ConsoleForm

A ConsoleForm part is primarily a set of console fields. As such, it is a type of Record part. It is also a main part, which means the following considerations apply:
  • You can only specify one ConsoleForm per file.
  • The ConsoleForm must be the only main part in the file.
  • The file name must be the same as the ConsoleForm name and is case sensitive.

The ConsoleForm is a Record part with the ConsoleForm stereotype and can include not only console fields, but any of the fields that are valid in any EGL record.

To make a console form active, you invoke the consoleLib.displayForm() system function. To display a read-only console form, for example, you can do as follows:
  1. Call the consoleLib.displayForm() system function
  2. Call the consoleLib.getKey() system function to wait for a user keystroke
To allow the user to write to a console field, perform the following actions instead:
  1. Call the consoleLib.displayForm() system function
  2. Issue an openUI statement that references either the displayed console form or specific console fields in the console form.
To allow for user interaction with a displayed table of console fields, perform the following actions:
  1. In the ConsoleForm part, declare an arrayDictionary that in turn references console field arrays that are also declared in the ConsoleForm.
  2. Use that arrayDictionary in an openUI statement

To allow for user interaction with only a subset of console fields in the console form, you can list the console fields in the openUI statement, either explicitly or by referencing a dictionary. Like the arrayDictionary, the dictionary is declared in the ConsoleForm and references console fields that are also declared in the ConsoleForm.

EGL does not display any primitive variables that you declare in the ConsoleForm. Use such variables to bind console fields, or you can use primitive variables that you declare outside of the ConsoleForm.

You typically create console form bindings in either of two ways:
  • By setting a default binding when you declare the console form.
  • By setting a binding when you code the openUI statement.

Any binding specified in the openUI statement overrides the default binding in total; none of the console form declaration bindings remain.

If you use the openUI statement to bind variables, one option is to use the isConstruct statement property, which performs the following actions:
  • Formats user input into a string appropriate to an SQL WHERE clause
  • Places that string into a single variable so you can easily code an SQL SELECT statement that retrieves the data that the user requests from a relational database, as when you code an EGL prepare statement

For more information about the isConstruct property, see openUI.

Tab order is the order in which the user tabs from one console field to another. By default, the tab order is the order of the console fields in the console form declaration. If you provide a list of console fields in an openUI statement, the tab order is the order of console fields in that statement; similarly, if you provide a dictionary or arrayDictionary in an openUI statement, the tab order is the order of console fields in the declaration of the Dictionary or ArrayDictionary.

By default, the user exits a console form-related openUI statement by pressing the Esc key.