---<br />title: "user_main"<br />original_file: "user_main"<br />generated: "2026-06-12 10:24:26"<br />---<br /><br />**<br /># <br />Introduction### User Guide<br />## <br />Who Should Read This Guide<br />This guide is written primarily for use by those persons who will be using online applications which were developed by (cont.)<br />and operate under control of MAGEC. Although all MAGEC applications are not the same, there is a high degree of (cont.)<br />standardization encouraged by MAGEC. This book will describe all the standard features of MAGEC applications from the (cont.)<br />perspective of the terminal operator.<br />It is strongly recommended that data processing personnel also read this to familiarize themselves with the overall (cont.)<br />philosophy of the MAGEC software and so that they will understand what the application users can and should expect from (cont.)<br />the systems developed with MAGEC. This book, if read by both the users and DP personnel, should help define common (cont.)<br />terms and references to enhance communications between the two groups.<br />The MAGEC "system" functions which are used by application developers, security officers, database administrators, and (cont.)<br />so forth, are actually also applications which were generated using MAGEC and therefore share most of the same (cont.)<br />attributes as are described in this guide.<br />Copies of this guide should be distributed to:<br />Application Users<br />Application Developers<br />Security Officers<br />Database Administrators<br />System Programmers<br />Auditors<br />As well as any other individuals in the organization who might come in contact with MAGEC or the application systems developed using MAGEC.<br /># <br />Overview<br />## <br />What is MAGEC?<br />MAGEC is a software product which helps data processing application developers to more easily create and maintain (cont.)<br />online and batch applications. Online applications are computer systems designed to be used via CRTs (screens) as (cont.)<br />opposed to paper forms and reports. Many applications may be partially online and partially off-line, or "batch". (cont.)<br />Modern applications increasingly favor online processes since they permit immediate access to data and are, if properly (cont.)<br />designed, easier for the end-user to use. This manual concerns itself with online, as opposed to batch, (cont.)<br />applications.<br />Although MAGEC's primary function is to aid in the development and maintenance of applications, it also includes a (cont.)<br />large number of features specifically designed to help the end-user of MAGEC-generated applications. In this guide we (cont.)<br />will discuss how to use the applications developed using MAGEC and how to take advantage of the "user-friendly" (cont.)<br />features, such as:<br />Menu Facility<br />HELP Keys<br />Pop-Up Windows<br />Window Swapping<br />Online Documentation<br />Pick Lists<br />Error Highlighting<br />Browses with Cursor Selection<br />Query functions<br />Copy & Paste facility<br /># <br />Keyboard<br />## <br />Using the Keyboard<br />MAGEC applications may be used from any "3270-type" terminal or from a standard IBM (or compatible) PC or PS/2. While (cont.)<br />there are many possible variations of screen sizes and display color options these variations have little or no effect (cont.)<br />on the use of the terminal for MAGEC applications. There are, however, variations in keyboards which must be (cont.)<br />recognized.<br />Most 3270 keyboards consist of the usual alphabetic and numeric keys arranged (more or less) as they are on a standard (cont.)<br />typewriter. A Shift key changes the meanings of the alphabetic keys from lower-case to uppercase and, often, the (cont.)<br />numeric keys to special characters. The "Shifted meanings" are usually printed above the "non-Shifted meanings" on the (cont.)<br />face of each key. So far this is still very much like a standard typewriter.<br />In addition to the alphabetics, numerics, and special characters the 3270 keyboard also has keys for special functions. (cont.)<br />One of these keys is the "ALT" key (usually on the bottom row of keys) on some keyboards. The ALT key is simply another (cont.)<br />kind of Shift key. It alters some of the keys on the keyboard to a third possible meaning, the "altered" meaning. The (cont.)<br />Altered meanings are shown on the front edge of those keys which are affected.<br />## <br />Special Function Keys<br />On some keyboards the special functions are separate keys while on some keyboards the special functions are altered (cont.)<br />meanings for the alphabetic or numeric keys. Regardless, the special functions have the same meaning to the MAGEC (cont.)<br />applications from any keyboard. The keyboards on microcomputers are usually different from those on mainframe (cont.)<br />terminals. MAGEC is oriented toward the mainframe keyboards. When you are using MAGEC at a PC or PS/2 you will notice (cont.)<br />that MAGEC substitutes function keys from the microcomputer keyboard for those on the mainframe 3270 terminal keyboard. (cont.)<br />There is a template in this section titled PC-MAGEC 3270 Emulation Template which will help you to translate from one (cont.)<br />to the other.<br />## <br />ENTER Key<br />The ENTER key (usually near lower right corner of key pattern) is used to transmit data from the screen to the (cont.)<br />computer. Data may be keyed onto any screen and then re-keyed (in case of error) as many times as necessary before (cont.)<br />transmitting it to the computer. The 3270 terminal is actually a separate machine from the computer and until data is (cont.)<br />transmitted to the computer it is simply being held on the screen waiting for the operator to transmit it. The ENTER (cont.)<br />key is not the only one which transmits the data, but it is the one which is used most often. The PC key which emulates (cont.)<br />the ENTER key is the large plus key (+) at the far right of the keyboard in the numeric key pad (cont.)<br />section.<br />On a PC, MAGEC will also accept the page down key (Pg Dn) as equivalent to the mainframe PF8 key and the page up key (cont.)<br />(Pg Up) as equivalent to the mainframe PF7 key. This is handy since in many cases MAGEC screens use PF8 and PF7 to page (cont.)<br />forward and page backwards, respectively.<br />## <br />PF Keys<br />Depending on which type of keyboard is being used there may be from 5 to 24 special functions called PF keys. These are (cont.)<br />marked with the designations PF1 (or PF01) through PF24. Some keyboards have only PF1 through PF12 and some have only (cont.)<br />PF1 through PF5 (very uncommon in recent years). These PF keys also transmit the screen data as the ENTER key does. The (cont.)<br />MAGEC applications can sense which key was used to transmit and can assign different meanings to different keys in (cont.)<br />order to allow the operator to use a single keystroke to indicate a request which might otherwise require entering a (cont.)<br />long "command". It is unlikely that any given application will have all the available PF keys defined. Those which are (cont.)<br />not defined by the application are treated as being equivalent to the ENTER key. The PC keys which emulate the PF keys (cont.)<br />are F1 through F10 (emulate PF1 through PF10, respectively), Shift-F1 through Shift-F10 (emulate PF11 through PF20, (cont.)<br />respectively), Alt-F1 through Alt-F4 (emulate PF21 through PF24, respectively).<br />## <br />PA Keys<br />There are usually two (sometimes three) special function keys on the keyboard called PA keys. These do not transmit the (cont.)<br />data from the screen, instead, they transmit a special code which simply indicates which key the operator has pressed. (cont.)<br />They are used for certain very special purposes in all MAGEC applications as defined by the MAGEC software itself. The (cont.)<br />PA keys are identified by the designations PA1 and PA2 shown on them. Since they are so special it is often (depending (cont.)<br />on keyboard) necessary to simultaneously press the ALT key and the PA key in order to prevent the operator from (cont.)<br />accidentally pressing them. On the PC keyboard the Ctrl-F1 through Ctrl-F3 emulate PA1 thru PA3, (cont.)<br />respectively.<br />## <br />CLEAR Key<br />The CLEAR key (ESC key on the PC) is used to "clear" the screen. It does not transmit the data from the screen. Like (cont.)<br />the PA keys it transmits only a code to indicate which key was pressed. It also "wipes out" all the data on the screen. (cont.)<br />Like the PA keys, it is also often necessary to simultaneously press the ALT and CLEAR keys as an added protection. (cont.)<br />This key also has very special purposes in MAGEC applications and is defined by the MAGEC software uniformly for all (cont.)<br />applications developed using MAGEC.<br />## <br />The Cursor<br />The cursor is a special symbol, usually having the appearance of an underscore or a rectangular "block", which is (cont.)<br />displayed on the screen to show the operator what screen position is being "keyed into" at the time. As data is keyed (cont.)<br />into the screen the cursor normally advances left to right, top to bottom. MAGEC applications use "formatted screens". (cont.)<br />This means that the screen is formatted into "screen fields", some of which are "protected" and some of which are (cont.)<br />"unprotected". Protected means that the operator may not key into that field. Unprotected means that the operator may (cont.)<br />key into that field. The cursor, in most cases, will advance as the operator keys into an unprotected field on the (cont.)<br />screen and, at the end of that field, automatically skip to the next unprotected screen field in order to expedite the (cont.)<br />work of the operator.<br />## <br />Cursor Manipulation Keys<br />You can position the cursor anywhere on the screen using special keys which are designated by arrows printed on their faces to show in which direction the cursor will move when they are pressed (<br />). These keys can move the cursor to any position on the screen regardless whether there is a protected field at that position or not.<br />The "Tab" keys are marked with left and right arrows pointing to a vertical line (<br />). These keys will skip Protected fields and position to the next or prior unprotected field.<br />Another cursor manipulation key is the HOME key. It moves the cursor to the first enterable field on the screen. In (cont.)<br />MAGEC that is always the six-character function code field at the top left corner of the screen.<br />Another cursor manipulation key is the RETURN key ( &#8617; ) it moves the cursor down and left to the first (cont.)<br />unprotected field on a lower line. This key always has the "down-left-arrow" symbol shown on it. On a mainframe 3270 (cont.)<br />keyboard it is also labeled RETURN. On a PC keyboard it is sometimes labeled RETURN and sometimes ENTER, do not confuse (cont.)<br />that with the PC MAGEC simulation of the mainframe ENTER key (large + key). On a PC keyboard there are two plus keys, (cont.)<br />one is normally in the typewriter-like portion of the keyboard, in the numbers row at the top. To enter a plus (cont.)<br />character (+) with that key you must also hold down the Shift key. The other plus key is at the far-right, in the (cont.)<br />numeric pad portion of the keyboard. You do not need to depress the Shift key to enter a plus character with that key. (cont.)<br />That plus key at the far right is the "large plus key" which MAGEC accepts as meaning ENTER from a PC (cont.)<br />keyboard.<br />These keys do not enter any data as they move the cursor.<br />MAGEC applications can sense the position of the cursor at the time the operator pressed a transmit key (ENTER or any (cont.)<br />PF key) and can interpret it as the operator's selection of an item displayed in that position on the screen. An (cont.)<br />example might be a menu screen where a list of options is displayed and the operator selects the one desired by (cont.)<br />positioning the cursor to it and pressing ENTER. Cursor manipulation keys work essentially the same on the PC as they (cont.)<br />do on the mainframe.<br /># <br />Screen Standards<br />The most popular 3270 screen size is 1,920 characters, 24 rows by 80 columns (columns are vertical as in Roman architecture). Other sizes are available, some larger<br />some smaller, but for purposes of this discussion the 24 by 80 screen size will be assumed. MAGEC imposes some (cont.)<br />standards upon the applications as to screen format. These standards are intended to provide a uniformity in the way (cont.)<br />all applications work in order to simplify training of operators and also so that MAGEC can automatically provide some (cont.)<br />other "user friendly" features.<br />## <br />Top Row of Screen<br />The top row (line) of every screen for every MAGEC application will consist of the same three standard fields. This is (cont.)<br />where the operator enters the "commands" to be executed and where the applications place "completion messages" to the (cont.)<br />operator. A completion message is one which notifies the operator that the operation specified has been done (cont.)<br />successfully, such as "Data UPDATED on Data Base" or that the operation cannot be done and why, such as "No Data Found (cont.)<br />for key", etc. A wide variety of possible messages might appear in this area of the screen and operators should pay (cont.)<br />attention to them carefully.<br />Data processing personnel have adopted standard names for these three fields. While it is certainly not necessary for (cont.)<br />operators to speak in the jargon of data processors, it might be helpful to know the standard names when talking to DP (cont.)<br />persons. The standard names for the fields on Row 1 of the screen are:<br />SFUNCT&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Screen function code<br />SKEY&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Screen key<br />SCOMPL&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Screen completion message<br />The first two fields, SFUNCT and SKEY together might be considered the "command", they are both unprotected (may be keyed into) while the last field, SCOMPL, is protected.<br />Function codes are keyed into SFUNCT, they are six-character mnemonics which specify what type of operation is to be (cont.)<br />done to what type of data. For instance: to add a customer one might use a function code of CUSADD. To change a (cont.)<br />customer's data one might use CUSCHG, etc. Of course, we are assuming that these are the function codes specified by (cont.)<br />the application developer.<br />Lower-case alphabetics are not allowed in function codes. MAGEC will automatically convert any lower-case alphabetic characters that you key in SFUNCT into their uppercase equivalents.<br />Key-values are keyed into SKEY. The longest key-value that can be entered is 31-characters since that is the length of (cont.)<br />SKEY. The key value specifies which record(s) are to be operated upon. For instance: entering CUSADD 37 (SFUNCT and (cont.)<br />SKEY) would indicate that the operator desires to add Customer number 37 to the database.<br />Lower-case alphabetics are usually not allowed in key values for most applications. MAGEC will normally translate any (cont.)<br />lower-case alphabetic characters into their uppercase equivalents. There is a provision made for the rare instance when (cont.)<br />an operator must enter a key value containing lower-case alphabetics. Refer to Key Value Entry topic in this (cont.)<br />manual.<br />| ```<br />&nbsp;FFFFFF** **KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK** CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC<br />** SFUNCT&nbsp; SKEY SCOMPL<br />&nbsp; SERRMSG<br />EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE<br />EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE<br />EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE<br />```** <br />Figure 01 --&nbsp; SFUNCT, SKEY, SCOMPL, and SERRMSG<br />In Figure 01 the four standard screen fields are indicated by the letter they are shown filled with:<br />**F**&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;S**F**UNCT (function code)<br />**K**&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;S**K**EY (key)<br />**C**&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;S**C**OMPL (completion message)<br />**E**&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;S**E**RRMSG (error message)<br />**<br /><br />next: user02.md.txt