Default Forms
For each frame that it generates, Vision also generates a default form. This form is based on the frame type and default frame definition.
Default Forms for Menu Frames
Menu frames call other frames, but do not have a query associated with them. The default form for a Menu frame includes:
• The frame name at the top
• The "Menu Frame" type in the upper right
• A table field (called "iitf" in the generated code) with two columns:
– The first column is called "command" and contains the menu item text to call the child frames.
– The second column is called "explanation" and contains the description of the child frames.
The "command" table field column is scrollable, so that users can see long menu item text. Both table field columns are restricted; you cannot delete or rename them.
• A table field row for each child frame. To specify that the child frames be accessed by selecting from the menu line at the bottom of the window instead of from a table field, see
Specifyfing Menu Frame Display Styles.
Note: You can write escape code (discussed in
Using Vision Advanced Features) to add commands to the table field, or to remove commands that you do not want users to see.
When you run the Menu frame, Vision generates a menu line containing Select, Help, and End menu items. Also, all the table field operations are available. For descriptions of these menu items and operations, see
Vision Applications from a User’s Perspective.
Default Forms for Append, Browse, and Update Frames
The default forms that Vision generates are similar for Append, Browse, and Update frames. The default form for these frame types includes:
• The short description of the frame at the top
• The frame type in the upper right
• The displayed columns of the Master table represented as simple fields or as table field columns
If you have specified a Detail table in the frame definition, the default form also includes a table field with a column for each displayed column of the Detail table.
When it is run, the frame also includes a menu line containing:
• Each menu item that you specified to call another frame
• The Vision-generated menu items appropriate to the frame type and frame definition
For descriptions of the menu items that Vision generates, see
Vision Applications from a User’s Perspective.
Attributes of Fields on Default Forms
Vision assigns attributes to fields on the default form as follows:
• You cannot display the join field in the Detail table.
• Any field in the Master or Detail table that activates a Lookup table is created as a mandatory field (that is, the user must make an entry in this field).
• Lookup table columns that you display as fields on the form are:
– Query-only for simple fields
– Display-only for table fields
• Sequenced fields in Append frames are created as query-only.
• Columns in a Master or Detail table that are not null not default are created as mandatory fields.
• All Master and Detail table columns that you include in the visual query are created as restricted fields; that is, you cannot:
– Change the field's internal name
– Change the field's data type
– Delete the field from the form
The default form can change when you modify the frame definition. You can also use Vision's forms editor to modify a Vision-generated form. For more information on using the Vision forms editor, see
Editing a Form.
Appearance of Fields on Default Forms
Vision uses these visual signals to highlight special fields on the default form:
• The join field between the Master and Detail table appears in bold in the Master table.
• Any field in the Master or Detail table that activates a Lookup table is displayed in reverse video.
Last modified date: 08/28/2024