Writing OS/2 VX·REXX Programs
Description Of Chapters

This book contains the following chapters and appendices:

Chapters

    Section I: Introductory VXREXX Topics. This section covers those topics that almost everyone who uses VXREXX is going to need to know.

  1. Getting Started. This chapter describes the mechanics of using VXREXX by creating a simple program as an example.
  2. Descriptive Text Object. Chapter 1 showed how to use a Descriptive Text object in a program. Chapter 2 continues this discussion by showing how to use Descriptive Text objects in more complex programs.
  3. Dressing Up Your Windows. Now that we have seen how to design simple programs in VXREXX, we will look at how to dress up the "window" that surrounds that program.
  4. PushButton Objects. Buttons that the user pushes to initiate some action will be a common element of your programs. In fact, several of the example programs in earlier chapters have these buttons. This chapter will expand on the use of PushButton objects in your programs.
  5. Other Buttons. RadioButton and CheckBox objects offer an easy way to ask the user simple questions where the user selects from a list of options. RadioButton objects only let the user select one option while CheckBox objects allow the user to select all that apply. This chapter shows you how to use these buttons in your programs.
  6. Getting Text Data From The User. When you need to get a lot of information from a user, such as their name, you need an object designed to allow the user to type in information. EntryField objects are used for getting a single line of information from the user. MultiLine EntryField objects are used for multiple lines of information from the user. This chapter shows you how to use these in your programs.
  7. Getting Specific Information From The User. When you need to get a file name from the user or you want the user to pick between a limited number of options using buttons, VXREXX offers specialized functions to perform these tasks. The VRFileDialog function is used to get a file name from the user using a dialog box that presents a graphical representation of your hard disk and its subdirectories and files. The VRMessage function is used to present the user with a limited number of options to a situation. This chapter shows you how to use these, and a few other, specialized VXREXX functions in your programs.
  8. More Selecting Values From A List. When you need for the user to select items from a predefined list, VXREXX has three objects to do that. The ListBox object limits the user to the items you predefine in the list. The ComboBox object lets the user pick from a list of items or enter his own value. The DropDown ComboBox object performs the same task as the ComboBox object but takes up less screen real estate by only displaying the list of items when the user clicks on an arrow. This chapter will show you how to use these objects.
  9. Dressing Up Your Programs With Pictures. OS/2 is a visual environment where files and subdirectories can be represented by icons. This allows users to quickly become productive without having to do a lot of on-screen reading. VXREXX also offers the ability to use icons and pictures in your programs to a limited degree. This chapter discusses those features.
  10. More On Getting Information From The User. VXREXX has several objects for getting information from the user that have not already been covered. This chapter discusses those objects.
  11. Other Objects. VXREXX has a few additional objects that have not yet been covered. This chapter discusses those objects.
  12. VXREXX Functions. VXREXX has a number of functions that replace REXX and RexxUtil functions as well as OS/2 commands. It also has functions to configure itself at run-time. This chapter describes these functions.
  13. VXREXX Sample Programs. VXREXX comes with a number of sample programs. This chapter provides a detailed look at these programs.

    Section II: Advanced VXREXX Topics. The following chapters cover the more advanced VXREXX topics.

  14. Working With Multiple Windows. Many programs need more than one window. Secondary windows are handy to pop up to ask for specific information when you do not want the window to remain cluttered. For example, you might use a pop up window to ask the user to confirm some action or to provide a file name. This chapter discusses working with more than one window.
  15. Menus. Menus can consolidate a lot of buttons into a list of possible actions displayed across the top of the program. As an additional advantage, menus make it easy to group options into logical groups. This chapter shows how to add a menu to your application and how to attach a pop-up menu to any object in your program.
  16. Using Help. Next to well crafted written documentation, on-line help is the best aid you can provide for your users. This chapter will show you how to add help to your programs.
  17. Multi-Threaded Applications. OS/2 is an operating system that was designed from the very beginning to easily do more than one thing at a time. So far, each program we have looked at has only done one thing at a time. That wastes the power of OS/2. This chapter will show you how to write applications that do more than one thing at a time.
  18. REXX Queues. REXX queues allow different REXX and VXREXX programs to communicate with each other even when they run at different times in different sessions. This chapter will explain how to take advantage of these very powerful queues.
  19. Working With Configuration Files. A well crafted configuration file can make your program look very professional. This chapter will show you how to use them.
  20. Working With Direct Data Exchange. Direct data exchange or DDE is an OS/2 facility that allows two applications running under OS/2 to exchange data. VXREXX can serve as a DDE client. This chapter will show you how to use DDE in your programs.
  21. Debugging VXREXX Programs. Finding mistakes in a program is a pain staking and thankless job but it is one you must do if you write anything but the simplest programs. This chapter will show you how.
  22. VXREXX Summaries. These tables quickly summarize the properties, events and methods available in VXREXX and tell which objects they apply to.
  23. Program Summaries. This chapter provides a brief summary of all of the REXX and VXREXX programs that come on the disk that comes with this book. It also summarizes the sample programs that come with VXREXX itself.

Appendices

  1. REXX Introduction. This chapter provides a brief introduction to REXX programming. Readers need a more detailed introduction to REXX show consult my Writing OS/2 REXX Programs book.
  2. Selected REXX Programs. This appendix is the detailed explanation tables for some of the programs discussed in the book.
  3. Icons. The disk that comes with this book includes a number of icons you can use when you install the VXREXX programs you write to the Desktop. You can also use them with the VXREXX objects that are able to display icons. This chapter lists the name of each of these icons and shows a picture of the icon.
  4. Running Your Programs. Now that you have all the icons you could ever need, you are ready to install your VXREXX programs to your desktop or inside a folder on your desktop. This appendix will help you do that.

 

 

© 2002 by Ronny Richardson, All Rights Reserved