The Information Catalog Manager makes it easy to start a program that can retrieve the actual data that an object describes. For example, you might have objects that describe graphic charts. You can set up a graphic program, such as CorelDRAW!, so that you can retrieve the actual charts for editing, copying, or printing.
The Information Catalog Manager for Windows can start any program that runs on the Windows system that you are using, or that you can start from an MS-DOS command prompt.
A single object type can start more than one program (for example, the object type Spreadsheet can have both Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Excel associated with it).
To enable an object to start a program, you create an association between a Programs object and any object type that is not categorized as Program.
You can create a Programs object by using the Information Catalog Manager windows or tag language.
The Programs window displays a list of programs currently associated with the selected object type.
The Add Program window opens.
For more specific information about entering these values, see Supplying values for required Programs object properties.
If you want to erase what you entered in the Enter value for selected property field, click Clear.
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To close the window without adding a program, click Cancel.
Programs objects have several required properties that allow you to
differentiate among Programs objects when you want the same program to handle
more than one object type. These properties are described in Table 11.
Table 11. Entering values for required properties when associating a program with an object type
| Property | Example | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | View home page with Netscape Navigator | This value is displayed in the Select one or more programs to start list box when a user chooses to start a program from an object. When you are associating one program with several object types, you can enter the same value for the Name property on each. | ||
| Class | Browser | You can enter any values for these properties that help you classify and identify the Programs object. You can enter the not-applicable symbol if you do not have a value for a property. (The not-applicable symbol is a hyphen unless you identified a different symbol when you created the information catalog.) | ||
| Qualifier 1 | Navigator | |||
| Qualifier 2 | Windows NT | |||
| Qualifier 3 | 3.0 | |||
| Identifier | start netscape.exe | |||
| ||||
For the property that is called Start by invoking, enter the file name of the program and the recommended starting parameters. For Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98, the recommended starting parameter is START filename.exe. The PATH statement must contain the directory where the program is located.
If the file name of the program is in high-performance file system (HPFS) format and contains blanks, surround the path and file name of the program with two sets of quotation marks, as in this example:
""D:\PROGPATH\My Program.EXE""
If the program name contains blanks, you cannot specify any other start options for the Start by invoking property. Instead, enter the options in the Parameters property. Do not change the value of the HANDLES property.
Enter the following lines in your tag language file:
ACTION.OBJINST(ADD)
OBJECT.TYPE(PROGRAMS)
INSTANCE.NAME(name_of_program)
UUICLASS(class_of_program)
UUIQUAL1(identifier)
UUIQUAL2(identifier)
UUIQUAL3(identifier)
UUIDENT(identifier)
HANDLES(short_name_of_object_type)
STARTCMD(command_to_start_program)
PARMLIST(list_of_program_parameters)
SHRTDESC(description_of_program)
After each keyword, type an appropriate value within the parentheses:
Figure 10 shows an example of tag language that sets up a program to handle spreadsheet objects. The example assumes that you have the object type SPRDSHET in your information catalog.
Figure 10. Setting up a program to handle spreadsheet objects
ACTION.OBJINST(ADD)
OBJECT.TYPE(PROGRAMS)
INSTANCE.NAME(Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows)
UUICLASS(SPRDSHET)
UUIQUAL1(Lotus 1-2-3)
UUIQUAL2(Windows)
UUIDENT(123w.exe)
HANDLES(SPRDSHET)
STARTCMD(start /f /win 123w.exe)
PARMLIST(%LISTSRCE%)
SHRTDESC(Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows)
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You can create a program association that is based on values of an existing association:
The Programs window displays a list of programs currently associated with the selected object type.
The Copy Program window opens.
If you want to erase the existing value in the Enter value for selected property field, click Clear.
To close the window without copying the Programs object, click Cancel.
You can change values for an existing association between a program and objects of a specified object type by using the Information Catalog Manager windows or tag language.
The Programs window displays a list of programs currently associated with the selected object type.
The Update Program window opens.
If you want to erase the existing value in the Enter value for selected property field, click Clear.
To close the window without updating the Programs object, click Cancel.
You can update programs that handle objects by using the Information Catalog Manager tag language. You do this the same way you update other objects with tag language. See Updating an object for information.
You can delete the association between a program and objects of a specified object type by using the Information Catalog Manager windows or tag language.
The Programs window displays a list of programs currently associated with the selected object type.
To delete the association between a Programs object and an object type by using tag language, delete the Programs object that handles the particular object type:
ACTION.OBJINST(DELETE) OBJECT.TYPE(PROGRAMS)
INSTANCE.SOURCEKEY(UUICLASS(class_of_program)
UUIQUAL1(identifier)
UUIQUAL2(identifier)
UUIQUAL3(identifier))
Enter only UUI properties for which you have existing values in the information catalog. Completely enclose in parentheses all the properties and values after the SOURCEKEY keyword.