Displaying User Variables on the Idle Screen

Because users frequently have wanted to change the idle screen text on the 7526 DCT during terminal operation, the 3.03/4.03 versions of the terminal microcode introduce a new feature which allows you to insert the current text of any user variable(s) into the idle screen prompts.

To insert user variable data into the idle screen, you insert place markers into the fixed idle screen text in the format:


(DC3)nnn

where (DC3) is control character ASCII 19 (decimal) and nnn is the 3-digit user variable number (e.g. 001, 213, etc. -- '0' padded on the left to 3 digits long). You can input the (DC3) character into the DCC/2 Terminal Configuration Editor or into your text editor by holding down the Alt key and typing 19 on the numeric keypad (Note: the numbers across the top of the PC keyboard will not work for this -- you must use the numeric pad on the right side of the PC keyboard). The (DC3) shows up on the PC display as a double exclamation point ().

The current contents of the referenced user variables are inserted into the idle prompt -- just as if you had the Insert key mode on your PC and started typing. Any user variable text or fixed text on the idle screen which is thus pushed past the end of the display will not be shown at the 7526.

If user variables are changed during a transaction program's execution, then the next time the terminal returns to the idle mode you will see the updated display. If the terminal is on the idle screen and you set the user variable from the host then the 7526 display will update immediately and the 7526 beeper will sound briefly (alerting the operator of a potentially important message for him/her on the display).

The 7526 idle prompts are changed in the DCC/2 Terminal Configuration Editor (the top line is in 'System Messages', while the 2nd line is in the 'Idle Prompts' section), or via Message commands in the Program Builder utility (message 0 for the top line, message 10 for the 2nd line).

Example: To show the user id of the operator who is currently logged on to the terminal, and to show potential host-originated messages to the operator, your idle screen messages could look like:


CURRENT USER:!!001           -- System Messages 'Normal Idle Prompt'
!!002NO MESSAGES             -- 7526 Idle Menu Prompts 'Idle Prompt 2'

When there is no user and no waiting messages, the display will show as:


CURRENT USER:           08/06/96 10:47AM
NO MESSAGES

Once someone logs on to the terminal (thus putting his/her user id in user variable 1), the display will show:


CURRENT USER: HORNER    08/06/96 10:47AM
NO MESSAGES

Perhaps the host/server system (TC/2 etc.) has been processing the terminal logon transaction and has found that messages are waiting for this user. It can use the DCC/2 APIs to format a message which is 40 characters long and send it to the terminal. The 7526 display changes to:


CURRENT USER: HORNER    08/06/96 10:47AM
YOU HAVE UNREAD MAIL WAITING

Example: Your terminal idle prompt could consist solely of user variable contents (user vars 15 and 16, in this example):


!!015                        -- System Messages 'Normal Idle Prompt'
!!016                        -- 7526 Idle Menu Prompts 'Idle Prompt 2'

On a freshly-loaded 7526, the display would be blank except for the time/date display. The 'Case 0:' CFR call (new load) could be used to initialize the user variables which are used on the idle prompt. You could also have fixed text along with your user variable references and have user variables formated to fill the display displace the fixed text as desired.