Table of Contents (Using the Editors)

Using the Editors

About This Document

Part I. Editor Environment

1. Introducing Panther Tools

Panther User Interface Components

2. Editor Basics

Starting the Editor

Opening and Creating Application Components

Creating a New Application Component

How to Create a New Application Component, Library or Repository

Opening Application Components

Viewing the Library Table of Contents

Opening and Creating a Library

Opening a Middleware Session

How to Open a Middleware Session

Opening a Database Connection

Creating Widgets

How to Create a Widget

Setting Properties

Using the Properties Window

How to Set Properties

Saving Your Work

Saving an Application Component

Naming Conventions

Creating and Opening a Repository

Creating a Repository

Opening Repository Entries

Saving Application Components to a Repository

Re-importing Database Tables

How to Re-import Database Tables

Controlling Inheritance

3. Editor Workspace

Editor Workspace

Toolbars

Dockable Toolbars

Types of Widgets

Properties Window

Property Categories

Part II. Wizards

4. Introducing the Wizards

Navigating in the Wizards

5. Screen Wizard

Invoking the Screen Wizard

How to Run the Screen Wizard

Screen Wizard Dialogs

Format Selection Dialog

How to Define the Screen's Format

First Master Dialog

How to Identify the First Master Table of Your Screen

Primary Key Selection Dialog

How to Define a Primary Key

Additional Master Dialog

How to Include Columns from Other Tables in the Master Section

First Detail Dialog

How to Identify the First Detail Table of Your Screen

Additional Detail Dialog

How to Include Columns from Additional Detail Tables

Master-Detail Link Dialog

How to Define a Master-Detail Link

First Subdetail Dialog

How to Identify the First Table of The Subdetail Section

Layout Selection Dialog

How to Define Each Section's Layout

Application Model Selection Dialog

How to Define the Architecture of Your Screens

Service Definition Dialog

How to Edit Service Names

Style and Finish Dialog

How to Add Final Touches to Your Screen

Output for Two-Tier Architecture

Two-Tier Client Screen and How It Looks

Two-Tier Selection Screens

Output for JetNet and Oracle Tuxedo Applications

Three-Tier Output and How It Looks

6. Report Wizard

Invoking the Report Wizard

How to Run the Report Wizard

Report Types

Report Wizard Dialogs

Matrix Data Groups

How It Looks

Including Graphs

Part III. User Interface Components

7. Defining Screen Properties

Creating, Opening, and Saving Screens

Creating a New Screen

Creating a Screen from a Repository

How to Add Objects to Your Screen from a Repository

Creating a Dialog Box

How to Define a Screen as a Dialog Box

Opening and Saving Screens

Resizing a Screen

Defining the Screen Size

How to Change the Size of the Current Screen

Conventions for Controlling Screen Size at Runtime

Iconifying a Screen

How to Assign an Icon To Display on a Minimized Screen

Using the Screen Grid

How to Control the Size of the Positioning Grid

Spacing Widgets for Portability

How to Control the Amount of Space Between Widgets

Setting the Screen Margin

How to Control How Much Whitespace Exists Between the Screen's Inner Border and Its Contents

Controlling Widget Positions and Screen Size

Including Screen Wallpaper

Specifying a Mouse Pointer

How to Create and Specify a Custom Pointer Shape

Including Borders and Decorations

Designing the Screen Borders

Displaying a Screen Title

Displaying a Title Bar

How to Define the Display of the Screen's Title Bar

Displaying a System Menu

Specifying Styles under Windows

Attaching a Menu Bar

How to Display a Popup Menu that is Different from the Screen's Menu Bar

Testing Menus

Documenting Screens

Adding Comments

How to Add or Edit Comments on Your Screen

Including Additional Information

How to Include Additional Information on a Screen

Defining XML Tags for Screens

How to Set XML Properties for Screens

Testing Screens

8. Defining Service Components

Creating and Saving Service Components

How to Create a Service Component

Defining the Component Interface

Defining Methods

Defining Properties

How to Add or Modify a Property

COM Applications

Enterprise JavaBeans

The Panther EJB Tab Card

JetNet and Oracle Tuxedo Applications

9. Defining Widget Behavior

Identifying and Naming Widgets

Assigning a Widget Name

Specifying the Widget's Data Type

Invoking a Popup Menu

How to Invoke a Popup Menu for a Widget or Specific Widgets

Active Versus Inactive Widgets

Protecting Widgets

Focus Protection

How to Control a Widget's Focus Protection

Validation Protection

How to Protect a Field from Being Validated When the User Exits the Field

Input Protection

How to Control Data Entry to a Widget

Clearing Protection

How to Define Whether a Widget's Data Can Be Cleared or Not

Double-Click Events

How to Assign a Double-Click Event

Setting Tabbing Order

How to Define the Tabbing Order for a Widget or Group

Specifying Tab Stops

Changing the Tab Order

Autotabbing

How to Control Autotabbing

Synchronizing Scrolling Arrays

Array Behavior

Creating and Modifying Synchronized Arrays

Identifying Members of the Synchronized Scrolling Group

How to Identify All Members of a Synchronized Scrolling Group

Changing Members of a Synchronized Scrolling Group

Performing Calculations and Validating Numbers

Math Expression Syntax

Check Digit Calculations

How to Attach a Check Digit Calculation to a Widget

Documenting Widgets

Adding Comments

How to Add or Edit Comments for Your Widget

Including Additional Information

How to Include Additional Information for a Widget

Defining XML Tags for Widgets

10. Manipulating Widgets

Selecting a Widget

Using a Mouse

Resizing a Widget

Defining a Widget's Size

Controlling a Widget's Size at Runtime

General Rules for Resizing at Runtime

Moving and Copying Widgets

Within a Screen

From Screen to Screen

How to Delete or Remove a Widget

Arranging Widgets

Aligning Widgets

Spacing Widgets

Centering Widgets

How to Center Widgets on a Screen

Controlling a Widget's Position at Runtime

How to Set a Widget's Position in Relation to Other Widgets

Undoing Actions

11. Controlling the Way Things Look

Giving Widgets Initial Data

How to Define Initial Text or a Label for a Widget

Changing Widget Type

How to Change Widget Types

Formatting Text

To Display or Not Display

Justification

How to Assign a Font to a Screen or to One or More Widgets

Assigning a GUI Font Name

How to Assign a GUI-Specific Font

Displaying Null Values

How to Allow a Widget to Accept and Display a Null Value

Controlling Grid Formats

Creating Shifting/Scrolling Fields

Creating an Array

How to Create an Array with More than One Occurrence

Creating a Scrolling Array

How to Define Offscreen Occurrences for a Selected Widget

Creating a Shifting Field

How to Create a Shifting Field for a Selected Widget

Creating a Date and Time Field

Defining a Numeric Format

How to Set a Numeric Format for a Selected Widget

Giving Screens a 3D Appearance

12. Specifying Colors

Color Property Types

Changing Color Properties

Setting Color Properties

Setting Display Attributes

How to Access Additional Display Attributes (Character Mode Only)

13. Providing Help Facilities

Using Panther Help Screens

Creating Internal Help Screens

Attaching Panther Help Screens

How to Assign a Panther Help Screen to a Widget or a Screen

Positioning Help Screens

Using Selection Screens

How to Assign a Selection Screen

Using Table Lookup Screens

Creating and Attaching Table Lookup

How to Attach a Lookup Screen to a Data Entry Widget

Using External Help Sources

Attaching Help from Another Source

How to Attach an External Help to an Application Object

Using Tooltips

Examples

14. Display Widgets

Labeling Information

Defining the Look of a Static Label

Creating Output Labels

Defining Output Labels

How to Change the Size Dynamically When Content Changes

Using Graphs to Display Data

Adding a Title to a Graph

Adding a Legend to a Graph

Specifying Text Size for Graph Labels

How to Specify Text Size for Graph Labels

Orienting the Graph Vertically or Horizontally

How to Specify the Graph Orientation

Describing the X and Y Axes of a Graph

Creating a 3-Dimensional Effect

How to Display a Graph in 3D

Defining the Data Series

Converting Data between Chart Types

Pie Charts

Describing Segment Characteristics

Bar/Line Graphs

XY-Plots

High/Low Charts

15. Data Entry Widgets

Defining the Input with Keystroke Filters

How to Embed Special Characters in a Digits-Only Field

Edit Masks

Regular Expressions

Converting Case

How to Ensure that Data is Entered in the Desired Case

Controlling What Occurs on Input

Specifying a Range of Values

How to Set a Range

Defining Prerequisites or Restrictions on Input Data

Entering Data on Multiple Lines

Defining a Word Wrap Field

Word Wrap Function

Using Input Devices

Using Scales

Using Option Menus and Combo Boxes

16. Grid Widgets

Creating and Editing a Grid Widget

How to Create and Populate a Grid Widget

Manipulating a Grid Widget and Grid Members

Grid Widget Features

Displaying Rows

Defining Column Click Behavior

Moving and Resizing Grid Columns at Runtime

Grid Focus Properties

Entry and Exit Function Properties

17. Tab Controls

Creating and Editing a Tab Control

How to Create and Populate a Tab Control

Manipulating a Tab Deck and Tab Cards

Creating a Tab Dialog Screen

How to Build a Tab Dialog Screen

Tab Control Properties

Tab Deck Properties

Tab Card Properties

18. Framesets and Splitters

Creating And Editing Framesets

Programming With Framesets

Runtime Properties

Web Deployment of Framesets

The Frameset Sample Application

19. ActiveX Controls

Embedding ActiveX Controls in Application Screens

Setting Runtime Licensing

How to Enter the Runtime License

Setting Color Properties

Interacting with ActiveX Controls

Calling Methods Using VBScript

Specifying an ActiveX Event Handler

Using VBScript for Event Handling

Using AxView, the COM Control Viewer

20. Push Button Widgets

Identifying a Push Button

Using Pictures on Push Buttons

Establishing Push Button Behavior

Assigning Default and Cancel

How to Specify a Default and/or Cancel Push Button

Setting the Initial State

How to Initialize the Push Button's Status

Attaching an Action to the Button

21. Selection Widgets

How to Make a Scrolling List Box

Populating List Boxes

How to Populate a List Box with Data

Performing Actions

How to Make a List Box Function Like a Menu

Using Radio Buttons

Creating Selection Groups

How to Create a Selection Group

Identifying the Members of a Group

How to Identify the Members of the Group

Specifying Group Properties

Naming a Group

How to Assign a Name to the Group

Setting the Number of Selections Allowed in a Group

How to Define the Number of Selections that a User Can Make in a Group

Specifying an Initial Selection

How to Identify an Initial Selection for a Group

Adding and Removing Group Members

22. Graphics Widgets

Using Boxes and Lines

Using Boxes as Positioning Regions

Spacing Widgets within a Box

Adding Borders to Widgets

Displaying a Picture on Widgets

Specifying the Image

Sizing the Image

Using Customer Drawn Widgets

23. Table Views and Links

Using Table Views

Accessing Table View Properties

How to Create a New Table View

Manipulating Table View Members

Adding Table View Members

How to Add Widgets to a Table View

Identifying the Root Table View

How to Identify A Table View As The Root Table For The Screen

Using Links

Creating Links

How to Create a Link on Your Screen

Editing Link Properties

Joining Database Tables

Setting Validation Links

How to Specify a Validation Link

Part IV. Editors

24. Styles Editor

How Transaction Manager Commands Affect Modes

Using Styles and Classes

Defining a New Transaction Style

Style Widget Properties

25. JIF Editor

Starting the JIF Editor

How to Start the JIF Editor

The JIF Editor Workspace

Defining and Updating Services

How to Delete a Service

Defining and Updating Service Groups

Defining and Updating Queues

JPL Code Generation

Service Code Generation

Format of Template

26. Menu Bar Editor

Starting the Menu Bar Editor

How to Invoke the Menu Bar Editor

Creating Menus

Creating Submenus

Displaying Pictures on Toolbar Items

Part V. Appendices

A. Keyboard Interface

Navigating Between Screens in the Editor

Manipulating Screens

B. Wizard Output

Screen Wizard Output Property Specifications

Two-Tier Property Specifications

Three-Tier Property Specifications

Report Wizard Output Property Specifications

Index