validationBypassKeys

The validationBypassKeys property identifies one or more user keystrokes that cause the EGL runtime to skip input-field validations. This property is useful for reserving a keystroke that ignores the user input such as an exit or cancel key.

When a user presses a validation bypass key, the following actions occur:
  • The input data on the form is not validated.
  • The input data on the form is not passed to the program.
  • The program continues processing at the statement following the converse or, for the form referenced by the program's inputForm property, at the first statement in the program's main function.
You specify the validationBypassKeys property as follows:
validationBypassKeys = [bypassKeyValue]
where bypassKeyValue is the name of an F or PF key in the form pfn. n is a number between 1 and 24, inclusive.

Function keys on a PC keyboard are often F keys such as F1, but EGL uses the IBM® PF terminology; for example, F1 on a PC keyboard is called PF1 in EGL.

If you want to specify more than one key value, delimit the set of values with brackets and separate each value from the next with a comma, as in the following example: 
validationBypassKeys = [PF3, PF4]
You can specify the validationBypassKeys property in the following places:
  • When you define a text form.
  • When you define a FormGroup part.
  • When you provide the use declaration for a FormGroup part in a program definition.

On a PC keyboard, EGL maps the function keys as follows:

Table 1. EGL function key mapping
Function EGL key mappings in Windows™ EGL key mappings on Linux™ and AIX®
PF1-PF12 F1-F12 F1-F12
PF13-PF24 Shift+F1-F12 Press Ctrl+S and then press F1-F12
PA1-PA3 Ctl+F1-F3 Press Ctrl+A and then press F1-F3
Note:
  • The plus sign (+) indicates that you must press 2 keys simultaneously.
  • For Linux™ and AIX®, the Ctrl+S and Ctrl+A work as toggles. If you press the combination of keys by mistake, you can press the same combination again to disable the toggle. Pressing Ctrl+S and then pressing a key other than F1-F12 has no effect. Similarly, pressing Ctrl+A and then pressing a key other than F1-F3 has no effect.

Compatibility

Table 2. Compatibility considerations for validationBypassKeys
Platform Issue
IMS/VS IMS™ reserves the PA keys so they cannot be the default validation bypass keys. You must define a specific PF key if you want to allow the program user to bypass validation. If your installation uses PF12 for the IMS™ local copy function, then do not use PF12 as a validation bypass key.