FRS Commands
FRS commands are built‑in functions of the forms system that enable the user to view and edit the data on a form. Because they are actually built into FRS, they are available both in the Ingres forms-based tools, such as QBF, and in customized forms applications built with Vision, ABF, or the embedded query languages.
Through key mapping, you can link such capabilities as deleting a character, moving to the menu line, or scrolling within a table field, to program function and control keys (and arrow keys in UNIX or VMS), which are defined to Ingres as specific keyboard keys. For example, the following statement maps the redraw FRS command to controlW, which is defined to Ingres on most keyboards as the physical key, Control-W:
redraw = controlW
FRS commands allow you to write terminal‑independent application programs while taking advantage of available mapping keys. The application does not specify which control or escape sequences the user must generate at the keyboard to run a block of code; it just specifies which FRS command runs that block of code. FRS commands cannot be executed directly in program code; they are only available to the user through key mapping. You can map any function or control key to any FRS command. You can also map any arrow keys to any FRS command.
FRS Command Definitions
The FRS commands and their definitions are as follows. When used as a mapping object, an FRS command name must be typed exactly as shown:
clear
Clears field or menu input.
clearrest
Clears rest of field, beginning from current cursor position. Then moves to next field if cursor is not in a table field, to next column if not in last column of table field, to first column of next row if in last column of table field.
deletechar
Deletes character under cursor.
downline
Moves down one line in field or next row in table field.
duplicate
Enters a value in a simple field that duplicates a value in the previous row of a table. For more information, see Duplicate Previous Entries.
editor
Starts text editor on field.
leftchar
Moves left one character within field.
menu
Goes to the menu line (the Menu key).
mode
Switches between insert and overstrike editing mode.
newrow
Moves to first column of next row in table field.
nextfield
Goes to the next field on the form.
nextitem
Moves to next field if cursor is not in a table field, to next column if not in last column of table field, to first column of next row if in last column of table field. Unlike clearrest, does not clear rest of current field.
nextword
Moves forward one word within a field.
previousfield
Goes to the previous field on the form.
previousword
Moves backward one word within a field.
printscreen
Sends a copy of the currently displayed form to a file or the printer, depending on how the II_PRINTSCREEN_FILE environment variable/logical has been set. For more information, see the System Administrator Guide for the system on which your database resides.
redraw
Redraws the frame.
rightchar
Moves right one character within field.
rubout
Deletes character immediately to left of cursor.
scrolldown
Scrolls down in current table field or form, leaving cursor on same field.
scrollleft
Scrolls form left, leaving cursor on same field.
scrollright
Scrolls form right, leaving cursor on same field.
scrollup
Scrolls up in current table field or form, leaving cursor on same field.
Upline (Windows only)
Move up one line in field or previous row in table field. 
Shell (UNIX only)
In UNIX and VMS, spawns (creates) a shell.
In UNIX, spawns a Bourne shell only. 
upline (VMS only)
In VMS, creates a DCL process.
In UNIX and VMS, move up one line in field or previous row in table field. 
Default mapping files are provided that assign keys to some or all of the FRS commands.
Default Key Mapping Assignments (UNIX and VMS)
Ingres provides several default mapping files that contain key assignments for the FRS commands. The first is an installation-level mapping file, valid for all terminal types. The other two are default-mapping files for the VT100 and VT220 terminals. These mapping files assign default control or function keys to the FRS commands. The installation file assigns control keys to most of the FRS commands. The terminal-type files expand and, in certain instances, override the installation mappings.
The following table lists the FRS commands and their default installation‑level and terminal‑type level assignments for the vt100i and vt220i terminal types. Consult your system administrator to determine whether the defaults listed in the table are valid for your installation and terminal type. Check the files directory for other mapping files supplied with Ingres.
Note: The system administrator can modify the default mapping files provided with Ingres. If the files have been modified, the mappings for the FRS commands can differ from the following table. The system administrator can also create mapping files for other terminal types besides vt100i and vt220i. These terminal-type files would then override the installation-level file.
Mapping files for VT100 and VT220 terminals have been optimized to avoid unnecessary remapping functions that are already designated in the installation‑level frs.map file. If you modify the frs.map file, be careful to ensure the reliability of the mapping files for the VT100 and VT220 terminals.
FRS Command | Installation (UNIX and VMS) | VT100i (VMS) | VT220i (VMS) |
|---|---|---|---|
Clear | CONTROL‑X | CONTROL‑B | CONTROL‑B |
Clearrest | RETURN | N/A | N/A |
Deletechar | CONTROL‑D | CONTROL‑D | REMOVE |
Downline | CONTROL‑J | down_arrow | down_arrow |
duplicate | CONTROL‑A | CONTROL‑A | CONTROL‑A |
editor | CONTROL‑V | CONTROL‑V | CONTROL‑V |
leftchar | CONTROL‑H | left_arrow | left_arrow |
menu | ESC | PF1 | PF1 |
mode | CONTROL‑E | CONTROL‑E | INSERT HERE |
newrow | CONTROL‑N | CONTROL‑N | CONTROL‑N |
nextfield | TAB | TAB | TAB |
nextitem | no default | RETURN | RETURN |
nextword | CONTROL‑B | CONTROL‑U | CONTROL‑U |
previousfield | CONTROL‑P | CONTROL‑P | CONTROL‑P |
previousword | CONTROL‑R | CONTROL‑R | CONTROL‑R |
printscreen | (no default) | CONTROL‑G | PF8 |
redraw | CONTROL‑W | CONTROL‑W | CONTROL‑W |
rightchar | CONTROL‑L | right_arrow | right_arrow |
rubout | DEL | DEL | DEL |
scrolldown | CONTROL‑G | PF8 | PREV SCR |
scrollleft | CONTROL‑O | CONTROL‑L | CONTROL‑L |
scrollright | CONTROL‑U | CONTROL‑H | CONTROL‑H |
scrollup | CONTROL‑F | PF12 | NEXT SCR |
shell | no default | no default | CONTROL‑B |
upline | CONTROL‑K | up_arrow | up_arrow |
Last modified date: 01/30/2023