Re: LYNX-DEV Mainframes, 3270 and Lynx FORMs

[Joseph Scanlan]

On Mon, 8 Sep 1997, Kevin Ternes <address@hidden>
wrote:

[SNIP]
> We have Internet/intranet web services already set up and a bunch of PC
> Netscape users.  We also have a bunch of users who access a mainframe
> via 3270 terminals and that's all they have.  So, the mainframe has a
> commercial application set up for them called A-Net which is basically a
> telnet client which provides the users a means to access UNIX shell
> accounts.  The users' shell is the rsh (the restricted POSIX shell) and
> their /etc/profile launches Lynx.
[SNIP]
> For instance, if the first query was "one AND two", then after going
> back he could change it to "one AND two AND three"  but he cannot change
> it to "one OR two" or "one AND three".  If you know how 3270s work, it
> sort of makes sense that this could happen.
[SNIP] 

I've never used A-Net and am also out of practice with 3270
terminals but here goes.  

Is your form input protected after going back?  This could
explain why your users can't edit what they've already
typed.  This may not be obvious on a monochrome terminal
which has normal and bold text but if you can sit down at a
color terminal (or a PC doing 3270 terminal emulation)
You'll get different colors for normal text, protected
normal text, highlited text, and protected highlited text
(green, blue, red, and white if I remember correctly and if
the PC doesn't map the colors differently).  Watch the input
field for a color change. 

My first experience with a VT emulator on a 3270 terminal
was eye openning.  There are some things a block mode
terminal was just not designed to do.  Don't be disapointed
if you have to give your users a little extra training.

------------- My opinions are mine alone, and that fact -------------
------------- provides intense relief for my coworkers. -------------
Joe Scanlan  N7XSD                               Clark County, Nevada
Systems Programmer                               Informations Systems
address@hidden (not work)                             PO Box 551761
address@hidden (work)                   Las Vegas, NV  89155-1761
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