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

312 Chapter6
USING VPLUS INTRINSICS
INTRINSIC DESCRIPTIONS
them. Additionally, you will need to check that the global function key specifications are
compatible in the three forms files. Note that in some cases incompatibilities may be so
extensive that it will be impossible to merge the forms files.
Next you determine what order to merge the forms files together. Suppose in this example
that the marketing forms file is much more volatile than the other two. Therefore, you
decide that this file should be the last one merged. You also need to decide which form your
combined application should use as its $HEAD. Suppose in this example you depend on the
$HEAD form from BILLFF being the $HEAD of the combined forms file.
Combining the forms files is accomplished in two stages. In the first stage you enter:
:FILE VMASTER=BILLFF
:FILE VAUX=SHIPFF
:FILE VOUTPUT=INTERFF
:RUN VMERGE.PUB.SYS
VMERGE creates the intermediate forms file INTERFF.
In the second stage you enter:
:FILE VMASTER=INTERFF
:FILE VAUX=MARKETFF
:FILE VOUTPUT=COMBOFF
:RUN VMERGE.PUB.SYS
VMERGE creates the final forms file COMBOFF. You may wish to keep the intermediate forms
file, INTERFF, so you won’t need to recreate it if only MARKETFF changes.
Now you could test COMBOFF with your combined application program.
Example 2: Using VMERGE to Divide a Forms File Another use of VMERGE is to
divide an existing forms file into two or more smaller forms files. This might be desirable if
different forms in the original forms file were going to be modified by different people, or if
compiling the entire forms file takes a long time.
When VMERGE is used to divide a file, there are few compatibility problems since the
original form file is already “merged”. You will have to be careful not to introduce
incompatibilities (for example, refer to the $HEAD and Next Form issues discussed earlier)
as a result of dividing the file.
Suppose you want to remove forms F1, F2, and F3 from a forms file named BIGFF and
place them into another forms file, LITTLEFF. The F1, F2, and F3 forms are changed often,
and you want to separate them out in order to minimize the time it takes to recompile each
time changes are made.
First, you would FCOPY BIGFF to LITTLEFF by entering the following command:
:FCOPY FROM=BIGFF;TO=LITTLEFF;NEW
Second, you would run FORMSPEC on BIGFF to delete forms F1, F2, and F3. You would need
to correct the Next Form fields for any affected forms.
Third, you would probably want to take advantage of some of FORMSPEC’s batch mode
facilities to delete all but the F1, F2, and F3 forms from LITTLEFF (see the Deleting Forms
Using FORMSPEC’s Batch Mode Facilities section below).
Fourth, you would compile both forms file to verify that no $HEAD or Next Form