Hello.
I want to construct my mainframe online natural application like pc manner.
I would like to know examples especially using %WA in order to keep previous windows when next program screen IO is greater.
Please, help.
In addition to %WA and %WZ there are something like 25-30 other %W commands. See the Natural documentation under Terminal Commands.
The biggest problem you will face has to do with the “interface units”.
Mainframe Natural’s unit of interface is a full screen; PC Natural (and PC interfaces in general) has a unit of interface of a single keystroke.
Thus, on a PC Natural screen it is simple to have a field where the user is supposed to enter a surname. If the user enters an R, you can show the user a dropdown with last names that start with R. You can sort of do this on a mainframe, but it is “messy”. You can show the user a screen with a one character input field. The user must enter a letter, then hit enter. Now you can show them all the R’s. But with PC Natural you can have a more powerful facility where the dropdown list is dynamically updated as the user enters characters. Trying to do this on a mainframe is very tedious, and not nearly as user friendly as is possible on a PC.
When I read over my earlier posting I realized I omitted some important information which might prove confusing.
The quote above is for PC Natural Dialogs, not Maps. PC Natural Maps work just like Mainframe Natural Maps, namely, the unit of interface is a screen not a keystroke.
The quote above is referring to the use of PC Natural Dialogs, not Maps.