Getting Started

System Utilities

PxPlus comes equipped with several utilities that are not, strictly speaking, part of the language, but provide various design, configuration, maintenance and diagnostic services within the development environment. These utilities are actually separate programs that reside as auxiliary files in the PxPlus system sub-directory, Lib. All of the utilities are installed with the PxPlus base system, but some were originally designed for use in a character-based environment, some apply to a graphical (Windows) system only, and some require a thorough understanding of PxPlus internal code and may not be available for general use. The majority of system utilities are intended for the creation, debugging, and management of PxPlus programs, files, and directories. See Development Tools.

The System Utilities window provides access to the graphical utilities. Graphical utilities are available for systems running PxPlus for Windows or via WindX. They have all the capabilities of the classic character-based utilities plus access to a few features that are specific to graphical and Web-based development environments; i.e. *IT - Integrated Toolkit and Ed+ program editor.

To invoke this window, use one of the following methods:

Location	Method
From the PxPlus IDE Main Launcher	Select System Utilities from the PxPlus IDE category.
From the NOMADS Session Manager	Select Utilities > System from the menu bar.
From the PxPlus Command line	Type: *gui*

The System Utilities window is displayed:

This window consists of the following:

Directory	Initially displays the full pathname of the current working directory. To display the files for a different directory, select the Directory Browse button (beside the Directory field) or manually enter the full pathname.
(Move Up)	Button used for moving up one directory.
(Directory Browse)	Button used for changing to a different directory.
(Refresh)	Button used for refreshing the list of files displayed in the left pane.
(Left pane)	Lists the available files in the displayed directory, along with the file name, type and time stamp details.
(Right pane)	Displays additional details about the file selected in the left pane. This information is dependent on the type of file: program, data file, link reference or device.

Menu Bar Options

These options are listed in the order that they appear on the menu bar: Files, Utilities and Tools.

Files	Description
List Open Files	Launches a separate window with a list of open files that can be sorted by file number, type, record size, key length, pathname and Keyed/Indexed information.
Exit	Closes the System Utilities window.

Utilities

Displays a drop-down menu of system utilities, grouped into categories: Files, Directories, Programs, Configuration and General.

Files

Make

Launches the Make File Utility for creating a new file (Keyed, Indexed, Sort, Serial, Zip). Provides options for specifying applicable parameters such as record size, record type, key size, etc.

Delete

Launches the Delete Utility for deleting a file.

To delete a directory, see Directories menu (Delete option).

Rename

Launches the Rename Utility for entering the new name of an existing file.

Print

Launches the Print File Utility for printing the contents of a data file. Provides options for entering the starting/ending key and for printing multiple fields per line.

View

Launches the File View Utility for viewing (not modifying) the contents of a selected data file, if applicable. Available as a tool bar option.

Update

Launches the File Update Utility for viewing, modifying and updating the contents of a selected data file, if applicable. Available as a tool bar option.

Copy

Launches the Copy File Utility for copying the contents of a file. Provides options for clearing the data in the new file and for copying the data dictionary.

Purge

Launches the Purge Contents of File Utility for clearing the contents of a selected data file while preserving the file definition. Provides an option for erasing the imbedded data dictionary.

Admin

Displays the file administration sub-menu with the following selections:

Maximum Size	Launches the Adjust Maximum Number of Records window for changing the maximum size of a file.
Check	Launches the Check Keyed File window for verifying the integrity of a keyed file.
Re-Construct	Launches the Keyed/Direct/EFF File Key Reconstruction Utility for repairing a damaged keyed file. This utility copies each physical record into a holding file, then recreates and reloads the keyed file.

Directories

Make	Launches the Create Directory Utility for creating a new directory.
Delete	Launches the Delete Utility for deleting a directory. Provides an option for deleting any existing subordinate files/directories in the specified directory. To delete a file, see Files menu (Delete option).
Rename	Launches the Rename Utility for entering the new name of an existing directory.
Print	Launches the Print Directory Utility for printing the contents of a directory. Provides options for sorting the report by filename and for selecting Detailed or Summary output.

Programs

Make	Launches the Create Program Utility for creating a new program file.
Delete	Launches the Delete Utility for deleting program files from the system. Provides an option for deleting any existing subordinate files/directories if a directory is selected.
Rename	Launches the Rename Utility for entering the new name of an existing program file.
Compare	Launches the Program Compare Utility for comparing two existing programs on a line-by-line basis. Available as a tool bar option.
List	Launches the Program List Utility for printing a listing of a program or a series of programs. Provides options for printing a listing and/or a cross reference, as well as formatted printing.
Bulk-Edit	Launches the Bulk Program Scan/Edit Utility for performing a common string search and/or replacement against selected programs. Available as a tool bar option.
Secure	Replaced with *obj/secure.
Patch	(Not Used)

Configuration

Link Files

Launches the Link File Utility for creating and maintaining device, file and printer link files, as well as specifying the link's path name and device driver.

Keyboard

Launches the Keyboard Definition Utility for Windows for defining the input sequences that will be received from the various terminal keyboard. It allows for the editing or re-assignment of the key sequences by manually pressing the keys on the keyboard.

All keyboard input sequences are maintained by terminal type and optionally by User ID to allow custom implementations for specific users.

Parameters

Launches the PxPlus Startup Settings window for setting system parameters.

General

Display Bitmaps	Launches the Bitmaps library. See Displaying Bitmaps/Icons. Available as a tool bar option.
Display Font and Colours	Launches the Available Fonts and Colors window for specifying Font/Size, Foreground/Background colors, and attributes such as Bold, Italics, and Underscore All Characters. Available as a tool bar option. Click the Color Query button to access Color Selections. Valid formats for color selections include predefined system colors (e.g. Light Red), Custom (RGB codes), HTML Hex Color Codes, User Defined colors (e.g. Color17) and string Expressions. (The Color Selections Query button and dialog were added in PxPlus 2020.)
Message Library Maintenance	Launches Message Library Maintenance for adding messages to a message library in NOMADS.
Error Message Update	Launches the Error Message Update window that displays a list of numerically arranged error codes. For a list of error codes and their meanings, see Error Codes and Messages.

Tools	Description
Calendar	Launches a Calendar popup.
Calculator	Launches the Calculator.
Program Editor	Launches the default program editor, which is typically the IT - Integrated Toolkit. To use Ed+* as the default program editor instead, change the setting for the NOMADS Program_Editor property to Ed+. This can be done by using the NOMADS Environment Maintenance utility. (The ability to set Ed+ as the default program editor was added in PxPlus 2023.)
Notepad	Launches Notepad.

Tool Bar Options

The following tool bar options provide convenient access to commonly used functions that are also available as Menu Bar Options:

Tool Bar Option	Description
View File	Launches the File View Utility for viewing (not modifying) the contents of a selected data file, if applicable. Can also be accessed from Utilities > Files > View on the menu bar.
File Update	Launches the File Update Utility for viewing, modifying and updating the contents of a selected data file, if applicable. Can also be accessed from Utilities > Files > Update on the menu bar.
Compare	Launches the Program Compare Utility. Can also be accessed from Utilities > Programs > Compare on the menu bar.
Bulk Edit	Launches the Bulk Program Scan/Edit Utility. Can also be accessed from Utilities > Programs > Bulk-Edit on the menu bar.
Bitmap Library	Launches the Bitmaps library. See Displaying Bitmaps/Icons. Can also be accessed from Utilities > General > Display Bitmaps on the menu bar.
Fonts Color	Launches the Available Fonts and Colors window for specifying Font/Size, Foreground/Background colors, and attributes such as Bold, Italics, and Underscore All Characters. Can also be accessed from Utilities > General > Display Font and Colours on the menu bar. Click the Color Query button to access Color Selections. Valid formats for color selections include predefined system colors (e.g. Light Red), Custom (RGB codes), HTML Hex Color Codes, User Defined colors (e.g. Color17) and string Expressions. (The Color Selections Query button and dialog were added in PxPlus 2020.)
Primary Dictionary Alternate Dictionary	*(Available when the selected file is a PxPlus data file with a primary/alternate embedded data dictionary)* Launches the View Embedded Dictionary window for viewing the file layout details.

NOMADS

NOMADS (Non-procedural Object Module Application Development System) is an integrated suite of utilities that simplify the development of graphical user interface based applications using PxPlus.

NOMADS allows you to separate data access, logic and graphical controls into reusable segments, localize changes, design a graphical front-end for character-based components and create event-driven applications. The toolset includes a common data manager for consistent access to a variety of data files, as well as a generic error-handling interface.

For an introduction to graphical user interface development in PxPlus, see Graphical User Interfaces.