In order to test the validation form you’ve just created, you may use the
following procedures. (Note: These procedures assume that the process outlined
in the section entitled Loading the Data Files of the previous chapter
was performed. If it was not, you should return to that section and follow
its instructions before proceeding further.)
1. From the Data Entry Forms Menu, select choice D3 - Test a Data Entry Form. Enter subscrpt on the parameter form and press the STORE <F5> key.
2. The blank subscribers form is displayed. Press the QUERY key <F2> and fill in the form.
Find the subscriber’s record by pressing the FIND <F3> key.
3. Once the subscriber’s record is found, press the NEXTFORM key <F7> to access the subscriptions form. The screen then displays the subscriptions form appended to the subscribers form.
4. Press the ADD key <F6>. The subscriptions form is now in ADD mode with the cursor positioned in the magazine field.
For a moment, suppose that a subscription for Co-Evolution Quarterly is to be entered but that the code for that magazine is not known. Since the magazine field now has a validation form linked to it, you may simply press the GOLD key <F1> followed by the V key to display the validation form.
5. Press the QUERY <F2> key followed by the FIND <F3> key. Continue to press the FIND <F3> key until the screen displays the information for the Co-Evolution Quarterly magazine.
6. Now press the GOLD key <F1> followed by the E key. The subscriptions form is once again displayed with the magazine and title fields filled in, and the cursor positioned in the next entry field.
7.b Finish filling out the subscriptions form with the information.
Store the contents of the subscriptions form by pressing the STORE key <F5>. A new blank subscriptions form is appended.
8. Now we’ll enter a subscription to Popular Photography magazine. Since the code for this magazine is also unknown (at least for the purpose of illustration), you may once again take advantage of the validation form feature. With the cursor positioned in the magazine field, press the GOLD key <F1> followed by the V key. The blank validation form is displayed.
9. Press the QUERY key <F2> and enter Popular Photography in the title field. Press the FIND key <F3> to display the information from this magazine’s record.
10. Before returning to the subscriptions form, we’ll find the same magazine record using a technique introduced in Chapter 2 of this manual (in the section entitled Query and Find a Record ) which often comes in handy when using a validation form.
If, for example, you were unsure not only of the magazine’s code but also of its complete title, you could utilize the wildcard search feature of the C/Base forms in order to query and find the appropriate record.
Press the QUERY key <F2> and enter *pop*photo* in the title field. Press the FIND key <F3> to display the pattern matching record(s).
You can well imagine how useful the combination of these features can be.
11. Press the GOLD key <F1> followed by the E key to redisplay the subscriptions form. The magazine code and title fields have once again been filled in, and the cursor is positioned at the start of the next entry field (i.e., started):
12. Complete the subscriptions form.
13. Press the STORE key <F5> to store the record. Then exit from the formfile and return to the Data Entry Forms Menu by pressing the EXIT key <F8>. Again, the following message appears:
Logical form file ‘subscrpt’ modified.
Push RETURN to return to menu....