ABC (Action Bar Choice)

The ABC tag defines a choice in an action bar and serves as a base for associated pull-down choice tags.

Syntax


>>-<ABC--+----------------------------+------------------------->
         |       .-NO---------------. |   
         '-HELP=-+-YES--------------+-'   
                 +-help-panel-name--+     
                 +-*help-message-id-+     
                 +-%varname---------+     
                 '-*%varname--------'     

>--+--------------------------+-->--choice-description-text----->
   '-PDCVAR=pdc-variable-name-'                               

>--+--------+--------------------------------------------------><
   '-</ABC>-'

Parameters

This attribute specifies the help action taken when the user requests help on the action bar choice.

When HELP=YES, control is returned to the application. You can specify either a help panel or a message identifier. If a message identifier is used, it must be prefixed with an asterisk (*).

The help attribute value can be specified as a variable name. When %varname is coded, a panel variable name is created. When *%varname is coded, a message variable name is created.

If the user requests help on an action bar choice and no help is defined, the extended help panel is displayed. If an extended help panel is not defined for the panel, the application or ISPF tutorial is invoked.

The help-panel-name must follow the standard naming convention described in Rules for variable names.

See HELP (Help Panel) for information on creating help panels. For information about creating messages, see MSG (Message).

PDCVAR=pdc-variable-name

This attribute provides the name of a variable to contain the value of the pull-down choice. When a variable name is provided, it replaces the default ZPDC variable name. The pdc-variable-name is not initialized to blank.

The pdc-variable-name must follow the standard naming convention described in Rules for variable names.

choice-description-text

This is the text that appears in the action bar. The text is limited to 64 bytes.

If the choice-description-text exceeds the panel width, the conversion utility issues a warning message and truncates the text. If the choice-description-text for multiple ABC tags exceeds the panel width, the conversion utility formats a multiple-line action bar.

Comments

The ABC tag defines a choice in an action bar and serves as a base for associated pull-down choice tags. The pull-down choices appear in a pull-down when the action bar choice is selected.

If the text of an action bar choice contains multiple words, multiple blanks between the words are not compressed.

Restrictions

You must code the ABC tag within an AB definition. See AB (Action Bar) for a complete description of this tag.
You must code at least one PDC tag within each ABC definition. See PDC (Pull-Down Choice) for a complete description of this tag.
The maximum number of action bar choices that is generated is 40.

Processing

Table 1. Tags you can code within an ABC definition
Tag	Reference	Usage	Required
COMMENT	COMMENT (Comment)	Multiple	No
M	M (Mnemonic)	Single	No
PDC	PDC (Pull-Down Choice)	Multiple	Yes
PDSEP	PDSEP (Pull-Down Separator)	Multiple	No
SOURCE	SOURCE (Source)	Multiple	No

Examples

Here is markup that shows the use of the PDCVAR attribute to specify an application variable for the first action bar choice. It produces the action bar on the application panel shown in Figure 1.

<!DOCTYPE DM SYSTEM(
  <!entity sampvar1 system>
  <!entity sampbody system)>
&sampvar1;

<PANEL NAME=abc1 KEYLIST=keylxmp>Library Card Registration
<AB>
<ABC PDCVAR=foptns>File
  <PDC>Add Entry
    <ACTION RUN=add>
  <PDC>Delete Entry
    <ACTION RUN=delete>
  <PDC>Update Entry
    <ACTION RUN=update>
  <PDC>Exit
    <ACTION RUN=exit>
<ABC>Search
  <PDC CHECKVAR=whchsrch MATCH=1>Search on name
    <ACTION SETVAR=whchsrch VALUE=1>
    <ACTION RUN=search>
  <PDC CHECKVAR=whchsrch MATCH=2>Search on card number
    <ACTION SETVAR=whchsrch VALUE=2>
    <ACTION RUN=search>
<ABC>Help
  <PDC>Extended Help...
    <ACTION RUN=exhelp>
  <PDC>Keys Help...
    <ACTION RUN=keyshelp>
</AB>
&sampbody;
</PANEL>

Figure 1. Action bar choices

   File  Search  Help
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Library Card Registration

 Type in patron's name and card number if applicable.

 Then select an action bar choice.

 Date . . . :
 Card No. . . _______  (A 7-digit number)
 Name . . . . _________________________  (Last, First, M.I.)
 Address  . . _________________________

 Choose one of the following           Check valid branches
 __  1.  New                           _  North Branch
     2.  Renewal                       _  South Branch
     3.  Replacement                   _  East Branch
                                       _  West Branch

 Enter a command ===> ______________________________________________________
  F1=Help        F2=Split       F3=Exit        F6=KEYSHELP    F9=Swap
 F12=Cancel