The format of the .DEFINE verb follows. Also, the default control
characters are specified if you do not want to define your own.

>>-.DEFINE--char--+--------------------------------+-----------><
+-| options |--------------------+
+---VAriable--+--------------+---+
| +-stem.--------+ |
| | .----------. | |
| | V | | |
| '---variable-+-' |
'-DROP---------------------------'
options:
.-UNProtect-. .-NORmal----.
|--+-----------+--+-----------+--+-DEfcolor--+--+-BLInk-----+--->
+-PRotect---+ +-BRight----+ +-GReen-----+ +-REVerse---+
'-SKip------' '-INVisible-' +-RED-------+ '-UNDerline-'
+-BLUe------+
+-TUrquoise-+
+-WHite-----+
+-YEllow----+
'-PInk------'
.-NOJustify-. .-NULls--.
>--+-----------+--PAd--(--+--------+--)--NUMeric--CUrsor--MDT---|
+-LEft------+ +-BLAnks-+
'-RIght-----' '-char---'
- #
- Defcolor skip normal
- +
- Defcolor protect bright
- %
- Defcolor unprotect normal
- !
- Defcolor unprotect bright
- &
- Variable identifier
- char
- specifies the control character being defined.
- VAriable
- defines a REXX variable identifier control character. Variable
identifier control characters are used to associate Panel Facility
control characters with REXX variable names. More than one variable
control character can be defined at one time. Following the VARIABLE
keyword may be a list of variable names (variable) or a single
stem name (stem.). The variable list can contain one to 32,767
variable names. Only one stem name can be specified and the stem name
must end in a period. This period identifies the variable as a stem
and leaving off the period causes the name to be interpreted as a
simple variable.
Using a variable list and a stem name cannot be
mixed. When the panel generator encounters a variable control character
a substitution is done. Simple variable lists are substituted in the
same order as listed. For example, the third variable control character
is replaced with the third variable listed for that control character.
The stem variable is replaced by appending a three-character number
(tail) to the stem name. The number starts at 1 and is incremented
as that stem control character is encountered. Therefore, the tenth
stem control character for a particular stem would have a 10 as the
tail (STEM.10). Since these variables are REXX variables, they must
follow the REXX variable naming rules.
- DROP
- drops char as a field control character.
- UNProtect
- specifies that the field is not protected from operator input.
(This is the default.)
- PRotect
- specifies that the field is protected from operator input.
- SKip
- specifies a protected field with the auto-skip feature. Operator
entering a character in the last position of the previous unprotected
field causes the cursor to skip over this field.
- NORmal
- specifies that the field is not highlighted. (This is the default.)
- BRight
- specifies that the field is highlighted.
- INVisible
- specifies that the field is invisible.
- GReen
- RED
- BLUe
- TUrquoise
- WHite
- YEllow
- PInk
- DEfcolor
- are the choices for the color.
Notes:
- When you do not specify a default color, the color is based on
the field type and intensity values: protect/normal displays blue,
protect/bright displays white, unprotect/normal displays green, and
unprotect/bright displays red.
- If any field on a panel has explicitly specified a color (including
DEFCOLOR), all bright fields with DEFCOLOR or no color specified are
displayed white and all normal fields with DEFCOLOR or no color specified
are displayed green. This is a 3270 hardware limitation and not the
panel facility.
- BLInk
- specifies that the field blinks.
- REVerse
- specifies that the field is in reverse video.
- UNDerline
- specifies that the field is underlined.
- NOJustify
- specifies that justification is not done (left justified but
blanks are not stripped).
- LEft
- specifies that the field is left justified (leading blanks are
stripped).
- RIght
- specifies that the field is right justified (trailing blanks
are stripped).
- PAd()
- specified only in the context of fields having variables. In
an unprotected field the pad character fills the character positions
that are not occupied by a variable value. In a protected field,
the pad character is similar but the scope of the fill area is not
the whole field as in the unprotected field. It is bound by where
the variable starts, within the protected field to either the end
of the field or the start of the next variable or text.
- NULls
- specifies that a field will be padded with the null character.
- BLAnks
- specifies that a field will be padded with blanks.
- char
- specifies a single character to be used to pad a field.
- NUMeric
- specifies a field is numeric (unprotected field only).
- CUrsor
- specifies that the cursor is positioned at the beginning of
this field. If multiple cursor fields are defined, then the last
one defined contains the cursor. The cursor is placed in the top
left corner if a cursor field is not defined.
- MDT
- sets the modify bit tag on for the field. Always return this
field on a read, even if the field was not modified by the operator.