FORMS LAYOUT CONSIDERATIONS
Table 5-1.
Forms layout tips, tricks, and pitfalls
Form id
Develop a logical, systematic approach to naming conventions.
Take care not to choose a previously used form id.
GRID command
Choose a format that is compatible with the data.
Coding lines
Use a COMMENT command.
Code all horizontal lines, then all vertical lines. Precede each set with a comment
statement.
Code longer lines first. Then follow with the shorter segments that may overlay the
basic long lines.
Code lighter lines first. Then code shorter segments that are heavier in density.
Code a SOLID 0 line first whenever you have a set of colinear segments, whether
they are touching or not.
Coding boxes
Use a COMMENT command.
Use a BOX command only when the lines generated by that command are not
duplicated by another command.
Do not use a REPEAT command when drawing lines that create boxes if you need to
find the coordinates of those boxes at a later time.
Use of shading
Use a COMMENT command.
Avoid overlapping the boundary line of a box with shading. Set shading back from
borders by three to five dots (or about 0.1 units for most coordinates). This
conserves memory and results in a cleaner appearance.
Try to avoid shading on portrait forms.
Coding text
Use a COMMENT command. Remember that different fonts of a given point size are
not necessarily the same physical size.
Be aware that vertical error messages generated when the system calculates that too
much text has been specified for placement in a box are an approximation at best.
Use the TEXT SPACED AT command to force exact placement of text.
Coding sections
Use a COMMENT command.
Use coordinates based at 0,0 when defining a section. Then place the section at the
desired locations.
Source copy
If the source filename (.FSL) and the form name (name that follows the FORM
keyword) do not agree, an FSL file is created that has the same name as the form
name. Therefore, you copy X.FSL to Y.FSL and compile Y.FSL without changing the
form name in Y.FSL, the original X.FSL is deleted and a new X.FSL is created from the
Y.FSL source. Furthermore, the form file (.FRM) that is created is X.FRM and not
Y.FRM. If you wish to create a distinct source using another FSL as a base, you must
change the form name to the same name as the source name or to some other
name that does not already exist. Two files with the same name and type cannot
reside on the system.
XEROX 4850/4890 HIGHLIGHT COLOR LPS FORMS CREATION REFERENCE
5-15
