Display the form for entering magazine records by selecting choice 1 - Enter Magazines.
Normally, the screen displays light characters on a dark background. The opposite display, i.e., a light background with dark characters, is referred to as reverse video. This feature is used (on screens so equipped) to identify entry fields on forms. In this documentation, reverse video fields are indicated by shaded boxes. Data is entered into an entry field by positioning the cursor at the starting position of the field and typing the desired information.
Some fields on form screens may be underlined (again, on screens so equipped), for example the Subscriber Count field above. This mode may be indicated by actual underline characters, as shown in this C/Base Tutorial Manual, or (in the case of many color screens) by a box with a color that is different than the color of boxes used to indicate data entry fields. You cannot enter information in these fields because they are used only to display information from a data file. These fields are called lookup, or display, fields.
You can move the cursor in an entry field with the following keys:
Tab - Pressing the Tab key moves the cursor to the beginning of the next field. Pressing the Tab key while in the last field moves the cursor to the beginning of the last field. The Tab key only moves the cursor forward on the screen.
RETURN - Pressing the RETURN key moves the cursor to the beginning of the next field. If a field is empty and a default value has been assigned to the field, the default value is displayed when you press the RETURN key.
Line Feed - If your keyboard does not have a Line Feed key, contact your system administrator for the name of an alternate key. Pressing the Line Feed key moves the cursor to the next field. If the field is empty when you press the key, the contents of the same field from the previously stored or deleted record is duplicated in this field. Each time a record is added, updated or deleted, a copy of the record is saved so information can be duplicated from one record to the next quickly and accurately.
Right Arrow - Pressing the Right Arrow key moves the cursor right one position in the field without deleting a character. If the cursor is at the end of the field, it moves to the beginning of the next field. If the cursor is at the end of the last field, pressing the Right Arrow key does not move the cursor. This key only moves the cursor forward.
Left Arrow - Pressing the Left Arrow key moves the cursor one position left in the field without deleting a character. If the cursor is at the beginning of a field, it moves to the end of the preceding field. If the cursor is at the beginning of the first field, pressing the Left Arrow key does not move the cursor.
Up Arrow - The Up Arrow key moves the cursor backward to the beginning of the field. If the cursor is already at the beginning of the field, the Up Arrow key moves the cursor to the beginning of the preceding field. If the cursor is at the beginning of the first field, pressing the Up Arrow key does not move the cursor.
Down Arrow - Pressing the Down Arrow key moves the cursor for ward to the beginning of the next field. If the cursor is in the last field, pressing the Down Arrow key moves the cursor to the beginning of that field.
Back Space - The Back Space key erases the last character typed. As the cursor moves back one position, typographical errors may be corrected. Pressing the Back Space key repeatedly erases one character each time the key is pressed until the beginning of the field is reached. The Back Space key will not move backward into a preceding field.
Space Bar - The Space Bar moves the cursor forward one position and erases a character each time it is pressed.
ESC key - With the ESC key, the entire contents of the field that the cursor is in are erased and the cursor is positioned at the beginning of the field.
Home - The Home key positions the cursor at the beginning of the first field on the screen. If your keyboard does not have a key labeled Home, press the GOLD key <F1> and then the Up Arrow key (this procedure is discussed in more detail in the next section.)
Ins - The Ins key inserts a blank space within a data entry field. After you insert a blank, you may type a character at that point if needed. When you press the Ins key it moves all characters at and to the right of the cursor over one space to the right and allows for the insertion of a character at that location. You may press this key as many times as you wish, however, the characters moved off the data entry field to the right are lost.
Del - Pressing the Del key deletes a character from a data entry field. This key may be pressed as many times a necessary to delete characters, but deletes only one character at a time. The Del key deletes the character at the cursor and moves the remaining characters one space to the left each time a character is deleted.