Questions about display with Perform screens.

Question

Questions 1 and 2 are specific to INFORMIX-SQL 4.10.DD6 (DOS) Perform screens. Question 3 applies to any version of INFORMIX-SQL in any environment.

1. I would like to be able to display more than 80 columns on my perform screens to fit more stuff in one page. I tried DOS 6.22 command ‘MODE CON: CO132’ and on my perform screen I specified ‘SCREEN SIZE 24 BY 132’ then added some field tags past the 80 column mark to see if it worked, but the MODE CO132 command didn’t work and the screen remained in 80 column mode. Is there a way to accomplish this being that VESA BIOS is standard on most hardware or another utitlity to change the DOS screen mode to 132 columns? I’ve done this in LINUX with CO#132 in the termcap file.

2. My perform screen has two tables on the same page. When I toggle from one table to another with Master/Detail, fields with REVERSE attributes expand the reverse one position to the left while the data in the field remains in the same position!.. This didn’t happen to me with ISQL 2.10, but now is with 4.10.. I have SCREEN SIZE 24 BY 80, experimented with 24 BY 79 but didn’t resolve display problem. However when I press the Screen command in Perform, it goes back to normal. I’m also using DELIMITERS “ “; [blank delimiters] in my INSTRUCTIONS SECTION of .PER.. Any idea what could be causing this?

3. When a user decides to ABORT [Control-C] an Add, Update, etc. command in Perform, DISPLAYONLY fields don’t revert back to their previous displayed values before the command was executed. I have the following example in my .per screen, attributes and instructions sections respectively:

        [dispfld1  ] 
   
   
    dispfld1 = DISPLAYONLY TYPE DATE,FORMAT="mmm-dd-yyyy",DEFAULT=NULL;
   
   
    BEFORE EDITADD EDITUPDATE OF tablename
    LET dispfld1 = TODAY
   
   
   

When user selects Perform actions Add or Update, the DISPLAYONLY field dispfld1 automatically displays todays date, but when ABORTing the Add or Update action, dispfld1 does not revert back to NULL value, it stays with todays date.

I experimented various ways. The following instruction statements are incorrect syntax, but it's what I would like to accomplish!

         AFTER DISPLAY OF tablename
         IF ABORT THEN LET dispfld1 = NULL 

            AFTER DISPLAY OF tablename
            IF NEXTFIELD = ABORT THEN LET dispfld1 = NULL

            BEFORE DISPLAY OF tablename
            LET dispfld1 = NULL 

Field-tags associated with table.columns revert back OK, but the DISPLAYONLY fields stay with whatever value I chose to display when entering into Add or Update.

Answer 1

1. I don't know for sure, but there probably isn't a way to jimmy the DOS output to use 132 columns.
2. Sounds like a bug.
3. I don't think there's a way to do that in ISQL.