Managing the Default Form Layout Mode

The FMSYS object provides the methods:

.SetDefaultFormLayout(layout is STRING)

.DefaultFormLayout( ) is STRING

which allow users to set and query the default layout mode.

This can be used to help test any existing appware which is using setup form !!formname . . . ,in either mode to determine which forms need layout adjustment.

For example:

!!FMSYS.SetDefaultFormLayout(‘VarChars’)

will cause any forms (without a VarChars or FixChars keyword) which are loaded and shown to use the new variable character widths layout. If you kill and re-show a previously shown (unqualified) form, it will have the new layout, so it is easy to compare the difference.

In VarChars Mode

Forms which have avoided alignment by space-padding (for example, by using TagWidth and Width) should not be adversely affected. There may be some overall reduction in form width.

Possible problems are:

• Padding of text with spaces to achieve alignment of a set of gadgets will no longer work (note, this was not recommended anyway).

Some uses of Align Right may fail with the message "Attempt to place gadget off limits of form", because the actual sizes of the aligned gadgets will have changed relative to one-another.

Minimal adjustment could be just adding the FixChars keyword to restore the old presentation, but a layout revamp would obviously be better.