Environment homecontents start chapter top of pagebottom of pagenext page indexCompatibility

Compatibility

We aim to preserve the investment people have made in existing systems and provide upward compatibility. In SIR2002, as well as complete compatibility for data, there are also provisions to provide compatibility with older applications and styles of operation. Previous versions of the software provided a full screen interface which is emulated through the Execution Window. This is a fixed number of rows (30) and number of columns (80), text style window. The font size used in the window is held in the SIR2002
ini file. This can be updated through the menu settings-preferences EW font size.

The execution window is invoked as necessary. In particular it is invoked if VisualPQL programs include commands which use this style of screen access. If your VisualPQL programs use commands which require the execution window, it is automatically invoked. Programs do not need alteration. However programs do require to be recompiled to operate correctly on SIR2002.

Database structures are not compatible between SIR2002 and older versions and must be exported by the older version and imported by SIR2002. SIR2002 checks this and will not connect an older style database. However older versions of SIR do not have this checking so do NOT try to use an older version of SIR on a database created by SIR2002.

Tabfile structures are totally compatible between versions and can be used both by SIR2002 and SIR2000.


Key Mapping

In the SIR2002 execution window and in SirForms, various functions are performed with special keys. The physical keys that accomplish any given task can be altered by the user through keymapping.

When you start SIR2002 or SirForms, it checks to see if a keymap file is present. If the appropriate file is not found, the system immediately prompts you to supply a minimum set of keys. These are Enter, Backspace, Escape and the four arrow keys (up, down, left and right). At each prompt, simply press the appropriate key on your keyboard. It also asks for one special key called Key Help. Press the appropriate key and type in the name of this physical key, for example "Shift-F1". After this initial mapping, pressing the keyhelp key displays a list of keys and allows you to alter the mappings.

The keymap files supplied with the software use "Shift-F1" as the keyhelp key and these can be modified to reflect any new key mapping rather than starting from scratch.

Meta Key

Most systems use a combination of certain special keys such as Ctrl, Shift and Alt which, when pressed at the same time as standard keys, extend the number of keys available. Some systems use the concept of a MetaKey which performs a similar function but is pressed before the standard key. The most common example of this is the Gold key on DEC systems. If you use this style of key, define it as part of the initial keymapping. If you do not use this style of key (most users) do not define a meta key.

Changing Key Mapping

Once you have a keymap file, press Key Help to display a list of keymappings. Use the menus on the displayed list to alter existing mappings or add new ones.

To define a new mapping, position to the function with the arrow keys. Press M to associate a new key with that function. Then, responding to the prompts, press the key you want to allocate to the function and then enter the name of the physical key, for example "Ctrl-M". You can only allocate special keys to functions, you cannot map standard character keys.

One physical key can only be associated with one function but a function can have more than one physical key associated with it. To remove an existing mapping, position to the function with the arrow keys and press U. This removes the first physical key mapped to the function. Repeat the process if there are further keys to be de-allocated.

If you exit after changes without first saving the keymap file, you are prompted to save or abandon your changes.

If you wish to have a special keymapping, copy the appropriate keymap files from the home directory to your working directory and then modify them as above.


Colours

The colours used in the Execution Window for the internal editor, system menus and dialogs are maintained in System Global Variables. These values can also be used in other full screen applications.

These settings may be viewed or modified using the VisualPQL program SYSPROC.TOOLS.VIDEO.
This program executes an execution window program which displays a sample menu and dialog as well as a colour selection palette.

Items can be selected from the sample display or menu and the colour for the selected item may be selected from the palette. Use the tab function key or mouse to move between palette and items.

Use the Save button to apply modifications.
The colour settings are written to the external SIR2002 initialisation file on completion of the SIR2002 session.

The global variables are


SIR2002 Editor

SIR2002 allows you to select any text editor to use from SIR2002 and also includes two internal text editors. Once set, the editor is used to edit procedure file members, text files and SIR2002 memory buffers.

To use a text editor which is already on your system, set the settings-preferences editor choice to External and enter (or browse for) the name and location of the executable editor you want SIR2002 to use. e.g.C:\WINNT\Notepad.exe. When you edit a member or a buffer, it is written to a temporary file for editing and, when you finish, it is copied back and the file is deleted.

The first internal editor is a simple multi-line text graphical object. This is used in any dialogs and can be used directly if required. Set the settings-preferences editor choice to SIR. This editor works in a basic way as per normal text editing on your computer.

The second internal editor is the Execution Window editor from SIR version 3. To use this editor, set the settings-preferences editor choice to EW. The EW editor works the same way on every SIR2002 platform.

The internal editors use SIR2002 buffers. Files and members are copied into memory buffers for editing, then copied back to the member or file.

Operating the EW Editor

The EW editor is largely controlled by function keys. The Key Help lists the current function key mappings and allows for key definitions. A function key must be mapped before it can be used in the editor.

Terminating Editor

The editing session is terminated by the Execute/Save or Cancel keys. If the Save key is pressed and a member or file is being edited then the edit buffer is copied to that member or file. If Cancel is pressed, you are prompted for confirmation and the buffer is not copied to file or member. If a buffer was being edited directly then no copying takes place, the buffer has been edited.

Entering Text

Text is entered as typed and there is no automatic line wrapping. Use Return Enter to mark the end of a line.
The Tab Forwards inserts a number of blanks before the cursor to bring the cursor to the next tab position. Tab positions are defined using the editor's command menu.
Use the Insert/Overstrike key to toggle between text insert and type over mode.
The Toggle Case key changes the case of the alphabetic character at the cursor and advances the cursor one character.

Navigation

The Arrow Keys, Up A Page and Down A Page move the cursor around the text. The Mouse can be used to position the cursor anywhere within the text on the screen.
Use the Start Of Buffer and End Of Buffer to go to the first and last lines of the document. The Goto Line #### can be used to move to a particular line number.

Direction
There are several directional navigation functions which operate in either forward or reverse mode. Use the Set Dir Backward and Set Dir Forward to change the direction setting.
The directional functions are: End Of Line By (Dir) which goes to the first or last character in the current line;
Next Character (Dir) which moves one character cell forward or backward;
End Of Screen By (Dir) which moves to the first or last line visible on the screen;
Move 80% Screen (Dir) which scrolls the window up or down by 24 lines;
Beginning Of Next Line (Dir) which moves to the start of the next or previous line;
Next Word (Dir) which moves to the next or previous word;

Deleting & Undeleting

Part or full lines and words or characters can be deleted with a keypress. The deleted characters can be undeleted into the current cursor position.
Delete Previous Character which is usually set to the Backspace key moves the cursor left and deletes that character. Delete Character deletes the character to the right of the cursor.
Delete Line removes the entire current line. Delete Beginning Of Line deletes from the first character in the line to the cursor position. Delete End Of Line deletes from the cursor to the end of the line.
Delete Word deletes the word where the cursor is positioned.
Undelete Line, Undelete Word, Undelete Character restore the previously deleted line, word or character to the cursor position. If these keys are pressed multiple times the same characters are restored each time.

Cut/Paste

There are operations which apply to selected blocks of text. Block selection is initiated using the Start Block key and block selection mode continues until a block operation is performed or the cancel key is pressed. During block selection mode, editing keys are disabled.
When a block is selected it can be removed to another buffer which is the paste buffer and by default called "Paste Buffer". The selected text can be appended to the paste buffer using the Add Block To Paste Buffer key or it can replace the text in the paste buffer by using the Cut Block To Paste Buffer key.
The Paste Buffer inserts the contents of the paste buffer at the current cursor position.
The Replace Block removes the selected block of text and replaces it with the contents of the paste buffer.

Find/Replace

There are operations to find and replace found text strings in the current document.

The Set Search String key prompts for the string to search for. Once the search string has been set, the Find Next key positions to the next occurrence of that string, either forwards or backwards depending on the setting of DIRECTION.

The Set Replace String initiates find and replace processing. Find and replace searches for the next occurrence of the find string and optionally prompts to change it to the replace string, skip, stop prompting or stop replacing.

Command Menu

The command menu is invoked by pressing the command menu key. The command menu has four options; Buffers, Read, Write and Settings.
Buffers clear delete edit rename; Read from file, member or buffer to a buffer; Write to a file member of buffer from a buffer; Settings for tabs and find and replace behaviour.


WDL

SIR version 4.0 used a Windows Description Language or WDL to manage the graphical user interface. This is supported in a special version of SIR2002 but has been replaced by VisualPQL for current applications. Please use the 4.0 help scripts for further information.

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