Introduction to Data Management

Developing Applications With PATHMAKER
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As with all major development tasks, you select requester definition through the main
menu. You can create a requester by starting from the beginning, filling in the desired
information on a requester definition screen as shown in Figure 5-5. Or you can make
a new requester that is a copy or modification of some existing requester. This latter
method is usually faster and easier because certain common features need never be
entered separately after the original definition is created. With either method,
PATHMAKER creates a default requester screen for you based on the information you
supply or accept by default. This information includes requester name, screen title,
requester type, function key assignments, and data fields. After entering this
information, you navigate to several lower level screens to specify additional details
such as those noted in the following paragraphs.
Specifying the Requester Context. After you have defined the database structure, you
indicate the data items from the database that you wish to appear on your requester
screen plus other fields that will be used by the screen. The variables and constants
displayed on the requester screen, and their arrangement, along with all objects that
are used in interprocess messages, compose the context of the requester.
Defining the Function Keys. For your requester screen, you must define the function keys
that the end user will press to navigate through the application. Users prefer function
keys to be consistent from screen to screen and application to application.
PATHMAKER helps you meet this goal with a template of default function key
assignments that match the type of user terminal you specify. You can create help text
for each key assigned. PATHMAKER also furnishes facilities for specifying screen
navigation, so you do not have to write any code for this function.