Running a Program From a Menu-Driven Application

Another way to run an ILE program is from a menu-driven application. The workstation user selects an option from a menu, which in turn calls a particular program. Figure 50 illustrates an example of an application menu.

Figure 50. Example of an Application Menu 
                                 PAYROLL DEPARTMENT MENU
 Select one of the following:
      1.  Inquire into employee master
      2.  Change employee master
      3.  Add new employee









 Selection or command
 ===> _________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
 F3=Exit   F4=Prompt   F9=Retrieve   F12=Cancel
 F13=Information Assistant  F16=AS/400 main menu

The menu shown in Figure 50 is displayed by a menu program in which each option calls a separate ILE program. You can create the menu by using STRSDA and selecting option 2 ('Design menus').

Figure 51 shows the DDS for the display file of the above PAYROLL DEPARTMENT MENU. The source member is called PAYROL and has a source type of MNUDDS. The file was created using SDA.

Figure 51. Data Description Specification of an Application Menu 
     A* Free Form Menu: PAYROL
     A*
     A                                      DSPSIZ(24 80 *DS3                  -
     A                                             27 132 *DS4)
     A                                      CHGINPDFT
     A                                      INDARA
     A                                      PRINT(*LIBL/QSYSPRT)
     A          R PAYROL
     A                                      DSPMOD(*DS3)
     A                                      LOCK
     A                                      SLNO(01)
     A                                      CLRL(*ALL)
     A                                      ALWROL
     A                                      CF03
     A                                      HELP
     A                                      HOME
     A                                      HLPRTN
     A                                  1 34'PAYROLL DEPARTMENT MENU'
     A                                      DSPATR(HI)
     A                                  3  2'Select one of the following:'
     A                                      COLOR(BLU)
     A                                  5  7'1.'
     A                                  6  7'2.'
     A                                  7  7'3.'
     A* CMDPROMPT  Do not delete this DDS spec.
     A                                019  2'Selection or command              -
     A                                          '
     A                                  5 11'Inquire'
     A                                  5 19'into'
     A                                  5 24'employee'
     A                                  5 33'master'
     A                                  6 11'Change'
     A                                  6 18'employee'
     A                                  6 27'master'
     A                                  7 11'Add'
     A                                  7 15'new'
     A                                  7 19'employee'

Figure 52 shows the source of the application menu illustrated in Figure 50. The source member is called PAYROLQQ and has a source type of MNUCMD. It was also created using SDA.

You run the menu by entering: 

GO library name/PAYROL

If the user enters 1, 2, or 3 from the application menu, the source in Figure 52 calls the programs RPGINQ, RPGCHG, or RPGADD respectively.


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