Generating a Screen

As discussed in Program Tag Options, when you create an AcuBench program that includes a program structure file, AcuBench adds tags to the source (.cbl) file to indicate the placement of generated code. When you design a screen, then use the Build > Generate command to generate COBOL code, AcuBench uses these tags to add the Screen Section, Working-Storage, and Procedure Division code needed to display the screen and make it function. If you are using the default code generation options (generating code into multiple COPY files), you will see several COPY statements added to the source file. These refer both to AcuBench-generated COPY files and to the ACUCOBOL-GT definition files used for screen handling.

Depending on the elements that you have added to your screen, the generated COPY files may include a Screen Section COPY file (.scr), an event paragraph file (.evt), and a menu paragraph file (.mnu). The code generation process will also add screen DISPLAY and ACCEPT information to the Procedure Division file (.prd), and update the Working-Storage file (.wrk).

AcuBench generates the Procedure Division code needed to DISPLAY and ACCEPT each screen in your program. This code is invoked through an Acu-screen-Routine paragraph. AcuBench automatically generates the code needed to invoke this routine for the program's main screen at startup. You add the code needed to perform the appropriate screen routine for each of the other screens in your program.

See Testing Screens for information about invoking secondary screens in a program without the need to write code.