Introduction to FormGroup parts

An EGL FormGroup is a main part; it resides in a source file that has the same name as the part.

The FormGroup part can serve any or all of the following purposes:
  • Defines a collection of text and print forms within the FormGroup source file.
  • Includes standalone Form parts by way of a use declaration.
  • Optionally defines one or more floating areas. For more information on floating areas, see Introduction to Form parts
You do not declare a FormGroup part as if you were declaring a record or data item. Instead, your program accesses a FormGroup part (and the related forms) under the following conditions:
  • The FormGroup part is visible to the program.
  • A use declaration in the program references the FormGroup part.

An EGL program cannot access a standalone form directly. Instead, a FormGroup part must include a use declaration for the form, and the EGL program must access the form through the FormGroup.

A Program part can include no more than two FormGroup parts; and if two are specified, one must be a help group. A help group contains one or more help forms, which are read-only forms that give information in response to a user keystroke.

Forms are available at run time only if you generate the FormGroup part. The generated output for Java™ is a class for the FormGroup part and a class for each Form part. The generated output for a COBOL program is as follows:
  • Text forms are generated into an object module
  • Print forms are generated into a printing-services program

At preparation time, each of those entities is processed into a separate runtime load module. The EGL runtime handles the interaction of your generated program and the form-specific code.

You cannot generate a Form part separately from a FormGroup.

Compatibility

Table 1. Compatibility considerations for a FormGroup part
Platform Issue
COBOL generation The maximum length of a generated FormGroup name is 6 characters.