Interactive program without display file

[d7d1cd_]

Hey. Is there a way to create an interactive program when there will be input fields on the screen, signatures of these fields, reaction to key presses, but the display file will not be used? As far as I know, there are APIs like https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledg.../apis/uim1.htm, but I can't figure out if they do what I need.

[Barbara Morris]

There are also the "Dynamic Screen Manager" APIs: https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledg...4/apis/dsm.htm

If you google for say "QsnWrtDta", it looks like there are lots of RPG examples, including this thread in this forum: https://code400.com/forum/forum/tips...fld-qsnreadinp

[d7d1cd_]

Thanks. That is, the answer to my question is "yes, you can display information on the screen and read it from the screen without using a display file." I'll try to master this topic. The main thing is to understand where to start studying.

[JonBoy]

The DSM APIs were designed to make it simpler to port C applications from a Unix type environment - so if you have any experience in that area you should find them feel somewhat familiar.

I don't know if anybody on this list uses them but i know a few folks of Midrange.com lists have used them in the past.

[Scott Klement]

I've used them.

They sure aren't like anything I've used in other C environments, though. On Unix systems, you'd use curses/ncurses, which in my experience is very different from DSM. I don't remember what I used in DOS -- too long ago. Windows, of course, is a completely different animal since its a GUI rather than text interface.

Anyway, if you have questions, feel free to post them here and I'll try to help.

[JonBoy]

Interesting Scott. I have no such C experience - I can only go on what the design documents I was given to approve stated as part of the justifications for development.

[d7d1cd_]

Scott, if I want to create an interactive application without a display file, do I understand correctly that I should start by learning the QsnCrtWin API?

[JonBoy]

If I was you I'd start with one of the existing examples on the web (including one based on Scott's work) - there's even one on this site: https://code400.com/forum/forum/iser...essage-subfile

[d7d1cd_]

JonBoy thanks. Yes, I looked at examples on the internet.
Not so long ago I saw an example of a display file that implements such controls as a button and a radio button. I wonder if it's possible to create something like this with DSM?

[Scott Klement]

This is done in 5250 by issuing a Write To DIsplay Structured Field -- specifically, the "define selection field" type of wtd structured field. I haven't done this in DSM, but I suspect you'd use the Write Structured Field Major / Write Strutured Field Minor APIs to do it. You'll need to read how this works in the IBM 5494 Functions Reference Manual in order to figure out how to use the DSM APIs to do it. It'll be in section 15.6.13.5 of the manual.

[JonBoy]

I think Scott is correct but I am afraid that I have never used those features using DDS let alone DSM. I'm not a fan of those capabilities and left them well alone focussing instead on real browser interfaces.

[d7d1cd_]

Scott, thanks for the info.
JonBoy, what is a "browser interface"?

[Vectorspace]

Using a web based front end that runs in a web browser, as opposed to using greenscreens

[d7d1cd_]

How are applications written for this? And what should the IBM i server support?

[JonBoy]

With RPG either using the APIs directly or via a toolset such as CGIDEV2 or CNX or Profound Logic's UI or .... Plus of course any other language that runs on the box such as Python, PHP, Java, node.js, etc. etc.