Adobe News
March 19, 1992
(1) Fixed a database lookup problem
(2) XAdobe now uses new widgets:
1: XTkScrollableContainers
2: XTkEditWidgets
March 12, 1992
(1) Added Adobe server lookup file (/PCedar2.0/FamousFiles/AdobeClearinghouse.data).
(2) Change the order that Adobe looks up servers.
1: Adobe.mappings .user.profile entry.
2: AdobeClearinghouse.data file.
3: Hardcoded entries (which should all be moved to AdobeClearinghouse.data).
March 10, 1992
(1) Current Selection now works in the System pop up menu.
(2) Fixed a bug in System pop up menu. It would only allow one change.
March 10, 1992
Adobe in X now exists. Problems:
(1) No scroll bars
(2) To edit fields in an Action Request, it is almost necessary to copy the text from the field, into another tool, edit the text, and then paste it back.
New widget type: InhibitableWidget. Interface: XTkInhibitableWidgets. Allows editting of a Field widget to be disabled/enabled.
February 14, 1992
Accelerators are now updated when Adobe checks in Action Requests.
January 20, 1992
(1) Plain and columned reports can now be created.
(2) New Profile entry added:
Adobe.mappings: <system> <server> <system> <server> ....
Specifies system to server mappings. This provides the capability to locate systems that Adobe does not know about.
September 10, 1991
(1) When creating a query tool, when the final n fields were unbound strings, Adobe would try to go past the end of a sequence.
August 26, 1991
(1) If there are bad fields when submitting an AR, adobe doesn't incorrectly think it submitted it anymore.
July 22, 1991
(1) Adobe now checks the validity of the fields before getting a submit number from the server.
(2) Selecting a bad system with the CurrentSelection option, changing systems to that system, and then trying to select another system with the CurrentSelection option now works.
July 12, 1991
(1) CheckOut and CheckIn work! With the recent addition to XNSRemote file, Adobe can now lock remote files to guarantee exclusive access.
June 26, 1991
(1) Added command line option for starting adobe with a given system.
(2) Fixed the .require file so that PopUpButtons was required.
(3) Made several patches so that it handles bad system names better.
June 20, 1991
(1) Submitted ARs can now contain %s.
(2) Examine checks if a system is chosen before trying to examine an AR.
March 21, 1991
(1) Submit seems to work.
(2) The Another button now works faster, and doesn't cause Report tool crashes.
(3) Most functionality has been put in for editting.
March 14, 1991
(1) Plain and columned reports can now be created.
(2) Icons have been added.
(3) QueryList now uses the manual list field correctly.
(4) The .user file is now read in and translated.
February 26, 1991
(1) Adobe can now sort reports. Haven't check Max output file length yet. Key specs get put incorrectly into the output file.
February 25, 1991
(1) Adobe can now generate Reports using the template option. Plain and columns haven't been checked yet. Report doesn't use the Adobe accelerators because of some problems with bulk data transfers.
(2) The QueryList tool works with query lists, but not with the manually typed list or with files yet.
2. How To Use Adobe
General
Adobe has six tools for manipulating the database. They are Query, Edit, Submit, Report, Sort, and QueryList. To change from one tool to another, press the Tool: button in the menu of the Adobe tool, and a pop-up menu will appear to let you choose which tool you would like to use.
There are many Adobe systems, each containing a different type of information. To select the system that you would like to change to, press the System: button in the menu of the Adobe tool, and a pop-up menu will appear to let you choose from the systems that it knows about. There is also a choice at the bottom of the menu call Current Selection. Choosing this will put the current selected text in the field to the right of the System: button. Press the ChangeSystem button to tell Adobe to change the system.
The Another button will create another instance of Adobe.
You must have set your XNS credentials using XNSLogin before using Adobe.
User Profile Options
Adobe.InitialSystem: <sytem>
Used to specify initial system.
Adobe.InitialTool
: <tool>
Used to specify initial tool.
Adobe.KnownSystems
: <system> <system> <system> ...
Used to specify list of systems to pop up when changing systems.
Adobe.InitialUnboundFieldLength
: <CARD>
Specifies how many lines are to be used for unbound fields (default 3).
Adobe.mappings
: <system> <server> <system> <server> ....
Specifies system to server mappings. This provides the capability to locate systems that Adobe does not know about. The <system> and <server> fields are just Quote enclosed strings. To find the server for a system, just xnstelnet from Unix to any Adobe server (many are in /R/AccessCHImpl.mesa), and ask. Example:
% enable XNS
% xnstelnet "Sioux:OSBU North:Xerox"
Series 8000 Network Services Executive. Version 11.0 of 17-May-88 15:08:34
Copyright (C) 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
by Xerox Corporation. All rights reserved.
Server Name: Brave:OSBU North:Xerox
>Logon
User name: Philip James:OSBU North:Xerox
Password: *******
>Adobe Service
Adobe>Find DataBase/Service
Enter Fully-qualified DataBase or Service Name: HV Service:OSBU North:Xerox
Sioux:OSBU North:Xerox
Adobe>Quit Connection
Executive disconnected.
%
Now add: "HV Service:OSBU North:Xerox" "Sioux:OSBU North:Xerox" to your Adobe.mappings entry in your .cedar.profile.
Query tool
The query tool is used to generate lists of Action Request(AR) records that have some common characteristic(s). Such a list is callad a query list. To produce a query list, Adobe searches the database for ARs that match specified search criteria.
Query lists are distinguished by names, and you can set the name in the Query List Name: field. Query List Name: is also a pop-up menu which will let you choose from the names of all existing query lists, and the default query list (SysQL.)
ShowElements lists the ARs in a query list.
ClearForm removes all queries that you have entered.
Edit tool
The edit tool is used to examine and modify Action Requests from an Adobe database.
Number= holds the number of the AR to be manipulated.
Examine will retrieve the data for the AR specified in Number=.
QL to use: is a pop-up menu that will let you choose from the existing query lists.
UseQL is a boolean button, the specifies whether Next and Previous will change the number in Number= to the next AR in the query list or to the AR one away from the current one.
CheckOut retrieves the specified AR, and allows the AR to be edited
CheckIn puts the new version of the checked out AR into the database.
AbortCheckOut cancels the checkout of the current AR.
CheckIn&Out checks in the curent AR, and checks out the specified AR.
CheckIn&Exam checks in the curent AR, and examines the specified AR.
Report tool
The report tool is used to create reports from ARs specified in query lists.
Output File: is where to specify the name for the output file.
Template File: is where to specify the name for the template file.
QL to use: is a pop-up menu that will let you choose from the existing query lists. The query list chosen specifies the ARs to be used in the report
Overwrite is a boolean button which determines whether the output file can be written over if it already exists.
SetFields will look at the template file and select the Fields in the bottom window that are in the file.
Reset will unset all fields in the bottom window.
OutputFormat {plain, column, template}.
Report will generate the report.
Sort tool
The report tool is used to sort reports created with the report tool.
ShowSortKeys: Lists all keys that are available to sort on.
Output File: is where to specify the name for the sorted output file.
Input File: is where to specify the name for the report file.
Key specs: This is where you specify how the report is to be sorted. You can only use keys that are reported when ShowSortKeys is pressed. A trailing /a, /u, or /d (ascending, up, or descending) is used to tell how to sort with that key.
Sort will sort the report.
Template Files
write something here.
3. Thing that need fixing
General
When Another is pressed, the new tool should have the same system and tool as the tool that the button was pressed in.
The fields aren't in the locations specified in the system's .user file, because I haven't gotten around to it.
When .user file positions and fields are implemented: for the fields that aren't to show up: just create the button in a non-visible location. The reason for this is long and detailed, and I don't want to get into it just now.
Need a checked-out icon(7), so that checked out AR's will be noticable in icon-ic form.
Need to figure out when a submit has been editted, so the submit editted icon (6) can be displayed.
Query tool
There is a problem with enumerated field's pop-up menus. When the database has a dependent field, and some of the choices of the field that the dependent field is dependent on have no sub menu, the dependent's pop-up menu's get offset (to another sub-menu.)
Edit tool
See Query Tool.
Editting ARs won't work yet, because of problems with acquiring locks on files on XNS File Servers.
Report tool
Plain and Column Reports need to read in the .user file (or whatever) and determine the order to place the fields in the report.
Plain and Column Reports don't work yet, because they depend on the system's .user file, which isn't being retrieved as of yet, because of Courier problems.
Sort tool
Fix the keyspecs as reported in the sorted report.
Fix all LFs going into the output file.
Submit tool
Find out why the AdobeServer doesn't know that the Submit has been cancelled (like when PFS.Errors happen.)
Put Submit failed in an UNWIND clause in AdobeUIImpl.SubmitProc
QueryList tool
Copying query lists to files doesn't work.
The manually typed List isn't implemented yet.