Using QMF

Navigating in QMF help

The QMF main help menu provides a list of general topics. From this menu, you can choose more specific topic panels. Figure 4 shows how QMF help is organized.

Figure 4. QMF help is organized from general to specific topics

QMF help varies slightly in how it allows you to access information, depending on what part of QMF you are using. When you press the Help function key:

• In most parts of QMF, you see a menu related to the QMF panel you are using. Select the topic or area of information that you want to see.
• In Prompted Query or the Table Editor (QMF's mode for adding or changing tables), you immediately see information specifically related to the part of the process you are working on.
• While you are creating an SQL query, you see a table of contents from which you can select the information you want to see.
• While you are working on form panels, you see information specifically related to the field on which you are working.
• In most parts of QMF, if QMF displays an error message on the message line, you see information related to the error message.

The following functions are available on function keys to help you navigate through QMF help:

Exit

Immediately removes all help panels and activates the underlying QMF panel.

More Help

Shows you a menu of panels that are related to the help panel currently displayed (available for selected topics).

Menu

Displays either the most recently displayed menu, or the menu for the underlying QMF panel.

You can return through higher-level menus until you reach the Help main menu by repeatedly pressing the Menu function key.

Backward

Scrolls backward through the panel.

Forward

Scrolls forward through the panel.

Keys

Lists the functions of the keys for the underlying QMF panel.

Cancel

Removes one help panel at a time.

You can return to the underlying QMF panel by repeatedly pressing the Cancel function key.

Switch

On help panels for some specific topics, activates the underlying QMF panel. You can enter commands on the command line of the QMF panel while the help panel is still displayed.