.DEFINE

Default field control characters

#

Defcolor skip normal

+

Defcolor protect bright

%

Defcolor unprotect normal

!

Defcolor unprotect bright

&

Variable identifier

Operands

char

specifies the control character being defined.

VAriable

defines a REXX variable identifier control character. Variable identifier control characters are used to associate Panel Facility control characters with REXX variable names. More than one variable control character can be defined at one time. Following the VARIABLE keyword may be a list of variable names (variable) or a single stem name (stem.). The variable list can contain one to 32,767 variable names. Only one stem name can be specified and the stem name must end in a period. This period identifies the variable as a stem and leaving off the period causes the name to be interpreted as a simple variable.

Using a variable list and a stem name cannot be mixed. When the panel generator encounters a variable control character, a substitution is done. Simple variable lists are substituted in the same order as listed. For example, the third variable control character is replaced with the third variable listed for that control character. The stem variable is replaced by appending a three-character number (tail) to the stem name. The number starts at 1 and is incremented as that stem control character is encountered. Therefore, the tenth stem control character for a particular stem would have a 10 as the tail (STEM.10). Because these variables are REXX variables, they must follow the REXX variable naming rules.

DROP

drops char as a field control character.

Options

UNProtect

specifies that the field is not protected from operator input. (This is the default.)

PRotect

specifies that the field is protected from operator input.

SKip

specifies a protected field with the auto-skip feature. Operator entering a character in the last position of the previous unprotected field causes the cursor to skip over this field.

NORmal

specifies that the field is not highlighted. (This is the default.)

BRight

specifies that the field is highlighted.

INVisible

specifies that the field is invisible.

GReen

RED

BLUe

TUrquoise

WHite

YEllow

PInk

DEfcolor

are the choices for the color.

Note:

1. When you do not specify a default color, the color is based on the field type and intensity values: protect/normal displays blue, protect/bright displays white, unprotect/normal displays green, and unprotect/bright displays red.
2. If any field on a panel has explicitly specified a color (including DEFCOLOR), all bright fields with DEFCOLOR or no color specified are displayed white and all normal fields with DEFCOLOR or no color specified are displayed green. This is a 3270 hardware limitation and not the panel facility.

BLInk

specifies that the field blinks.

REVerse

specifies that the field is in reverse video.

UNDerline

specifies that the field is underlined.

NOJustify

specifies that justification is not done (left justified but blanks are not stripped).

LEft

specifies that the field is left justified (leading blanks are stripped).

RIght

specifies that the field is right justified (trailing blanks are stripped).

PAd()

specified only in the context of fields having variables. In an unprotected field the pad character fills the character positions that are not occupied by a variable value. In a protected field, the pad character is similar but the scope of the fill area is not the whole field as in the unprotected field. It is bound by where the variable starts, within the protected field to either the end of the field or the start of the next variable or text.

NULls

specifies that a field will be padded with the null character.

BLAnks

specifies that a field will be padded with blanks.

char

specifies a single character to be used to pad a field.

NUMeric

specifies a field is numeric (unprotected field only).

CUrsor

specifies that the cursor is positioned at the beginning of this field. If multiple cursor fields are defined, then the last one defined contains the cursor. The cursor is placed in the top left corner if a cursor field is not defined.

MDT

sets the modify bit tag on for the field. Always return this field on a read, even if the field was not modified by the operator.