Using the Help Text Subsystem

This section describes how to use the Help Text subsystem to create help text for your applications. The following topics are covered:

• Structure of the Help Text Subsystem

• Features and Functions of the Help Text Main Menu

Structure of the Help Text Subsystem

The following diagram illustrates the structure of the Help Text subsystem and the functions available on the Help Text main menu:

Features and Functions of the Help Text Main Menu

The Help Text main menu is displayed when you invoke the Help Text subsystem. For example:

 CSHMAIN               N a t u r a l   C o n s t r u c t                CSHMNM0 
 Aug 17                       Help Text Main Menu                        1 of 1 
                                                                                
                      Functions                                                 
                      -----------------------------------------------           
                      E  Edit Help Text                                         
                      T  Test Help Text                                         
                      S  Save Help Text                                         
                      L  List Help Text                                         
                      P  Purge Help Text                                        
                      C  Clear Edit Buffer                                      
                      H  Print Saved Help Text                                  
                      M  Maintain Default Profiles                              
                      ?  Help                                                   
                      .  Return                                                 
                      -----------------------------------------------           
 Function ........... _                                                         
 Type ............... P *                                                       
 Major .............. ________________________________                          
 Minor .............. ________________________________                          
 Language ........... 1_   Profile ............ NCSTHELP_                       
 Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF12---
       help  retrn quit                                                  lang

Notes:

1. For information about accessing the Help Text subsystem, see Access Natural Construct.
2. For information about the Help and Return functions, see Standard Menu Codes.

The fields on the Help Text main menu are:

Type ............... F *
Major .............. #_______________________________
Minor .............. CUSTOMER-NUM____________________

To access a function on the Help Text main menu

1. Type the appropriate code in the Function field.

2. Type the Type, Major, Minor, and Language components for a help member.

3. Optionally, type the profile name for the help member.

4. Press Enter.

This section covers the following topics:

• Edit Help Text Function

• Test Help Text Function

• Save Help Text Function

• List Help Text Function

• Purge Help Text Function

• Clear Edit Buffer Function

• Print Saved Help Text Function

• Maintain Default Profiles Function

Edit Help Text Function

This function on the Help Text main menu invokes the Help Text editor, where you can create new help members or edit existing ones.

To create or edit a help member

1. Type "E" in the Function field.

2. Type the Type component in the Type field.

3. Type the Major and Minor components in their respective fields.

   To select from a list of Major and Minor components, use the List function (see List Help Text Function).

4. Type the code for the language in which the help member will be set up in the Language field.

   To select from a list of language codes, use the List function.

5. Type the name of the default profile you are using in the Profile field.

   To select from a list of default profiles, remove the value from the Profile field and press Enter. The Select Profile window is displayed. This window is described in List Help Text Function.

6. Press Enter.

   The Help Text editor is displayed.

Notes:

1. Any changes or additions performed in the editor are placed in the edit buffer until they are saved or cleared.
2. You can replace or modify the profile settings for the help member in this editor. These changes are saved for the current help member only. For information, see Change the Current Help Profile.
3. For more information about creating or editing a help member, see Use the Help Text Editor.

Test Help Text Function

This function on the Help Text main menu displays the help member currently in the edit buffer as it will appear to a user. Use this function to:

• Review the layout of your help window

• Test any hotlinks

• Ensure the correct message numbers have been used

To test the current help member

1. Type "T" in the Function field.

2. Type the Type, Major, Minor, and Language components in their respective fields.

3. Press Enter.

   The help member is displayed. For example:

   Maint Help Standard Parameters The Standard Parameters panel allows for the specification of parameters which are not generator definition specific, but pertain to all programs or class of programs. For model details see: <<Maint>> Field Description <<Module>> <<System>> <<Global data area>> <<With block>> <<Title>> <<Description>> <<First header>> <<Second header>> <<Command>> Page ... 1 / 2 Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF1 frwrd help retrn quit bkwrd frwrd

If there is more than one page of help text, you can navigate through the pages as follows:

Notes:

1. The help text is formatted based on the profile set up for the help member. To set up a different profile, see Change the Current Help Profile.
2. For information about creating hotlinks for help members, see Add Hotlinks.
3. For information about using message numbers, see Use Message Numbers.

Save Help Text Function

This function on the Help Text main menu saves the help text currently in the edit buffer to the help text file.

To save the current help member

1. Type "S" in the Function field.

2. Ensure that the Type, Major, Minor, Language, and Profile values are correct.

3. Press Enter.

   A message is displayed confirming that you saved (or replaced) the help text.

List Help Text Function

This function on the Help Text main menu lists existing help text components for selection.

To list the current help text components

1. Type "L" in the Function field.

2. Press Enter.

   A window is displayed for each blank field or field containing a non-valid value on the Help Text main menu. When all the fields are blank or contain non-valid values, one selection window is displayed for each of the following fields:

   • Type

   • Major

   • Minor

   • Language

   • Default profile

3. Select the appropriate component in each selection window.

   After selecting the components, the help member is displayed in the editor.

The following diagram illustrates the process the List function follows:

The selection windows are:

• Select Type Component Window
• Select Major Component Window
• Select Minor Component Window
• Select Language Component Window
• Select Profile Window

Select Type Component Window

   CSHLTYPE            Natural Construct              CSHTYPE0 
   Aug 17            Select Type Component              1 of 1 
                                                               
             D File - DB field                                 
             F Program - field                                 
             P System - program                                
             O Other                                           
  Type ... _                                                   
  Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9--- 
        help  retrn quit                                       
  Enter selection

This window displays the valid Type components. These are:

To select a Type component

1. Type the appropriate code in the Type field.

   Tip:
   You can also move the cursor to the line containing the Type component.

2. Press Enter.

Select Major Component Window

  CSHLMAJR                    Natural Construct                     CSHLMJR0 
  Aug 17                    Select Major Component                    1 of 1 
                                                                             
  Type P                                                                     
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  CN                                                                         
  CP                                                                         
  CS                                                                         
  CT                                                                         
  CU                                                                         
  CUFMPDA                                                                    
  CUMNPDA                                                                    
  CUOMPDA                                                                    
  CUSCPDA                                                                    
                            End of Data                                      
                                                                             
  Major .............. ________________________________                      
  Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF 
        help  retrn                         bkwrd frwrd                      
  Position cursor or enter screen value to select

This window displays the Major components associated with the selected Type component. Press PF8 (frwrd) to scroll forward through the list; press PF7 (bkwrd) to scroll backward through the list.

To select a Major component

1. Type the appropriate value in the Major field.

   Tip:
   You can also move the cursor to the line containing the Major component.

2. Press Enter.

Select Minor Component Window

  CSHLMINR                    Natural Construct                     CSHLMIR0 
  Aug 17                    Select Minor Component                    1 of 1 
                                                                             
  Type P / Major CU                                                          
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  CU--DWM0                         Window Help                               
  CU--DYM0                         Dynamic Attributes Help                   
  CUBAMA0                          Batch Help                                
  CUBAMB0                          Batch Help                                
  CUBAMC0                          Batch Help                                
  CUBAMD10                         Batch Help                                
  CUBAMD20                         Batch Help                                
  CUBAMD30                         Batch Help                                
  CUBAME0                          Batch Help                                
  CUBOKMA0                         BROWSE-OBJECT-KEY-PDA Help                
  CUBOMA0                          BROWSE-OBJECT-SUBP Help                   
  Minor .............. ________________________________                      
  Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF 
        help  retrn                         bkwrd frwrd                      
  Position cursor or enter screen value to select

This window displays the Minor components associated with the selected Type/Major component. Press PF8 (frwrd) to scroll forward through the list; press PF7 (bkwrd) to scroll backward through the list.

To select a Minor component

1. Type the appropriate value in the Minor field.

   Tip:
   You can also move the cursor to the line containing the Minor component.

2. Press Enter.

Select Language Component Window

 CSHLLANG                    Natural Construct                     CSHLLAN0 
 Aug 17                  Select Language Component                   1 of 1 
                                                                            
 Type P / Major CU / Minor CUBOMA0                                          
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  1 English                        Standard Parameters                      
                           End of Data                                      
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
 Language ........... __                                                    
 Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF 
       help  retrn                         bkwrd frwrd                      
 Position cursor or enter screen value to select

This window displays the selected help member in all defined languages (in this example, only English is defined). Press PF8 (frwrd) to scroll forward through the list; press PF7 (bkwrd) to scroll backward through the list.

To select a Language component

1. Type the appropriate code in the Language field.

   Tip:
   You can also move the cursor to the line containing the Language component.

2. Press Enter.

Select Profile Window

  CSHPLIST                  Natural Construct                       CSHPLST0 
  Aug 17                      Select Profile                          1 of 1 
                                                      
  Profile    Description                                                     
  ---------- ------------------------------------------------                
  ACTION     ** Automatically created during batch load **                   
  CSUSEREX   Natural Construct user exit sample profile                     
  SYSCSTDE   ** Automatically created during batch load **                   
  NCSTHELP   Default CST451 help text profile                                
  PREDICT    Default Predict extended description profile                    
  Profile name ................. ________                                    
  Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF 
        help  retrn                         bkwrd frwrd                      
  Position cursor or enter screen value to select

This window displays the valid help profiles. Press PF8 (frwrd) to scroll forward through the list; press PF7 (bkwrd) to scroll backward through the list.

To select a profile

1. Type the name of the help profile in the Profile name field.

   Tip:
   You can also move the cursor to the line containing the help profile name.

2. Press Enter.

   The selected help member is read into the edit buffer and the Help Text editor is displayed. For a description of this editor, see Editing Help Text.

Purge Help Text Function

This function on the Help Text main menu purges a help member from the help text file. The help text does not have to be read into the edit buffer before the purge.

To purge a help member

1. Type "P" in the Function field.

2. Type the Type component in the Type field.

3. Type the Major component in the Major field.

4. Type the Minor component in the Minor field.

5. Type the Language component in the Language field.

6. Press Enter.

   The message "Help text exists, Press enter to confirm purge" is displayed.

7. Press Enter again to confirm the purge.

   Note:
   To cancel the purge, enter a blank or another code in the Function field.

Clear Edit Buffer Function

This function on the Help Text main menu clears the help text from the edit buffer. In addition, all values except the language code and the profile name are cleared from the Help Text main menu.

To clear the edit buffer

1. Type "C" in the Function field.

2. Press Enter.

   If the contents of the editor were saved, the message "Edit buffer successfully cleared" is displayed.

   Note:
   If the contents of the editor were not saved, the message "Current Help Text NOT Saved. Press Enter to Confirm CLEAR" is displayed. You can then use the Save Help Text function to save the help member or press Enter to clear the buffer without saving the help member.

Print Saved Help Text Function

This function on the Help Text main menu prints a hardcopy (paper copy) of the help text currently in the edit buffer. To use the Print Saved Help Text function, the following conditions apply:

To print a hardcopy of the help text

1. Type "H" in the Function field.

2. Type the Type component in the Type field.

3. Type the Major component in the Major field.

4. Type the Minor component in the Minor field.

5. Type the Language component in the Language field.

6. Press Enter.

   The headers, date, and time are printed at the top of each page. The document name (a unique identifier of the help text in the order Type/Major/Minor/Language) and page number are printed at the bottom of each page. Natural Construct fits as many help text pages on each hardcopy page as there is room.

Maintain Default Profiles Function

This function on the Help Text main menu maintains the help profiles used for help text. These profiles determine the size and placement of the help windows that use them.

To view, create, or modify profiles

1. Type "M" in the Function field.

2. Type the name of the profile in the Profile field.

3. Press Enter.

   The Maintain Default Profiles panel is displayed, showing the profile specified in the Profile field. For example:

   CSHPFM N a t u r a l C o n s t r u c t CSHPFM0 Aug 17 Maintain Default Profiles 1 of 1 Action ......................... __ A,B,C,D,M,N,P,R Profile ........................ SYSTEM__ Description .................... DEFAULT USER HELP PROFILE.___________________ Lines per page ................. 15_ Message Library ................ CSTLDA__ Window Settings Top left ..... Line ......... ___ Column ....... ___ %W setting ... ____ Size ......... Width ........ 80_ Height ....... ___ Frame ....... X Dynamic Attributes Hotlink Begin .................. <<__ Hotlink End .................... >>__ Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF12--- help retrn quit test main

   You can use this panel to perform the following tasks:

   Task	Procedure
   Add a help profile.	Type "A" in Action and specify the values for the new profile.
   Display the profile names in alphanumeric order.	Type "B" in Action as follows: To view all profiles, type "B" in Action, blank out the value in Profile, and press Enter. The display begins with the first profile in the file. To view a particular profile, type its name in Profile before performing the browse action.
   Clear the settings for the current profile from the panel.	Type "C" in Action.
   Display the settings for the profile specified in Profile.	Type "D" in Action.
   Modify the settings for the profile specified in Profile.	Type "M" in Action and modify the values for the profile. Note: Changing the settings for a help profile does not affect help members previously saved using the profile. To modify the profile for previously saved members, you must select each member for editing and use the HPROF command.
   Display the settings for the next profile in the file.	Type "N" in Action.
   Purge (delete) the profile specified in Profile.	Type "P" in Action. Note: If the profile has been saved with a help member, the profile remains as the default profile for the help member. To modify the profile, you must select the member for editing and use the HPROF command.
   Recall the settings for the last profile purged from the file.	Type "R" in Action. Note: This action only works when performed immediately following the Purge action. After the profile is recalled, you can re-add it using the Add action.
   Change the name of the current profile.	Type over the name displayed in Profile with a new name.
   Change the description for the current profile.	Type over the information displayed in Description with a new description.
   Change the number of lines available for help text.	Type over the number displayed in Lines per page. The default number of lines on each page of help text is 15. In addition to the lines that make up the body of the help member, each help window contains up to two header lines, an input line (that displays the Page fields), and two PF-key lines.
   Use a different library to store message numbers and text for the current help member.	Type over the name displayed in Message library. Natural Construct uses this name to locate the library in which message numbers and their associated text are stored. This field is required if you are using message numbers in the Header 1, Header 2, and Hotlink fields, as well as in the body of the help member. This field defaults to the CSTLDA library, which contains messages for Natural Construct help members. You can create a custom message library to store help members for your generated applications.
   Modify the window settings.	Type over or specify the following window settings: Window position The window position is determined by the top left corner of the help window or by one of the %W commands. Specify one of the following options: Top left Type the number of lines from the top of the panel to the upper edge of the window in Line and type the number of columns from the left side of the panel to the left edge of the window in Column. The top left corner of the window is defined by these values. For example, if you type "5" in Line and "10" in Column, the top left corner of the window will begin 5 lines from the top and 10 columns from the left. %W setting Type one of the %W commands in %W setting. For example, to use the %WB command (to size the help window to the actual size of your screen), type "B". Note: If you specify a value for %W setting, you cannot specify a value for the Line and Column fields. Window size The size of the window is determined by the width and height values: Type the width of the help window in Width. The recommended width is 80 characters. Type the height of the help window in Height. Note: If you leave this field blank, the height is determined automatically when the help text is displayed based on the number of lines specified in this field and the number of headings specified for the help member. Window frame By default, Frame is marked and the help window will be displayed with a frame (border). To display the window without a frame, remove the "X" in Frame.
   Test the window settings.	Press PF4 (test). For information, see Test the Help Window.
   Change the dynamic attribute characters.	Type over or specify the following dynamic attribute values. The character(s) must be unique: Character(s) that indicates the beginning of a hotlink in Hotlink begin. The default characters are double left angle brackets (<<). Character(s) that indicates the end of a hotlink in Hotlink end. The default characters are double right angle brackets (>>).

4. Press PF2 to return to the Help Text editor.

Notes:

1. You cannot change the profile for a help member once it is created. You can, however, override the profile settings for an individual help member on the Maintain Current Editor Profile panel. For information, see Change the Current Help Profile.
2. For information about using the Help Text editor, see Editing Help Text.
3. For information about using message numbers in your help text, see Use Message Numbers.
4. For information about the %W commands, refer to Window Processing in the Natural Command Reference documentation.
5. For information about dynamic attributes, see Text Area.
6. For information about hotlinks, see Add Hotlinks.

Test the Help Window

You can test the help window to see how the headings will appear and to ensure the size and position of the help window are appropriate. The dimensions specified on the Maintain Default Profiles panel are used in the test.

To test the help window

1. Press PF4 (test).

   A window is displayed. For example:

   Specify headings for test window HD 1 HD 2

2. Type the heading(s) for the test window (required to calculate the height of the window).

   For example, if your help member has two headings, type a value in each of the heading fields. For example:

   Specify headings for test window HD 1 N a t u r a l C o n s t r u c t HD 2 - TEST WINDOW SETTINGS -

3. Press Enter.

   The Test Window Settings window is displayed as users will see it. For example:

   N a t u r a l C o n s t r u c t - TEST WINDOW SETTINGS - Help text line 1 Help text line 2 Help text line 3 Help text line 4 Help text line 5 Help text line 6 Help text line 7 Help text line 8 Help text line 9 Help text line 10 Help text line 11 Help text line 12 Help text line 13 Help text line 14 Help text line 15 PAGE: 1 of 1 Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF1 retrn bkwrd frwrd Help for T/Major/Minor/Language

4. Press Enter again to return to the Maintain Default Profiles panel.

   You can either keep the window settings as they are or modify them as desired and test the window again.