force a FIND?

[Pickering, John (NORBORD)]

A technique I have used for something like this is to employ a ghost screen
which calls either of the two screens based on a flag. It will also need to
pass the index value for XYZ between screens. It works something like the
following:

- from the menu, run the ghost screen
- the "next screen" flag is blank so the ghost screen calls your "main
screen" with a blank index value
- your "main screen" has a path procedure which acts on the blank index
value passed from above and prompts the user for a value
- the option to call the subscreen sets the "next screen" flag to your
"subscreen" and the passed index value to the current index for XYZ and the
returns
- the ghost screen acts on the "next screen" flag and runs the "subscreen",
passing the index value and the "next screen" flag
- the "subscreen" does its thing and when it exits it sets the "next screen"
flag to "main screen"
- the ghost screen acts on the flag and runs the "main screen" again
- the "main screen" has a path procedure which retrieves the XYZ record
using the passed index value

Now that I've written this, it sounds more complicated than it really is!

As a historical note of interest for the other dinosaurs out there, this
technique also served to flatten the screen depth and allowed us to run
several really big screens on MPE IV with Quick 3.02 which had a stack size
of 32K words. It's amazing to think how things have changed in the
intervening 25 years, methinks not always for the best.

Regards,
JWP

-----Original Message-----
From: roger32909@bellsouth.net [mailto:roger32909@bellsouth.net]
Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 10:07 AM
To: powerh-l@lists.sowder.com
Subject: force a FIND?


OpenVMS 7.3  PH 7.10.G1

We have an old screen that works this way:

The PRIMARY file in the main screen is XYZ.
The user has the option of calling another screen.
If the user goes to the subscreen, file XYZ is a DESIGNER file in that
screen and an XYZ field is updated.

But when the return is made to the original calling screen, the original
record is still displayed without the updated field.

To be sure, the screen designer displays a message telling the user that
data has changed and to perform a(nother) FIND to see the updated data.

Is there a way to perform this FIND for the user so that when the RETURN is
made, the updated data is displayed on the screen without user intervention?

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