When you create a new screen in the Screen Designer, the default New Screen interface provides you with a list of default screen templates (like Standard Graphical and Blank Character). In addition to these defaults, you can create and use your own screen templates. When you create screen templates, you have the option to either add them to the New Screen dialog box (as described in Adding Screen Templates ), or to access them with the Add Screen command.
The process used to create a screen template file (.stf) is very straightforward. First, use the Screen Designer to create a screen, as usual. When you are finished, right-click the screen form and select Generate STF Document. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the folder where you want your template stored.
If you elect not to add your template to the New Screen dialog box, you can use the Add Screen command to create a new screen based on a template. To do this:
The new screen opens in the Screen Designer.
When you use the New Screen interface to select a template and create a new screen, you have the option to change the screen's name and unique prefix at the start. When you use the Add Screen command, however, your new screen is assigned the same name and unique prefix that you used when you designed the template. As a result, your first step after using the Add Screen command should be to change the screen name in the Property window. This will also update the screen's unique prefix to match up to the first ten letters of the screen name. To assign an alternative unique prefix, right-click the screen form and select Change Prefix. When you change a screen’s unique prefix in the Change Prefix dialog, you can choose whether or not the changed prefix is assigned to existing controls.