HP Data Entry and Forms Management System (VPLUS) Reference Manual (32209-90024)

Chapter 1 37
VPLUS Overview
Using This Manual
Using This Manual
This manual is intended for the following users:
Forms Designer Designs the forms to be displayed, determines the order in
which forms are displayed, and specifies any editing or
special processing to be performed on data entered or
displayed through the forms.
Applications Programmer Designs and codes the application that uses data entered
or displayed through the FORMSPEC forms.
Application User Enters data on the forms defined with FORMSPEC for
processing by an application or by ENTRY.
The following sections explain which chapters in the manual are applicable to each type of
user.
Forms Designer
The forms designer who uses FORMSPEC to design forms should read chapters 3 and 4.
These chapters describe basic and advanced forms design with FORMSPEC. The forms file
can be managed in a job stream for many tasks, such as compiling and listing the file or
renumbering fields within a form.
The forms designer with the responsibility for reformatting the data entered through the
forms should read chapter 5, which describes how to specify reformatting with REFSPEC.
If designing forms in a native language other than the default (NATIVE-3000), the forms
designer should refer to chapter 8 for information on Native Language Support.
The forms designer can skip chapters 2, 6, and 7, unless he or she is also the applications
programmer.
Applications Programmer
The applications programmer should read chapter 6, which describes the VPLUS
intrinsics callable from any of the supported programming languages listed in appendix A.
If using one of the special interface programming languages, the applications programmer
should refer to the reference manual for the particular language.
Since FORMSPEC provides editing and processing capabilities, the applications
programmer should study FORMSPEC to determine how to divide the processing
responsibilities between FORMSPEC and the application. Interactive FORMSPEC is
described in chapters 3 and 4; batch mode FORMSPEC is described in chapter 7.
The applications programmer may also read chapter 5, which describes the specifications
for reformatting data entered through an application like ENTRY. Reformatting may
provide a way to adapt entered data to an existing application.
VPLUS Native Language Support enables an application programmer to create
interactive applications that reflect native language numeric and date conventions for
more than a dozen supported languages. For information on using VPLUS with Native