Full-View - Windows for Pick
(C) Copyright 1985-1996 Modular Software Corporation. All rights reserved.
Version 2.0 for AP - February 14, 1996
Goto: Table of Contents Index
Chapter: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
The FULL-VIEW Windowing System is designed to extend the Pick Operating System, allowing applications to more fully utilize the power and flexibility inherent in the Pick O/S. FULL-VIEW is not an applications generator. Instead, it is a set of powerful extensions integrated within the operating system at a low level which enhance the usefulness of the Pick System.
FULL-VIEW creates a new and totally unique terminal environment within the Pick System. This environment has a number of powerful features:
- Complete independence between applications and physical terminals. All terminals are addressed in exactly the same manner and even run under the same terminal-type letter. This removes the burden of supporting multiple terminals from the application.
- Maintenance of a memory map of each display. FULL-VIEW maintains, within the Pick virtual storage area, a complete and up-to-date image of the users CRT screen. This allows applications to very quickly query the screen. This in turn is useful for a variety of purposes including screen refreshes, inclusion in documentation, and more.
- The terminal's screen can be partitioned into windows. While only one window is active at any given time, there can be as many windows portrayed on the user's screen as space allows. Each window acts as a complete terminal display, supporting all terminal functions, including cursor positioning, screen clear, scrolling and all other normal terminal functions.
The enhanced terminal environment which FULL-VIEW creates enables many previously difficult or impossible to implement functions to be easily integrated within Pick applications. Some examples:
- A PC-like "Print-Screen" function which operates from any terminal and generates standard Pick spooler jobs.
- A general "hot-key" utility which allows applications to level-push with a single key-stroke. One or more keys may be assigned to separately execute TCL or specific applications functions. The original application automatically resumes, including the restoration of the terminal's display, when the level-pushed application is exited.
- Text, video attribute, color, and line-graphics painters for screen layouts and programming are provided. Because all terminals have exactly the same characterists when operating within FULL-VIEW, complex screen layouts can be "painted" in advance and then saved as printable strings in standard Pick data items. The printable strings can then be displayed on any terminal with "correct" results regardless of the physical hardware in use.
Also, because of the enhanced terminal environment which FULL-VIEW creates, a number of sophisticated user-interface functions become much easier to implement. FULL-VIEW includes stand-alone utility functions for:
- Pop-up menus which utilize line-graphics, video attributes, color as well as selection help text and other eye-pleasing characteristics.
- Pop-up windowed help utilities which display static or variable help text. Even ACCESS listings may be displayed within a help window without additional programming.
- And more . . .
FULL-VIEW may be viewed from a number of aspects. These aspects encompass terminal functions, windowing functions, execution utilities such as Hot-Keys, utility programs for menus and help text, and other functions which are included because of their ease of integration with the windowing software. An understanding of the low-level structure of FULL-VIEW will greatly assist you in designing and implementing applications to take maximum benefit of FULL-VIEW features and functions.
Goto: Table of Contents Index
Chapter: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15