can be used in a Natural program (or another object), it must be saved and cataloged as a source object and/or a cataloged object that is stored in a Natural library in the current system file.

To save and/or catalog the current data area

• Use the system command SAVE, CATALOG or STOW as described in Saving and Cataloging Objects in the Using Natural documentation.

Note:
When you leave the data area editor with the EXIT editor command, the current source code is saved automatically if the appropriate editor profile option is set accordingly as described in Exit Function.

To keep a copy of the current source

• Use the editor options Source Save into and Auto Save Numbers as described in Editor Profile.

  A copy of the source edited last with any of the Natural editors is then automatically saved as a source object in the current Natural environment.

Source Format for Data Area Storage

The data area editor uses an internal source format to store the sources of data areas in the FUSER system file. New features and definitions that are available from Natural Version 4.1 onwards require that the data area source is stored in the FUSER system file using an extended source format.

Data areas that are stored using the extended source format cannot be used or edited with Natural Version 3.1 where a different source format was used. The data area editor of Natural Version 4.1 and above supports the Natural Version 3.1 format and the extended source format. The editor can read both formats and converts the Natural Version 3.1 format to the extended source format. As long as no Natural Version 4.1 (and above) features or definitions are used, data areas are stored in the Natural Version 3.1 format by default. This format guarantees compatibility between data area sources stored in a Natural Version 3.1 and a Natural Version 4.1 (and above) environment.

The source format to be used as a default for storing data areas can be specified with the user exit routine GDA-EX01 (see User Exit for the Data Area Editor) or, during an editor session, with the following editor command: SET SAVEFORMAT V31 or SET SAVEFORMAT V41.

User Exit for the Data Area Editor

The data area editor provides a user exit routine for specifying default settings. The source of the user exit routine is provided in the library SYSEXT and named GDA-ES01. To activate this exit, CATALOG or STOW the source object as GDA-EX01 and copy GDA-EX01 to the library SYSLIB. For a detailed description, see the source object of GDA-ES01 in the library SYSEXT.

Exit Function

The effect of the EXIT editor command depends on the setting of the editor profile option Prompt Window for Exit Function:

• If set to N, the EXIT command leaves the editor and saves all modifications made to the current source; no prompt window is displayed.

• If set to Y, the EXIT command invokes the EXIT Function window whenever you execute the command on a source that contains unsaved modifications (see also Modification Indicator). If no modifications were made to the source, the window does not appear and the editor closes without saving the source.

The EXIT Function window provides the following options:

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