This document covers the following topics:
A complete functional overview of Natural terminal commands is given in the section Terminal Commands Grouped by Function.
You can define another special character as control character; this is
done with the session parameter CF.
When the control character is changed, all terminal commands which have been assigned to function keys will be adjusted accordingly.
Terminal commands can be used in a Natural runtime environment. The following rules apply:
You can enter a terminal command in any unprotected field on the screen (including the message line if it is unprotected).
A terminal command must be entered in one field, except the control character which may be entered in a preceding field.
It is recommended to enter a blank after a terminal command, or to delete the remaining content of the field in which you enter the command. Otherwise, Natural might misinterpret the field content as part of the terminal command.
If you enter multiple terminal commands on the same screen, only the first command encountered will be executed, and all others will be ignored.
Terminal commands which have been entered incorrectly are ignored, but you will not receive a corresponding error message.
If you enter a terminal command and at the same time data in other fields on the screen, only the terminal command will be executed; the data will not be processed.
Terminal commands may also be issued from within a program by using the
SET CONTROL
statement. When a terminal command is specified with a SET CONTROL
statement, the control character is omitted.
In the descriptions of several terminal commands, the terms "screen" and "window" are used with the following meanings:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Screen | Depending on the operating system under which Natural is
running, "screen" refers either to the entire terminal screen as
such, or to the operating-system window in which the Natural session is
running, or to the Natural main output window.
However, for the sake of convenience, the term "screen" is used in all these instances. |
| Window | Always refers to the Natural window (as explained with the
terminal command %W).
|
%?
|
This terminal command displays help information on the Natural terminal commands.
