Defining a command area

Many applications are dependent on a command area in their panels. You define a command area and specify the prompt text of the command area with the CMDAREA tag. The conversion utility supplies the prompt symbol (===>) and provides the entry field in the command area for user input.

The conversion utility always formats the command area at the top of the panel. An ISPF runtime option determines the actual display location of the command line.

The command area contains an entry field and command prompt text, and is normally displayed at the bottom of an application panel. Users can enter commands in the command entry field. All commands entered into the command entry field are validated against the commands you define within the application command table and the ISPF-provided commands. For more information about defining the application command table, see The application command table.

<!doctype dm system (<!entity actnbar system>)>
<panel name=cmdxmp1>Application Name
  &actnbar;
  <topinst>Sample command area panel
  <area>
  </area>
  <CMDAREA>
</panel>

Here is how the command area displays on the panel:

Figure 1. Command area

   File  View  Options  Help
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Application Name
 
 Sample command area panel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Command ===> ____________________________________________________________

In Figure 1 we did not specify the text of the command prompt, so the conversion utility automatically added the text "Command" (or its translated equivalent), which is the default text. If we wanted to specify something other than this text, we could have coded it as tag text, as in this example:

<!doctype dm system (<!entity actnbar system>)>
<panel name=cmdxmp2>Application Name
  &actnbar;
  <topinst>Sample command area panel
  <area>
  </area>
  <cmdarea>Enter a command
</panel>

You can code up to 59 bytes of prompt text on a standard 76-byte width panel when overriding the default text. Here is how the command prompt looks now:

Figure 2. Command area

   File  View  Options  Help
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Application Name
 
 Sample command area panel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Enter a command ===> ____________________________________________________

Data entered on the command line can be forced to uppercase either by specifying CAPS = ON or by including a VARCLASS tag to define the command area and an XLATL tag to specify translation to uppercase. (The type attribute defines the space available on a standard 76 character width panel using the default command prompt.)

  <varclass name=vccmd type='char 59'>
    <xlatl format=upper>
    </xlatl>
  </varclass>

  <varlist>
    <varclass name=zcmd varclass=vccmd>
  </varclass>

The AUTOTAB, CAPS, CMDLEN, CMDLOC, ENTWIDTH, IMAPNAME, IMAPNAMEP, NAME, NOINIT, NOJUMP, OUTLINE, PAD, PADC, PLACE, PMTTEXT, PSBUTTON, PSVAL, PSVAR, SCRCAPS, SCROLLTAB, SCROLLVAR, and SCRVHELP are attributes that control formatting, initialization, and presentation of the command area.