Preferences

You can customize some components of the MFS editor through the MFS Editor Preferences page.

In the left pane of the Preferences window, select MFS Editor to access the Preferences page. You can also open the preferences by right-clicking the MFS editor design page and selecting Preferences from the menu.

General preferences

You can modify the following MFS Editor preferences:
  • Show line numbers

    Displays line numbers in the left column of Source page.

  • Open outline

    Opens the Outline view when a file is opened in the MFS editor.

  • Open properties

    Opens the Properties view when a file is opened in the MFS editor.

  • Naming conventions

    Sets name prefixes for devices, device pages, and input fields.

Design Page

You can modify the following Design page preferences:
  • Background color

    Sets the background color of the design canvas.

  • Grid color

    Sets the color for vertical and horizontal grid lines.

  • Highlight fields

    Places a box around fields. Select the color that you want for the box.

  • Show rulers

    Shows or hides the vertical and horizontal rulers.

  • Font name
    Sets the font style and size used in the design canvas.
    Note: Use only monospace fonts.
  • Font

    Sets the font size used in the design canvas (works with the Zoom feature).

  • Visually demonstrate blinking fields

    Blink fields are displayed with an italicized font.

Use the Preview area to evaluate the style changes before applying them.

Bidirectional settings

Select Bidirectional options enabled to allow the following bidirectional language preferences. The options specify the default for each newly loaded format definition file.
  • Enable visual data ordering Sets the visual ordering of text, instead of the default logical ordering.
  • Enable bidirectional settings button Places a Toggle bidirectional mode button on the Design page toolbar.
  • Default RTL orientation Sets a right-to-left text flow in the display. This preference simulates how data is displayed on a 3270 terminal when the screen is reversed. This option enables the design of reversed (right-to-left) screens.
  • Default right alignment Causes fields added in the Design page to be right-aligned. In the source file right-aligned fields are padded with leading spaces.
  • Enable symmetric swapping Resets swappable characters automatically. In a right-to-left string, for example, the parentheses characters ( and ) are reversed.
  • Enable numeric swapping Automatically sets an inversion of the screen, which causes Hindi numerals to be replaced by their Arabic counterparts and Arabic numerals to be replaced by their Hindi counterparts.

MFLD preferences

Select Automatically generate Input and Output MFLD when a DFLD is added to automatically add MFLD definitions to the input and output messages when a newly created DFLD is added to the Design page.
Note: The Input MFLD generates the LTH attribute and the Output MFLD generates the LTH and the ATTR=YES attributes by default. Customization of the attributes that are generated in the MFLD are not supported.

Source Page

You can modify the following Source page preferences:
  • Background color

    Sets the background color of the Source page editor. The default is white.

  • Foreground
    Sets foreground colors for the following items:
    • MFS statement keywords

      Color for keywords such as DEV, DIV, and DPAGE.

    • Attribute names

      Color for attribute names.

    • Attribute values

      Color for attribute values.

    • Strings

      Color for regular strings, such as initial value.

    • Comments

      Color for comments.

    Click Bold to further emphasize any specific foreground item, regardless of color.

Use the Preview area to evaluate the style changes before applying them.