Re: Newbie question on character-mode

From: William Kaufman <wkaufman_at_.com>
Date: 1998/09/10
Message-ID: <6t984a$9aa$1@inet16.us.oracle.com>#1/1

In article <35f79b13.2799886_at_news2.mm.com>, TurkBear <johng_at_nospam.mm.com> wrote:
]
] Unless I have misinterpreted your note, you want to create a
] character-based app using a GUI tool... This is difficult, since the
] latest versions of Forms ( 4.x ,5,x) are designed for a 'Windows'
] environment....I suppose you could use SqlPlus to develop your app (
] using the accept,prompt and formatting commands to create the 'look
] and feel' for the app) but Des2k/Dev2K are GUI development tools and
] may not be the right tool for the job you need to do - Perhaps others
] have used them to do this ( using 'Oraterm', the terminal definition
] tool, to set up a character based form ) but there may be better
] development programs out there to help.

I'm not sure I understand your comment here: Character mode deployment is supported in all versions of Forms, including 6.0. You can move the *.fmb, even from Windows, regenerate it on the character mode platform, and run it in character mode.

Certainly, you have to be careful about designing the form: you have to make everything keyboard-navigable, since you won't necessarily have a mouse; there won't be any images or icons; and you won't get most fonts and colors.

In other words, it might not be as pretty as the GUI version. But all the functionality--menus, text items, checkboxes, etc.--are there.

In any case, a Forms application, even in character mode, is far more powerful than any SQL*Plus script. And you get it (mostly) for free, just by regenerating the form.

Bill K.

Bill Kaufman             | "I mean ... it's not even been a two-and-two-make-
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(Required text follows) The statements and opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent those of Oracle Corporation. Received on Thu Sep 10 1998 - 00:00:00 CDT