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

Chapter 3 83
INTRODUCTION TO FORMS DESIGN
FORMS FILE
Expand Forms File
When you require the forms file to be larger than the default limit of 4000 records, you
may override the FORMSPEC default size to create a new forms file using the MPE :FILE
command. The :FILE command must be issued prior to the :RUN command to initiate
FORMSPEC. Another method is to use the MPE :BUILD command to create a larger file
and then use FCOPY to copy an existing forms file into the larger file.
To use the :FILE command to create a forms file named ORDFORM, issue the file equation:
:FILE ORDFORM;DISC=6000
^
desired disc space, in number of records
Run FORMSPEC and specify ORDFORM as the forms file. You now have an empty file with
room for 6000 records, into which you may add or copy forms using the FORMSPEC Main
Menu options. Note that the FORMSPEC copy Main Menu option will not copy save fields
from other forms files or maintain form family relationships across forms files. You may
re-establish form family relationships using the FORMSPEC relate Main Menu option.
Refer to the "Main Menu" description for more information.
To use the :BUILD command to expand your forms file, ORDFORM, give the following
command:
:BUILD ORDFORM2;DISC=6000;REC=128,1,F,ASCII;CODE=VFORM
desired disc space
Run FCOPY to copy the contents of ORDFORM into the larger file:
:RUN FCOPY.PUB.SYS
>FROM=ORDFORM;TO=ORDFORM2
EOF FOUND IN FROMFILE AFTER RECORD 1015 <- FCOPY response
1016 RECORDS PROCESSED *** 0 ERRORS
Compiling the Forms File
The forms defined through FORMSPEC are written to a forms file. The forms are initially
stored as a "source" version. This source is modified if you change the forms file, but it
must be compiled before it can be executed by an application, The compiled version, on the
other hand, can be executed but not modified. The source version of the forms file is kept
along with the compiled version for purposes of display and modification. Once modified,
the source version must be recompiled before it can be executed. However, unless a global
attribute of the forms file is modified, only those forms which were changed are actually
recompiled. The global attributes include any save fields or the fields on the Globals Menu
or the Terminal/Language Selection Menu.
Note that the source version is the sequence of specification records entered on the menus.
The compiled version is the sequence of forms displayed to the user.
When your forms design is complete, you can compile the forms file to a "fast forms file". A
fast forms file is similar to the forms file except that it is created with the smallest record
size that can hold the largest form in the file. Also, it contains only the information that
VPLUS needs at run-time, so it has fewer records. Because the record size and the number