DOC HOME SITE MAP MAN PAGES GNU INFO SEARCH PRINT BOOK
 
The Form and Menu Language

FMLI commands: syntax and use

The following list briefly describes all the FMLI commands.


cancel [frameID . . .]
The cancel command evaluates the close descriptor of the specified frame and attempts to close the frame. When selected from the Command Menu it closes the previously current frame. cancel closes a frame without executing the done descriptor.

The frameID argument can be an integer identifying a frame or the pathname of a frame definition file. If frameID is a pathname, it can be relative or full, but it must match the pathname used when the frame was opened. If frameID is not given, cancel closes the current frame.


cleanup
The cleanup command evaluates the lifetime descriptor of all open frames and closes those for which lifetime evaluates to shortterm or longterm.

close [frameID . . .]
The close command evaluates the lifetime, done, and close descriptors of all frames named in the frameID argument list and closes them. Frames named as arguments when fmli is invoked, and those frames in which the lifetime descriptor evaluates to immortal (which means they close only when the user exits from the FMLI application) will remain open.

The close command has essentially the same functionality as the cancel command, and is a useful alternative when the cancel command has been disabled in the commands file. (Recall that disabling a command in the commands file makes it unavailable to developers as well as to users.)

The argument frameID must be an integer identifying the frame, or the pathname of the frame to close. If frameID is a pathname, it can be relative or full, but it must match the pathname used when the frame was opened. If frameID is not given, close removes the current frame.


checkworld
The checkworld command evaluates the reread descriptor for all open frames: any frame whose reread descriptor evaluates to TRUE is updated (see update command). This command is initiated by the SIGALRM signal every MAILCHECK seconds. It is also initiated by many other events, such as executing the open, close, goto, run, and unix-system commands, and frame-to-frame navigation. When the checkworld command is executed, the message line clears. (This side effect may confuse users, especially when they are not aware that a SIGALRM has occurred. A warning in your user documents may be warranted.)

choices
The choices command evaluates the rmenu and choicemsg descriptors (if defined) in the set of field descriptors defining the current field. If neither is defined, a message informs the user that no choices are available.

cmd-menu
The cmd-menu command opens the Command Menu frame, displaying it in the center of the work area.

done
The done command evaluates the done descriptor (if it has been defined) in a frame. In menu, text and form frames, done is a descriptor of type command. If the done descriptor is not defined, it defaults to the close command.

exit
The exit command evaluates the close descriptor for all open frames, and terminates the FMLI session.

frm-mgmt [cmd [frameID] ]
The frm-mgmt command allows you to move, reshape, or list currently open frames. It takes a maximum of two arguments, where cmd can be one of the sub-commands list, move, or reshape, and frameID is an integer or a pathname identifying the frame (menu or text frames only) to act on if cmd is move or reshape. If frameID is a pathname, it can be relative or full, but it must match the pathname used when the frame was opened. If frameID is not given, a menu is displayed in the work area, from which a user can select list, move, or reshape. If the argument list is supplied, a frame will display a list of currently open frames. Selecting a frame from this list causes navigation to that frame. The argument list does not accept a frameID option.

The argument move allows a frame to be moved to a different location in the work area. The argument reshape will not work on a form frame, but menu frames or text frames can be reshaped and/or moved to a different location in the work area. If the frameID argument is not supplied to the sub-commands move and reshape, the operation occurs for the current frame when frm-mgmt is used on a descriptor line, or for the most recently current frame when a user selects frm-mgmt from the Command Menu or command line. If frameID is supplied, the operation occurs for the open frame with that frameID.


goto [frameID]
The goto command makes another frame current. frameID is the number of a frame or the pathname of the frame definition file. The pathname can be relative or full, but it must match the pathname used to open the frame. Users should only be told about the frame number argument.

The goto command is run when the command line is current and an integer is entered. For example, <CTRL-j> 2 equates to goto 2.


help
The help command evaluates the help descriptor if one has been defined for the current frame. If one has not been defined the indicator flashes.

mark
The mark command marks or unmarks the current item in menus for which the multiselect descriptor evaluates to TRUE.

nextpage
The nextpage command pages forward one page in the current frame, if that frame understands paging, and if the user is not on the last page of the frame. If the user is on the last page of the frame the terminal bell sounds. In forms, a page comprises all fields defined to be on a given page of the form (via the page descriptor). In menus and text frames, a page is a frameful of information.

next-frm
The next-frm command makes the ``next frame'' the current frame. FMLI keeps a list of each frame that has been the current frame: the ``next frame'' in the list is the last frame opened from the current frame. Since the ``next frame'' is always relative to the current frame the order of the list does not always follow frame ID order.

nop
The nop command does nothing. Because descriptors of type command must eventually evaluate to an FMLI command, nop is useful in those cases where you want to specify a backquoted expression to evaluate, but you do not want to execute an FMLI command. The terminal will beep when a descriptor of type command does not evaluate to an FMLI command. Including nop in the descriptor definition will prevent the terminal from beeping, while invoking no other operation.

open [type] filename [arg . . .]
The open command opens a frame. The argument type can be one of the file type casts MENU, FORM, or TEXT, and indicates the type of frame to be opened. The argument filename is the pathname of the frame definition file to be opened. The argument arg is a parameter that will be passed to the frame. In the following example
OPEN FORM $MYFRAMES/myform ARG1 ARG2
open opens a frame definition file $MYFRAMES/myform, identified as a form frame definition file by the file type cast FORM, and passes the parameters ARG1 and ARG2 to it. An example of passing parameters can be found in ``Creating a dynamic menu''.

prev-frm
The prev-frm command makes the ``previous frame'' the current frame. FMLI keeps a list of each frame that has been the current frame: the ``previous frame'' in the list is the frame from which the current frame was opened. Since the ``previous frame'' is always relative to the current frame the order of the list does not always follow frame ID order.

prevpage
The prevpage command pages backward one page in the current frame, if that frame understands paging, and if the user is not in the first page of the frame. In forms, a page comprises all fields defined to be on a given page of the form (via the page descriptor). In menus and text frames, a page is a screenful of information. If the user is in the first page of the frame the terminal bell sounds.

refresh
The refresh command redraws the terminal screen. For example, refresh can be used if a broadcast message from the operating system corrupts the FMLI screen.

release
The release command displays on the message line the release number of the version of FMLI you are currently running. The release command is meant to be used from the command line. Partial matching cannot be used with release (the command name must be typed in full).

reset
The reset command causes the value descriptor of the current field to be re-evaluated, restoring the default value of the field if the current value is different. The descriptor is re-evaluated even if it has been modified by const.

textframe [optionstext
The textframe command opens a simple text frame. It is a short-cut to using a full text frame definition file and can be coded in menu, form, and text frame definition files. The options correspond to the most commonly used text frame descriptors. The argument text is the text to be displayed in the text frame and may contain embedded newlines and tabs (including the \n and \t notations). See ``Options for the textframe command'' for details on the options.

togslk
The togslk command causes FMLI to display the set of SLKs that is not currently being displayed. It is a toggle between the two sets.

unix-system
The unix-system command brings up the UNIX system shell in full screen mode.

update [frameID [mkcurr]]
The update command forces a frame definition file to be reread regardless of the absence or value of the reread descriptor. If there are differences between what is read and what is on the screen, the frame will be redrawn. update will not reread the menu, form, or title descriptors. It takes two optional arguments, where frameID is an integer or a pathname identifying the frame to update. If frameID is a pathname, it can be relative or full, but it must match the pathname used when the frame was opened. The argument mkcurr determines if the frame will be made current once the update is done. The argument mkcurr must be a Boolean value; if it is not given, it defaults to FALSE. If no arguments are given, update updates the current frame.

After update is executed in a menu frame, the cursor is positioned on the first menu item. In a form frame, the cursor is positioned on the first field of the first page of the form. In a text frame, the cursor is positioned on the first line of text.


Next topic: User access to FMLI commands
Previous topic: FMLI commands

© 2004 The SCO Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
UnixWare 7 Release 7.1.4 - 27 April 2004