HP 3000 Manuals

Action Function [ HP VPLUS/Windows Programmer's Guide ] MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation

HP VPLUS/Windows Programmer's Guide

Action Function

When a user clicks the Action function, VPLUS/Windows displays the Action
menu, as shown in Figure 3-2.

Figure 3-2. Action Menu

The Action menu enables a user or system administrator to choose from the
following commands:

Start Application Select and start an application on an HP 3000.

Define Application Create or edit program startup information for
HP 3000 VPLUS applications.

Allow Options Control access to the Config menu.

Close VPLUS/Windows Terminate the presentation server.

About VPLUS/Windows Display version and copyright information.

Start Application

Start Application enables a user to connect to the HP 3000 and start a
VPLUS application. When a user clicks Start Application, VPLUS/Windows
displays the Start Application dialog box, which contains a list of
currently defined applications. The Define Application command manages
the list of applications. A user can start an application by doing one
of the following:

* Typing the name of an existing application in the Application Name
field.

* Clicking the name of an application from the list of applications
located below the Application Name field.

If a user clicks the name of an application from the list, the name of
the application automatically appears in the Application Name field.

Figure 3-3 shows an example in which a user has chosen the MRP-II
application.

Figure 3-3. Start Application Dialog Box

After a user selects an application and clicks Start (or double clicks
the selection), the server prompts for HP 3000 account, user, and group
passwords, unless the system administrator included the passwords in the
application definition. If the application prompts a user for passwords,
responses are required for the series of dialog boxes shown in Figure
3-4, Figure 3-5, and Figure 3-6.

Figure 3-4. Account Password Dialog Box

Figure 3-5. User Password Dialog Box

Figure 3-6. Group Password Dialog Box

The presentation server then initiates a logon to the HP 3000. During
this time, VPLUS/Windows initially displays a connection message, as
shown in Figure 3-7, indicating that it is processing the connection
request. A user may have to wait a few seconds for the connection,
depending on the distance and load of the HP 3000.

Figure 3-7. Connection Message

After the connection occurs, the application window appears, as shown in
Figure 3-8. Besides performing normal tasks associated with the
application program, a user can also:

* Size and reposition the application window, using Microsoft Windows
controls.
* Copy data from an application field into another field.
* Obtain help about application forms, if the application includes
help.

Figure 3-8. Application Window

Running Multiple Applications. VPLUS/Windows enables users to run
multiple applications simultaneously. HP 3000 and PC resources determine
the number of possible VPLUS/Windows connections from an HP 3000 to a PC.
For the HP 3000, the number of sessions, the number of processes, and the
number of network processes determine the limit of connections. For PCs,
the available physical memory determines the number of possible
concurrent instances of the presentation server as well as other
applications. Additionally, a virtual circuit must be configured for
each concurrent application. Refer to Appendix B for information about
configuring communications circuits on the PC.

To start another application while the current one is running, a user
clicks Action and Start Application again and repeats the process
described for starting applications. The second application appears over
the first application. After sizing and positioning both application
windows according to individual needs, a user can then alternate between
applications, as shown in Figure 3-9.

Figure 3-9. Two Application Windows

Application Window Functions. Each application window provides Edit and
Help functions that a user can access like presentation server functions.
The Edit function provides application field copy and paste capabilities.
The Help function provides application-specific help.

Edit Function. The Edit function enables a user to copy data from a
field to the Microsoft Windows clipboard and then copy it to another
field in the current application or to a field in another application. A
user can copy data to the clipboard from either display-only or input
fields, but can only copy data from the clipboard to an input field. To
perform copy and paste operations, VPLUS/Windows provides Edit menu
commands, as shown in Figure 3-10.

Figure 3-10. Application Edit Menu

To copy data from a field to the clipboard, a user moves the mouse
pointer to position the cursor within the desired field and clicks the
left button of the mouse. A blinking cursor appears at the pointer
position. A user then clicks Copy. VPLUS/Windows responds by copying
the content of the entire field to the clipboard.

To paste the clipboard buffer content to another field, a user moves the
pointer to a position within the desired field and clicks the mouse. A
blinking cursor appears at the pointer position. A user then clicks
Paste. VPLUS/Windows responds by pasting the buffer content to the
desired field starting at the beginning position of the field. If the
buffer content cannot fit into the field length, VPLUS/Windows truncates
the remaining buffer content. If the buffer content is shorter than the
field length, VPLUS/Windows pads the field with trailing blanks.

A user can copy data from applications other than VPLUS/Windows into the
clipboard. A user can only paste text data from the clipboard to a field
in a VPLUS application. A user cannot paste other types of data to a
VPLUS application field, such as graphics, bitmaps, and data-interchange
formats.

The buffer content remains in the clipboard so a user can paste the
content to other forms in the same application or other applications.
The current buffer content is overwritten when a user copies other data
to the clipboard.

Help Function. The application Help function enables a user to select a
topic from a list of help topics about the application and then read help
text about the topic. A user can also use a help pointer to select a
field and then read help text about the field.

Refer to Chapter 4 for information about the application help interface
and creating application help using Microsoft Windows.

Define Application

Define Application enables a system administrator to:

* Create, edit, or delete start up information for HP 3000 VPLUS
applications.

* Manage file path information for application files on the PC.

Providing the Administrator Password. After clicking Define Application,
VPLUS/Windows displays the Administrator Password dialog box, as shown in
Figure 3-11.

Figure 3-11. Administrator Password Dialog Box

The administrator must provide the correct password in the Password field
and click OK in order to access the Define Application dialog box. The
password can be blank. Although defining a non-blank password is not
mandatory, it can prevent unauthorized users from accessing application
definitions.

If an incorrect password is specified, VPLUS/Windows displays the
Incorrect Password dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-12.

Figure 3-12. Incorrect Password Dialog Box

An administrator can use this dialog box to enter the correct password
and then click OK to access the Define Application dialog box. The
administrator can also click Cancel to return to the presentation server
main window.

Refer to the section "Changing the Administrator Password" for
information about providing a new password.

Creating or Editing an Application Definition. After providing the
correct password and clicking OK, the Define Application dialog box
appears, as shown in Figure 3-13. The administrator can then either
specify a new application to define, or can select an existing
application to edit or delete. The administrator can either click an
existing listed application, or type the name of an existing or new
application in the Application Name field.

The application name can consist of from one to fifteen non-blank
characters. Application definitions are stored in the VPLUS/Windows
configuration file, VWSERVW.CFG. The administrator can specify a maximum
of 50 application definitions in a single file.

Figure 3-13. Define Application Dialog Box

After the administrator specifies a new or existing application and
clicks Edit, the Define Application Options dialog box appears, as shown
in Figure 3-14.

Figure 3-14. Define Application Options Dialog Box

The administrator can specify HP 3000 options and PC options. If the
application has been previously defined, the currently defined values
appear in the dialog box fields as shown above.

For HP 3000 options, the administrator must define the Host Name, Logon,
and PROG Name fields, and can optionally define all other fields. For PC
options, the administrator can optionally define all fields.

Table 3-1 lists HP 3000 options and defines valid field data. Table 3-2
lists PC options, defines valid field data, and indicates default values.

Table 3-1. HP 3000 Application Options

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
| Option | Valid Field Data |
| | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
| Host Name | Enter the HP 3000 host name in the format of: |
| | |
| | NAME.DOMAIN.ORGANIZATION |
| | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
| Logon | Enter the logon sequence following the conventions of a standard MPE |
| | logon: |
| | |
| | JOBNAME,USER.ACCOUNT,GROUP |
| | |
| | As with standard MPE logons, GROUP is required only if a user does not |
| | log on to the home group. JOBNAME is recommended if USER.ACCOUNT is not |
| | unique. |
| | |
| | The administrator can decide whether or not VPLUS/Windows should prompt |
| | a user for passwords when starting an application. If the administrator |
| | does not want to store the passwords in the VPLUS/Windows configuration |
| | file on the PC, the administrator should not enter passwords or forward |
| | slashes, as shown in the logon sequence above. If no passwords exist |
| | for the application, the administrator can forgo password prompts by |
| | including forward slashes in this field: |
| | |
| | ME/.MYACCT/,MYGROUP/ |
| | |
| | If passwords exist for the application but the administrator does not |
| | want to prompt a user for passwords, the administrator can forgo |
| | password prompts by including forward slashes and passwords in this |
| | field. |
| | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
| PROG Name | Enter the MPE program name of the application on the HP 3000: |
| | |
| | PAYROLL.MYGROUP.MYACCT |
| | |
| | As with all MPE files, GROUP and ACCOUNT are only required if the file |
| | is not in the logon GROUP or ACCOUNT. |
| | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
| PROG Options | Enter the RUN command parameters following the conventions of the RUN |
| | command: |
| | |
| | INFO="UPDATE";PARM=5;LIB=G |
| | |
| | Refer to the MPE Commands Reference Manual (32650-90003) for information |
| | about RUN command parameters. |
| | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
| Application | Enter an HP 3000 Application Support File name as in: |
| Support File | |
| Name | APPSUPT.MYGROUP.MYACCT |
| | |
| | As with all MPE files, GROUP and ACCOUNT are only required if the file |
| | is not in the logon GROUP or ACCOUNT. |
| | |
| | VPLUS/Windows enables the administrator to define a set of commands in |
| | an Application Support File (ASF) that execute on the HP 3000 before |
| | activating an application. Refer to the section "Application Support |
| | File" in Chapter 2 for further information about the ASF. |
| | |
| | The administrator can also use a PC file as the Application Support |
| | File. In this case, a name is entered without the directory |
| | information. PC Application Support Files use the .ASF extension. The |
| | administrator must also select the PC Application Support File option |
| | under PC Options. |
| | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table 3-2. PC Application Options

Deleting an Application. To delete an application, the administrator
selects the application from the Define Application dialog box, then
clicks Delete. As a safeguard against inadvertent deletion,
VPLUS/Windows responds by displaying a Delete Application dialog box for
confirmation, as shown in Figure 3-15. VPLUS/Windows responds to either
Yes or No by returning to the Define Application dialog box.

Figure 3-15. Delete Application Dialog Box

Changing the Administrator Password. To provide a new password, an
administrator first clicks Define Application from the Action menu to
display the Administrator Password dialog box (Figure 3-11). Then the
administrator types the current password in the Password field and clicks
New to invoke the Password Modification dialog box, as shown in Figure
3-16.

Figure 3-16. Password Modification Dialog Box

The new password must consist of not more than eight alphanumeric
characters. Non-alphanumeric characters or control characters are
invalid. The password is obscured when typed.

After entering the new password and clicking OK, VPLUS/Windows requests
confirmation of the new password by displaying the Password Confirmation
dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-17.

Figure 3-17. Password Confirmation Dialog Box

After correctly entering the new password again and clicking OK, the new
password becomes effective and the Define Application dialog box appears.

Allow Options

Allow Options enables the administrator to set up access control for menu
commands in the Config menu to permit or prohibit a user from selecting
all, some, or none of the commands.

When the administrator clicks Allow Options, VPLUS/Windows displays the
Administrator Password dialog box. After providing the correct password,
VPLUS/Windows displays the Allow Options dialog box, as shown in Figure
3-18. The administrator can also change the password as described in the
section "Changing the Administrator Password."

Figure 3-18. Allow Options Dialog Box

The administrator must select one or more boxes in order to allow user
access to the corresponding commands. If the administrator does
not select any of the boxes, a user cannot access any of the
access-controlled commands. After selecting the appropriate boxes, the
administrator clicks Save to save the values and return to the
presentation server main window.

Close VPLUS/Windows

Close VPLUS/Windows enables a user to terminate the presentation server.
A user should not terminate the server until all HP 3000 applications are
closed. Terminating the server automatically closes all applications,
which is equivalent to aborting applications on the HP 3000.

About VPLUS/Windows

About VPLUS/Windows enables a user to verify version and copyright
information. When a user clicks this menu command, VPLUS/Windows
displays a dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-19.

Figure 3-19. Information Dialog Box

After reading the information, a user clicks OK to return to the
presentation server main window.

MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation