Dictionary/3000 Reference Manual (32244-90001)

42 Chapter3
Using the DICTDBM Commands
Using Commands to Define HP Inform/3000 Groups
Figure 3-5. Summary of Hierarchical Structure for Groups
$MENU is the top of the structure and is the PARENT group. Other groups are related to
$MENU and are CHILD groups. A CHILD group can in turn be a PARENT group of other
CHILD groups (which are called "subgroups" in HP Inform/3000 and appear on HP
Inform/3000's Subgroup Menu). This hierarchical relationship can exist up to 10 levels
deep, starting with $MENU. A PARENT group cannot have data elements associated with
it. Note that $MENU is created automatically when the Dictionary is initialized and
cannot be altered or purged.
Each group in this hierarchy must be defined in the Dictionary. The data elements you
wish to associate with a group and the files those data elements are associated with must
first be defined in the Dictionary. Preceding topics in this section provide the details for
defining databases and other file structures. The following description outlines the steps
involved when you use the DICTDBM commands to define groups. A complete description
for all the commands is given in Section IV of this manual.
Creating Elements and Groups
To create data elements and group entries, use the CREATE command. The CREATE
ELEMENT or CREATE GROUP command string is used to define the entry. An element
or group must be defined in your Dictionary before you can associate or relate it to other
entries. The name entered for the element or group must be unique among elements and
groups, respectively. The remaining prompts allow the user to provide useful information,
but are not required. You can create many elements or groups in a command cycle by
using the REPEAT option.
$MENU
PARENT group
GROUP
GROUP ...
GROUP ...
data
elements
data
elements
CHILD group
PARENT/CHILD
group
CHILD
group
data
elements
CHILD group
GROUP ...
PARENT/CHILD group
GROUP