Defining panel defaults

DTL provides a tag that makes it easier to define attributes and values that are common for multiple application panels: the PANDEF (panel default) tag. This tag must be coded in the source file before any panels it is providing defaults for.

The default PANEL values you can define with the PANDEF tag are:

The panel dimensions (DEPTH and WIDTH)
The help panel
The key mapping list
The KEYLTYPE value
The CCSID number
The WINDOW value
The WINTITLE value
The APPTITLE value
The PAD value
The PADC value
The OUTLINE value
The EXPAND value.
The MERGESAREA value
APPLID value
ENTKEYTEXT value
IMAPNAME value
IMAPROW value
IMAPCOL value
TMARGIN value
BMARGIN value

You can use a PANDEF tag to define all of these values, or some of them. You can also override a specific panel default value for a referencing panel by specifying the attribute on the PANEL tag.

For instance, if you create a series of panels that all have the same dimensions and that all refer to the same help panel and key mapping list, you can define these values in a PANDEF definition, and refer to that definition in each of the application panels that use those values. The DTL compiler does the rest of the work for you, as long as the default definition is available as part of the same source file as the panels that refer to it.

For example, if you are creating a series of panels that all share the same values, you could create a PANDEF definition like this:

<!doctype dm system>

<pandef id=printdef help=prnthlp depth=20 width=70 keylist=printkey>

And refer to the panel default like this on all of the panels in that series:

<panel name=panel01 pandef=printdef>A Panel
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</panel>

<panel name=panel02 pandef=printdef>Another Panel
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</panel>

When you compile this source file, the PANDEF definition provides those values for the panels that refer to the panel default.

You can also use the PANDEF tag to define common values for individual PANEL attributes. For instance, if the only commonality between application panels is the dimensions, you can use a panel default to define the dimensions and refer only to those values in the application panel definitions:

<!doctype dm system>

<pandef id=size depth=20 width=70>

<panel name=panel01 help=help01
keylist=keylsta pandef=size>A Panel
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</panel>

<panel name=panel02 help=help02
keylist=keylstb pandef=size>Another Panel
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</panel>

To change the dimensions of the application panels that refer to a panel default, you only have to make the change in one place: the PANDEF definition.

To override a PANDEF value, you must specify that value in the PANEL definition. Here is an example of a panel default that defines both dimensions and a help panel. While all three PANEL definitions refer to the panel default, the panel with the NAME value panel03 specifies a different help panel, and thus overrides the PANDEF HELP value.

<!doctype dm system>

<pandef id=pandef01 depth=20 width=70 help=help01>

<panel name=panel01 pandef=pandef01>
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</panel>

<panel name=panel02 pandef=pandef01>
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</panel>

<panel name=panel03 pandef=pandef01 help=help02>
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</panel>

You can also define multiple panel defaults within a single source file, like this:

<!doctype dm system>
<pandef id=pandef01 depth=20 width=70 help=help01>

<pandef id=pandef02 depth=10 width=50 help=help02 keylist=klist01>

<panel name=panel01 pandef=pandef01>
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</panel>

<panel name=panel02 pandef=pandef02>
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</panel>

<panel name=panel03 pandef=pandef01 help=help02>
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</panel>