Oracle Terminal Reference Forms 6i

I found that there was no documentation available properly about using the 

Oracle terminal tool for Oracle forms 6i.

I have summarized the posts present in different web sites and forums together .

for using Oracle terminal.

Using the User Defined Key 0-9 

In order to create a key binding for a key trigger, perform these actions:

• In Form Builder, create your function key trigger.
• Using Oracle Terminal, open the appropriate Form Builder resource file (for MS Windows open FMRUSW.RES --> Normally present under the folder Oracle-Forms-Home\Forms60 folder).
• Choose Functions/Edit Key to invoke the Key Binding Editor.
• In the Key Binding Editor, double-click on windows-sqlforms to invoke Key Binding definition window.
• Select the Insert Row button and then enter the action that corresponds to your function key trigger. An example of the chart for MS Windows follows:
     – Key-Fn Trigger - KEY-F3
     – Microsoft Action - User defined Key 3
     – Microsoft Code - 85
• Specify the key binding for your trigger, then select OK.
• Select the Product Actions Editor.
• Double-click on the sqlforms category.
• Select the Insert Row button, enter the Action, Code and Description for your trigger, then select OK.
• Dismiss the Product Action and Key Binding Editors that invokes a help system by selecting OK for each, and then choose File/Save.
• Choose Functions/Generate to generate your modifications and create a new resource file that incorporates your changes. Save the new resource file.    

//To create a KEY-F3 trigger, enter into Action Field in Key Bind 
//Definition window  User Defined Key F3  
//Specify a key binding for your trigger, and then select OK  
  Action Binding User Defined Key F3  Control+F2  
//Enter the following to Microsoft Windows  Action Code 
 Description User Defined Key F3 85 [Trigger description] 

Use Accelerators For Commonly Used Functions (Menu Items)

Accelerators are keyboard shortcuts for frequently performed actions (for example, Ctrl+P for print, Esc for escape or cancel). When possible, it is a good (but not mandatory) practice to provide keyboard accelerators. A good rule to use is to always set a keyboard accelerator for menu items that appear visually on a tool bar. Keyboard shortcuts allow users to bypass opening the menu by using a specific combination of keystrokes that perform the same function as a corresponding menu item.

Developer/2000 provides for five logical accelerator keys, [Accelerator 1] through [Accelerator 5] that are set up with Oracle Terminal. To assign a key, find the menu item in the Object Navigator and display its property sheet. In the Property Palette, under the Functional node, type the name of the logical accelerator key you want to assign to the item in the Keyboard Accelerator property field. For example, enter Accelerator 1.

In the Oracle Terminal, associate this logical accelerator key, for example, to a key sequence such as Ctrl+F to open the File menu item. Instead of pressing Alt+F, then S, to activate menu item File-Save, a user can just press Ctrl+S to execute the same function. Now the user is able to activate a menu item without going through the menu.

Use Access Keys to Select or Execute an Item (Mainly for Buttons or Textitems)
This technique applies to the buttons, radio buttons, menus and check boxes. It specifies the character that will be used as an access key, allowing the user to select or execute an item by pressing a key combination, such as Alt+C. In a Label Property on Property Palette place the name of the menu item with an ampersand after the first letter: for example “A&ction”. The access key is displayed with an underscore in the item label. Buttons with the iconic property set to “Yes” cannot have access keys.

Push buttons, checkboxes, tabs, menu items and radio buttons should have an access key unless:

• They are keyboard-navigable (an access key is still desirable in this case).
• An excessive number exist such that deriving a unique letter would be difficult (in which case the ones with no access key must be navigable).
• They are not absolutely critical to the functionality of the product.
• For Checkboxes and Radio Buttons: if they are part of a multi-row block and use the Prompt, not the Label attribute, they cannot render an access key.

List of Valid Action Codes which you can use in Oracle Terminal 

Here is a list of the numeric "action codes" that correspond to various product actions that are available in Oracle Forms. This list might not be complete nor current in respect to the latest version of Oracle Forms available, but it should be useful as a reference.   

    

1  Next Field      
2  Previous Field      
3  Clear Field      
4  Left Arrow      
5  Right Arrow      
6  Up Arrow      
7  Down Arrow      
8  Goto Beginning Of Line      
9  Goto End Of Line     
10  Goto Extreme Vertical Up     
11  Goto Extreme Vertical Down     
12  Scroll Up     
13  Scroll Down     
14  Scroll Left     
15  Scroll Right     
16  Delete Character To Left     
17  Delete Char On/Right     
18  Delete Line     
18  Terminate Input On Form     
19  Move Cursor Left     
20  Move Cursor Right     
21  Scroll-Up     
22  Invoke Editor For Field     
23  Delete Character     
23  Insert Line     
24  Search     
25  Toggle Insert/Replace Mode     
26  Select Item     
27  Return     
28  Invoke Menu     
29  List Of Values     
30  Invoke Context-Sensitive Help     
31  Redraw Screen     
35  Show Keys     
36  Accept     
61  Next Key     
62  Clear Record     
63  Delete Record     
64  Duplicate Record     
65  Insert Record     
66  Next Set     
67  Next Record     
68  Previous Record     
69  Clear Block     
70  Ask Block     
71  Next Block     
72  Previous Block     
73  Duplicate Field     
74  Clear Form     
75  Enter     
76  Enter Query     
77  Execute Query     
78  Error     
79  Print     
80  Clear Query     
81  Update Record     
82  User Defined Key 0     
83  User Defined Key 1     
84  User Defined Key 2     
85  User Defined Key 3     
86  User Defined Key 4     
87  User Defined Key 5     
88  User Defined Key 6     
89  User Defined Key 7     
90  User Defined Key 8     
91  User Defined Key 9     
92  Clear Eol  
11004  Return To Application Menu  
11005  Previous Menu  
11006  Return To Main Menu  
11007  Enter > 1 Os Commands  
11008  Enter 1 Os Command  
11009  Show Background Menu  
11010  Background Menu Option 1  
11011  Background Menu Option 2  
11012  Background Menu Option 3  
11013  Background Menu Option 4  
11014  Background Menu Option 5  
11015  Background Menu Option 6  
11016  Background Menu Option 7  
11017  Background Menu Option 8  
11018  Background Menu Option 9  
11019  Background Menu Option 10  
11020  Re-Enter Application Parameters  
11021  Re-Enter Menu Parameters  
11022  Accelerator Key 1  
11023  Accelerator Key 2  
11024  Accelerator Key 3  
11025  Accelerator Key 4  
11026  Accelerator Key 5  
11027  Accelerator Key 6  
11028  Accelerator Key 7  
11029  Accelerator Key 8  
11030  Accelerator Key 9  
11031  Accelerator Key 10 

    Kindly revert for any clarifications