NET/MASTER Network Control Language (NCL) Programmer's Guide

Obtaining Input From a Panel
Working With Panels
106160 Tandem Computers Incorporated 14–61
Obtaining Input From a
Panel
A panel that obtains input can pass back two types of values to an NCL process for
processing: the data entered into input field variables, and value of the key pressed by
a user after entering data in an input field at a terminal.
Obtaining Data in Input
Field Variables
Input field variables contain data received by the panel. Typically, this is data typed
by a user at a keyboard. The position of an input field variable in a panel description
file determines the position of the input field on a screen. A user must move to the
correct location on a screen to type data in the input field. The data is entered into the
input variable positioned at that location. An input field variable does not have a
leading ampersand.
Obtaining the Value of a
Function Key
The system variable &SYS.INKEY contains the name of the key pressed by a user after
entering data in an input field. The value is either the name of the ENTER key or the
name of a function key. The value placed in &SYS.INKEY is determined by the
various settings of the CONTROL verb. The system variable &SYS.NATIVE.INKEY
contains the natural or untranslated name of the function key that was last used
during a panel operation, or to enter data; that is, the name of the function key
“native” to the terminal being used.
Controlling Function Key
Interception and
Translation
The CONTROL verb operands that begin with PFK and PA allow you to control both
function key interception and the name of the key that is placed in the &SYS.INKEY
system variable. There are three groups of PFK settings and one group of PA settings.
Within each group, the operands are mutually exclusive. The groups allow you to:
Control the translation of function key values from a Tandem 6530 or compatible
terminal value to an IBM 3270 or compatible terminal equivalent (PFK3270,
PFKNATIVE, and PFKGEN).
Control the handling of function keys that perform system-wide functions
(PFKSTD, PFKALL, and NOPFK).
Control the mapping of IBM 3270 or compatible terminal upper-row function keys
to lower-row function keys (PFKMAP and NOPFKMAP).
Control whether IBM 3270 or compatible terminal program attention keys are
processed (PAKEYS and NOPAKEYS).