dhaskin@lucy.wellesley.EDU (Denis Haskin) (02/11/88)
> From: BAMBAM::"MCVAX!FREJA!ALETTE!TRIER@UUNET.UU.NET" > I'm looking for a menu system for the VAX/VMS. The system should be able to > be the first the user sees of the VMS, no username password prompt, but a > homemade welcome screen. > > From: BAMBAM::"IHNP4!ALBERTA!SASK!SKATTER!KUO@UCBVAX.BERKELEY.EDU" > You may consider FMS-11 (Forms Management System?) [...] > > From: BAMBAM::"IHNP4!ALBERTA!SASK!SKATTER!KUO@UCBVAX.BERKELEY.EDU" > But cann't you easily build one using DCL [...] No? You can > also have a more fancy menu using the FMS system for VAX/VMS (for extra $$, > I guess). I wouldn't use FMS for a menu system, especially if by 'menu' you mean Macintosh/VAXstation-type menus (pull-down, etc). FMS is DEC's Forms Management System, and is oriented more toward data entry and transaction processing (although it is still TDMS' neglected cousin in that regard, if you follow the pundits). You can do menus in FMS (I've had to do it), but they're more check-off-the-box menus, if you know what I mean. My tool of choice on VMS would be the SMG$ library routines, or the curses screen management package (if you're working in C). In fact, some DECUS program I saw recently had a fairly well-organized set of menu-manipulation routines that were in FORTRAN (I think) and used the SMG$ library. Have fun... Denis W. Haskin, Network Manager Wellesley College DHaskin@Lucy.Wellesley.Edu Wellesley, MA 02181 -or- 617-235-0320 x3123 Denis@Bambam.Wellesley.Edu
cfchiesa@bsu-cs.UUCP (Sir Xetwnk) (02/22/88)
In article <8802180033.AA04145@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, dhaskin@lucy.wellesley.EDU (Denis Haskin) writes: > > From: BAMBAM::"MCVAX!FREJA!ALETTE!TRIER@UUNET.UU.NET" > > I'm looking for a menu system for the VAX/VMS. The system should be able to > > be the first the user sees of the VMS, no username password prompt, but a > > homemade welcome screen. > > > > From: BAMBAM::"IHNP4!ALBERTA!SASK!SKATTER!KUO@UCBVAX.BERKELEY.EDU" > > You may consider FMS-11 (Forms Management System?) [...] > > > > From: BAMBAM::"IHNP4!ALBERTA!SASK!SKATTER!KUO@UCBVAX.BERKELEY.EDU" > > But cann't you easily build one using DCL [...] No? You can > > also have a more fancy menu using the FMS system for VAX/VMS (for extra $$, > > I guess). > > I wouldn't use FMS for a menu system, especially if by 'menu' you mean > Macintosh/VAXstation-type menus (pull-down, etc). FMS is DEC's Forms > Management System, and is oriented more toward data entry and transaction > processing (although it is still TDMS' neglected cousin in that regard, > if you follow the pundits). You can do menus in FMS (I've had to do it), > but they're more check-off-the-box menus, if you know what I mean. Actually, you can do quite a bit more than "check off the box" menus with FMS; for the past twenty weeks (two college "quarters") I've been part of a soft- ware design team creating a database access system using Oracle on the "inner side," FMS on the "outside," and (shudder) COBOL in the middle to manage the transactions... FMS does such a nice job of covering the bases, keypress-wise, that we were able to concentrate more on the logic of the program, and less on the mechanics of trapping all questionable input characters, resulting (I feel) in a more effective overall system. Anyway, the menus on our system involve manipulation of "highlight boxes" to "highlight your selection..."; at present, we're using the up- and down-arrow keys, but it could be done just as easily by means of repeated pressings of, oh, the space bar, say, as is found in WANG OIS and WP systems. That seems to me to be a good way of minimizing user-action confusion: only ONE key to press to move among choices, ONE key to select ("EXECUTE" as WANG would say) a function, and one key to abort ("CANCEL" -- WANG) out of the menu altogether. FMS allowed me to create the highlight-box menus relatively easily. I won't say it wouldn't be even easier in SMG; I've never used SMG. But FMS can do more than just "fill-in-the-box" menus. The documentation could stand to be a good deal more thorough, though; I'm thinking of writing up an addendum to the FMS manual myself, if I can find the time before I graduate! :-) -- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Chris Chiesa <><><><><> <> {ihpn4|seismo}!{iuvax|pur-ee}!bsu-cs!cfchiesa <> <> cfchiesa@bsu-cs.UUCP <> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>