Re: [open-cobol-list] For discussion: patch to get some terminal infoand do scrolling

[Bill Klein]

I don't know if there is a copy online any more, but at one time there was a
proposal to add "FIMS" (forms management system" to COBOL - with "send,
receive, tranceive" syntax and an external format description of the
(sort-of) screen layout.

I doubt anyone wants to spend more than 200USD to get information about it,
but you might look at:
  http://www.techstreet.com/cgi-bin/detail?product_id=944948

As far as I am concerned the existing AcuCOBOL syntax is probably as good
(or even better) for meeting the needs of today's application developers.
The only question that I would raise is whether it is better to spend
development resources on ADDING this feature (that is currently only
available with one compiler) before adding features that are more commonly
in use across compilers today.

If the goal is to meet the needs of NEW development, then I would go with
(possibly) the AcuCOBOL syntax.  If the goal is to FIRST provide a
"migration path" for existing COBOL applications, then this would not be in
my HIGH priority objectives.  

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wim Niemans [mailto:address@hidden 
> Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 4:54 PM
> To: Bill Klein
> Cc: address@hidden
> Subject: Re: [open-cobol-list] For discussion: patch to get 
> some terminal infoand do scrolling
> 
> Hello Bill and All,
> 
> As a professional Cobol Developer using ACU I would very welcome the  
> addition of the IS EXTERNAL FORM syntax of ACU Cobol.
> I do remember such feature from my mainframe time, somewhere in the  
> seventies, when programmable terminals sent formatted data.
> I am using this feature extensively to run Cobol programs 
> under a web  
> server.
> The trick is, that the IS EXTERNAL FORM refers to a group item with  
> elementary items describing the fields of the form, which is 
> nowadays  
> a html form with post method.
> ACU Cobol uses a C-library to convert the post-parameters using the  
> fieldnames into the data description during ACCEPT.
> The DISPLAY proces simply calls a html template file and parses in a  
> similar way the data into the page.
> I would expect that a similar C-library would exist somewhere?
> 
> See also an older post of John Culleton and yogibear:
> http://coding.derkeiler.com/Archive/Cobol/comp.lang.cobol/2005
> -09/msg00227.html
> 
> What do you think?
> 
> Regards,
> wim niemans ri
> 
> 
> Op 8 jan 2009, om 23:07 heeft Bill Klein het volgende geschreven:
> 
> > Just a warning to those not familiar with AcuCOBOL 
> extensions.  They  
> > have
> > EXTENSIVE extensions to Accept/Display/Screen section that include
> > everything needed up to and including "GUI's" via Accept/Display.
> >
> > It is pretty impressive, but once you start adding support 
> for some,  
> > you may
> > find demand for all of it.  I would suggest looking at the 
> full syntax
> > before deciding which (if any) to include in OpenCOBOL.
> >
> > To the best of my knowledge, NO other implementer has actually  
> > picked up the
> > AcuCOBOL syntax.  On the other hand, since they were acquired by  
> > Micro Focus
> > it is POSSIBLE (I just don't know) that you may see some of 
> this in  
> > the
> > "native" MF compiler (to assist with migration from 
> AcuCOBOL to MF -  
> > without
> > their Dialog Systems extensions)
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Ulf Dambacher [mailto:address@hidden
> >> Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 2:56 PM
> >> To: address@hidden
> >> Subject: [open-cobol-list] For discussion: patch to get some
> >> terminal infoand do scrolling
> >>
> >> Hi
> >>
> >> Just for discussion: enclosed you find a patch to OC 1.1 wich
> >> implements
> >> following syntax extensions:
> >>
> >> 1) ACCEPT field FROM TERMINAL SCREEN_COLUMNS
> >> 2) ACCEPT field FROM TERMINAL SCREEN_LINES
> >> 3) ACCEPT field ... [ SCROLL [UP / DOWN ] [ BY n [_LINES ]] ...
> >> 4) DISPLAY field ... [ SCROLL [UP / DOWN ] [ BY n [_LINES ]] ...
> >>
> >>
> >> to 1+2:
> >> Somehow one has to figure out how many lines/cols the screen has.
> >> We don't have fixed size terminals anymore .-(
> >> Acucobol has this syntax:
> >> ACCEPT structure FROM TERMINAL-INFO
> >> and a copy library for working storage to put some 
> information about
> >> screen lines, color usage, highlight etc.
> >> Can we copy this 1:1 without copyright probelems?
> >> Shall we have our own syntax?
> >>
> >> to 3+4:
> >> Currently we can't do scrolling in OC. I found there are
> >> different ways
> >> in different compilers.
> >> Acucobol scrolls if one moves to the last line, last column
> >> and displays
> >>   something. Also they have a syntax like this to do
> >> scrolling explicitly.
> >>
> >>
> >> Ulf
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > 
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