Application level definition files

General application descriptors

The following descriptors can be used in the initialization file to define some display and functional characteristics globally for your application.

autolayout

The autolayout descriptor in an initialization file defines whether the reasonable defaults for form field and label positioning available in this release of FMLI will be used. If not coded, it defaults to FALSE. If it evaluates to TRUE, then the reasonable defaults will be used in all forms of the application whose autolayout descriptor is not coded. See ``Automatic layout of form fields'' for full information.

This application-level descriptor may be coded TRUE to get the defaults for an entire application, while a particular form's autolayout descriptor may be coded FALSE to be explicitly protected from these defaults. This explicit enabling of the new defaults is necessary to preserve compatibility with older applications; it was possible using the previous defaults of -1 for an application to obtain labels without corresponding fields (to achieve precisely formatted descriptive text) or fields without any labels. Some applications have made use of this capability and will thus not be broken.

interrupt

The interrupt descriptor in an initialization file defines whether any executable coded in action or done descriptors in your application can be interrupted by the user. If not coded, it defaults to FALSE. If it evaluates to TRUE, then executables will be interruptible.

If defined in an initialization file, the value of interrupt affects executables in all action and done descriptors--in the SLK section of the initialization file, in all frame definition files, and in the commands file--unless otherwise defined at one of those levels. (See ``Interrupt signal handling'' for more information.)

nobang

The nobang descriptor allows you to control user access to the UNIX system shell and UNIX system commands from the command line. If not defined, nobang defaults to FALSE (users can access the UNIX system shell).

FMLI allows users to escape to the UNIX system shell from the command line (accessed with <CTRL-j> or <CTRL-f> <c>) by prefixing an exclamation point (!) to the command to be executed in the UNIX system. For example,

   -->!pwd

But if nobang evaluates to TRUE, use of the ! prefix to commands entered on the command line will be disabled, and a message to that effect is displayed on the message line. In addition, when nobang evaluates to TRUE, open is also disabled from the command line.

NOTE: The nobang descriptor does not disable the unix-system command. See ``The commands file'' for information on disabling access to the UNIX system via the unix-system command.

oninterrupt

The oninterrupt descriptor specifies the action to be taken when an interrupt signal is received. If oninterrupt is not defined anywhere in your application, it defaults to `message Operation interrupted!` nop. If interrupt is not coded anywhere in your application, oninterrupt is ignored.

If defined in an initialization file, the value of oninterrupt affects executables in all action and done descriptors--in the SLK section of the initialization file, in all frame definition files, and in the commands file--unless otherwise defined at one of those lower levels.

(See ``Interrupt signal handling'' for more information.)

permanentmsg

The permanentmsg descriptor defines information that will be displayed on the message line until explicitly replaced or removed by another message of permanent duration. (Messages of permanent duration are those defined with permanentmsg or with message -p.)

A message of permanent duration can be temporarily displaced by messages of frame duration or transient duration. When the frame duration or transient duration message expires, the value of the most recent use of permanentmsg or message -p will again be displayed on the message line. (See the message(1fmli) manual page for complete information on message durations.)

slk_layout

The slk_layout descriptor defines the layout of the screen labels for function keys. Two layouts are supported: 4-4 and 3-2-3. The value 4-4 causes screen labels to be displayed in two groups of four, as follows:

The value 3-2-3 causes screen labels to be displayed in three groups of three, two, and three, in that order, as follows:

The default, if this descriptor is not defined, is 3-2-3.

toggle

The toggle descriptor defines the way you want valid choices to be displayed when a user presses <CHOICES> in a form field for which you have defined the rmenu descriptor. By default, the available choices are shown in the field itself if there are three or fewer choices. If there are more than three choices, a pop-up menu displays the available choices.

You can change this default behavior by defining the toggle descriptor in the initialization file. It accepts any of the following values:

always: When the <CHOICES> function key is pressed, users will always be toggled through the choices in the field itself.
integer: When the number of choices is greater than integer, a pop-up menu will be displayed. When the number of choices is less than or equal to integer, toggling will occur.
never: When the <CHOICES> function key is pressed, the user will never be toggled through choices in the field itself; a pop-up choices menu will always appear.

NOTE: If toggle evaluates to less than 1, it defaults to 3.

use_incorrect_pre4.0_behavior

The use_incorrect_pre4.0_behavior descriptor causes FMLI to re-evaluate variables referenced with the $ notation until no special characters remain in the expression. If this descriptor is not defined, it defaults to FALSE.

If this descriptor evaluates to TRUE, then the $ notation behaves in the manner defined for the $! notation, and the $! notation has no special meaning. (See ``Variable evaluation'' for a complete discussion of the $ and $! notation for variable evaluation.)

NOTE: This descriptor, and consequently the ability to make the $ notation behave like the $! notation, will be removed in the next release of FMLI.