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TechTalk: Add a news line to the sign-on display.

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One advantage of a customized sign-on display is the ability to add a single line of site news. This could advise users of scheduled system downtime or other information that changes frequently enough that you don't want to change the sign-on display DDS. This feature is implemented by adding a MSGID entry to the DDS, which can appear anywhere on the screen. The same position (line 24) as the IBM field QSNERROR can be used. The two lines of code in 6 were added at the end of the DDS.

One advantage of a customized sign-on display is the ability to add a single line of site news. This could advise users of scheduled system downtime or other information that changes frequently enough that you don't want to change the sign-on display DDS. This feature is implemented by adding a MSGID entry to the DDS, which can appear anywhere on the screen. The same position (line 24) as the IBM field QSNERROR can be used. The two lines of code in Figure 6 were added at the end of the DDS.

Caution: Do not change the original IBM source code. As stated in the sidebar "Modifying the Sign-on Display" (see "Two-level Sign-on," MC, December 1995), you should be working with a copy of the original source code.

Since the QSNERROR field is conditioned by indicator 02, the MSGID keyword uses the opposite (N02) to allow the two fields to use the same screen location. This entry causes the first-level text of message USR0001 from message file USRMSGF in library QGPL to display on line 24, starting at column 1, unless indicator 02 is on. The DSP-ATR(HI) keyword highlights the line.

To create the message file and message text, the following commands are used:

 CRTMSGF MSGF(QGPL/USRMSGF) + TEXT('Test message file for + signon screen') ADDMSGD MSGID(USR0001) + MSGF(QGPL/USRMSGF) + TEXT('This line of text will + appear on the signon screens') CRTDSPF FILE(QGPL/SIGNON) + SRCFILE(QGPL/QDDSSRC) + MAXDEV(256)

For this example, we named the sign-on display DDS source member SIGNON. The next step is to change the sign-on display file for QINTER:

 CHGSBSD SBSD(QSYS/QINTER) + SGNDSPF(QGPL/SIGNON)

This change takes effect when QINTER is restarted. To change the one-line message, all that is required is to use the CHGMSGD command:

 CHGMSGD MSGID(USR0001) + MSGF(QGPL/USRMSGF) + TEXT('Here is some new text')

Note that this does not change the screens already showing the sign-on display, but the new message is picked up when the sign-on display is next shown. Also note that the sign-on display does not allow users to display the second-level text of the message description.

This method could be used to provide a number of different messages on the sign-on display. Different fields, each with a different message ID, could be used for different categories of messages, such as operating hours or coming events.

Depending on local requirements, the news message could be placed anywhere on the screen. If you don't use line 24, there is no need to qualify the field with the N02 indicator as in the example above.

- Steve Bisel

TechTalk: Add a news line to the sign-on display.

Figure 6: Code Added to Sign-on Display File

 *. 1 ...+... 2 ...+... 3 ...+... 4 ...+... 5 ...+... 6 ...+... 7 A N02 MSGLINE 80A O 24 1MSGID(USR0001 QGPL/USRMSGF) A DSPATR(HI)
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