Uses for Dialogue Manager

In this section:

Dialogue Manager Variables Overview

Reference:

Overview of Dialogue Manager Commands

The following are ways to use Dialogue Manager to control the flow of your application:

Control the execution of a procedure. Use Dialogue Manager control commands to determine the sequence in which FOCUS commands execute and when and how procedures terminate. For details, see Executing and Terminating a Procedure.
Navigate a procedure. You can conditionally execute requests, repeat execution with program loops, or call another procedure. For details, see Navigating a Procedure.
Customize a procedure with variables. Dynamically change a procedure's execution by including variables whose values depend on user input, developer settings, or system information. You can also test a variable's value, the result of a calculation, the existence of a file, or an operating system condition, and execute or not based on the results of the test. For details, see Using Variables in a Procedure, Supplying and Verifying Values for Variables, and Manipulating and Testing Variables.
Issue operating system commands. You can issue an operating system command to query the environment or load a function and run it. For details on issuing operating system commands, see Issuing an Operating System Command.

You can also use Dialogue Manager commands and variables to:

Control passwords. You can directly assign and change passwords. For details, see Controlling User Access to Data.
Send a message to an application user. You can send a message to the user while a procedure is processing to explain the purpose of the procedure, display results, or present other useful information. For details, see Sending a Message to the User.
Test and debug the application. You can use variables to display command lines as they execute and to test Dialogue Manager command logic. See Debugging a Procedure.

Reference: Overview of Dialogue Manager Commands

For descriptions and syntax, see Dialogue Manager Quick Reference.

Command	Meaning
-*	Is a comment line; it has no action.
-CLOSE ddname	Closes the specified ‑READ or ‑WRITE file.
-CLOSE *	Closes all -READ and -WRITE files currently open.
-CRTCLEAR	Clears the screen display.
-CRTFORM	Initiates full-screen variable data entry.
-DEFAULT -DEFAULTS	Presets initial values for variable substitution.
-EXIT	Executes stacked commands and returns to the FOCUS prompt.
-GOTO	Establishes an unconditional branch.
-HTMLFORM	For use with the Web Interface to FOCUS.
-IF	Tests and branches control based on test results.
-INCLUDE	Dynamically incorporates one procedure in another.
-label	User-supplied name identifying the target for -GOTO or -IF.
-MVS RUN	Same as -TSO RUN.
-PASS	Sets password directly.
-PROMPT	Types a prompt message on the screen and reads a reply.
-QUIT	Exits the procedure without executing stacked commands.
-READ	Reads records from a sequential file.
-READFILE	Reads fields based on a Master File into Dialogue Manager variables.
-REPEAT	Executes a loop.
-RUN	Executes all stacked FOCUS commands and returns to procedure for further processing.
-SET	Assigns a value to a variable.
-TSO RUN	In MVS/TSO, loads and executes a user-written function.
-TYPE	Types informative messages to the screen or other output device.
-WINDOW	Invokes Window Painter, transferring control from the procedure to the specified window file.
-WRITE	Writes a record to a sequential file.
-"..."	Brackets contents for -CRTFORM display line.
-? SET `parameter` &myvar	Captures the value of a settable parameter in &myvar.
-? &[`variablename`]	Displays the values of currently defined amper variables.

Dialogue Manager Variables Overview

You can write procedures containing variables which values are unknown until run time, allowing a user to customize the procedure by supplying different values each time it executes. Variables fall into two categories:

Local and global variables. Local and global variable values must be supplied at run time. Local variables retain the values only for one procedure. Global variables retain the values across procedures unless you explicitly clear them. They lose the values when you exit from FOCUS. You create a local variable by choosing a name that starts with a single ampersand (&); you create a global variable by choosing a name that starts with a double ampersand (&&).
System and statistical variables. System and statistical variable values are automatically supplied by the system when a procedure references them. System and statistical variables have names that begin with a single ampersand (&). For example, the variable &LINES indicates how many lines of output were produced, and the variable &DATE indicates the current date.

For complete information, see Using Variables in a Procedure, Supplying and Verifying Values for Variables, and Manipulating and Testing Variables.