Before you can take advantage of the function key feature, the terminal must be defined to Ingres so that physical keys on the terminal become associated with logical functions. Through this mapping, the physical keys can execute various operations that are either built into the forms system or programmed inside the forms-based tools and custom applications.

These files are involved in defining keyboard key usage in the FRS:

The locations (escape sequences) and availability of function (PF), control, and arrow keys are unique to the type of terminal you are using. Control keys are available on all ASCII terminals, but only certain types of terminals also support function keys.

The termcap file contains a description of all terminals supported by Ingres, including their available function, control, and arrow keys. When you start the FRS, it reads the appropriate terminal type description from the termcap file. Before using Ingres, make sure your terminal has been defined to the FRS in the termcap file.

Once the terminal has been defined in the termcap file, you can change FRS key definitions dynamically in the key mapping files at the installation, terminal type, user, and application mapping levels. This appendix describes the key mapping process in detail.