A software product called CICS Help is used to support development and presentation of help text for the Base Personnel/Payroll System of which the On-line EDB Entry/Update system is a component. Help is meant to provide the user with general information about each entry/update screen, and more detailed information on each field included on a screen.
Note: Since the online Help function is an application independent of EDB Entry/Update, the screen appearance and the function key assignments are different in Help from those in the EDB Entry/Update system.
Screen Level Help and Field Level Help are the two main types of screens provided by the CICS help software product.
Screen-Level Help provides three types of information about the screen:
Screen-Level Help Example: Invoking screen-level help on the Background Check Data screen (EBCC) causes a pop-up help window to appear providing additional information (help) about the screen and its purpose.
PPEBCC0-E0943 EDB Entry/Update 07/22/YY 09:12:18
07/21/YY 15:43:12 Background Check Data Userid: ABCDE
ID: 900222596 Name: BLUES,BERTHA D Pri Pay: MO
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| EDBHEBCC Help E U Background Chk |
| More: + |
| Function: EBCC allows the user to enter and update on each |
| screen up to fourteen separate background checks on an |
| employee. |
| |
| Nature of Information: EBCC contains the date and type of each |
| background check. |
| |
| The following highly abbreviated screen labels are translated |
| below: |
| Code -- Background Check Code |
| Date -- Background Check Date |
| |
N | There are no group field screen labels on EBCC. |
| Command ===> |
= | F1=Help F2=EX help F3=eXit F4=copy F6=move F7=BKwd F8=FWd |
| F12=Cancel |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
Field-Level Help provides one or more of the following types of information about the field being displayed:
Field-Level Help Example: Invoking field-level help on the Background Check Data screen (EBCC) for the Background Check Code field causes a pop-up help window to appear providing additional information (help) about the field and its purpose and valid values for the field.
+----------------------------------------------------------------+ 7 09:12:18 | EDB0740 BACKGROUND CHECK CODE-EDB | ABCDE | More: + | ay: MO | Publ.: 04/01/93 "BACKGROUND CHECK CODE-EDB" | | | | Description: Code indicating the kind of background | | check made on the employee. | | | | Format: N/A | | | | Code Interpr.: 01 - Previous employers reference | | check | | 02 - Criminal convictions record | | check | | 03 - Financial disclosure | | Command ===> | | F1=Help F2=EX help F3=eXit F4=copy F6=move F7=BKwd | | F8=FWd F12=Cancel | +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Next Func: ID: Name: SSN: ===> F: 1-Help 2-Jump 3-PrevMenu F: 9-Update 12-Exit |
The Help Screens appear in pop-up windows which overlay a portion of the screen from which Help was invoked. Each screen has three sections: Header, Body, Footer.
HEADER |
EDBHEBCC Help E U Background Chk
More: +
|
|
BODY |
Function: EBCC allows the user to enter and update on each
screen up to fourteen separate background checks on an
employee.
Nature of Information: EBCC contains the date and type of each
background check.
The following highly abbreviated screen labels are translated
below:
Code -- Background Check Code
Date -- Background Check Date
There are no group field screen labels on EBCC.
|
|
FOOTER |
Command ===> F1=Help F2=EX help F3=eXit F4=copy F6=move F7=BKwd F8=FWd F12=Cancel |
DETAILED SCREEN LAYOUT
Header Section
The first two lines comprise the header information. It is used to help identify the screen and includes the following information:
Screen Identifier
Screen Level - The screen identifier includes the acronym for the database, an "H" to indicate Help, and the function code of the screen for which Help is being provided in the format XXXHYYYY:• XXX Database
• H Help
• YYYY Function CodeFor example, the screen identifier for Help for the EBCC screen is THFHEBCC.
Field-level - The screen identifier includes the database where the data is stored, the data element number (if the field is a group field, the data element number will be the first field in the group) and a "G" to indicate if the field is part of a group, in the format XXXYYYYG:
• XXX Database
• YYYY Data Element Number
• G Group FieldFor example, the screen identifier for Help for the Background Check Code is EDB0740.
Screen Title is a brief descriptive name assigned to the Help
screen.
More + Additional screens of data are available.
More - + Previous and additional screens of data are available.
More - Previous screen(s) of data are available.
Body Section
The Body of the Help Screen is where the variable Help text appears. It includes descriptive information about the screen or the field.
Footer Section
The user may select Help by pressing the "F1 Help" key from any EDB Entry/Update screen. Either field-level Help or screen-level Help will be displayed, depending on the position of the cursor on the screen at the time "F1 Help" is pressed.
The Help screen will appear as a "window" on the entry/update screen. When a Help screen is displayed, data cannot be entered on the entry/update screen, and the F keys on the bottom of the entry/update screen are not active. Instead, F keys associated with the Help function may be used.
Help F Keys and Commands Summary
F keys are used to navigate among the Help screens. Help function keys and their corresponding commands are as follows:
| F Key | Command | Description |
| F1 | Help | display 'Help for Help' |
| F2 | EXhelp | display screen-level Help |
| F3 | eXit | return to the entry/update screen |
| F4 | Copy | copy the value selected back to the entry/update field |
| Find string | find the first occurrence of the specified character string | |
| F5 | FN | find the next occurrence of the specified character string |
| F7 | Bkwd | display the previous page of Help text |
| F8 | FWd | display the next page of Help text |
| F9 | Level 1 | return to the first Help panel |
| F12 | Cancel | return to the entry/update screen or the previous level of Help |
Note: F key functions in HELP are different from the EDB Entry/Update F key functions.
The display of F keys on the Help screens is not sensitive to whether the associated function is available at the time.
Because of the limited space on the Help screens, some F keys are NOT displayed even though the associated function IS available.
F1 - Help for Help
Extensive documentation of the Help F Keys and commands is available online as part of the software package. The user may ask for further Help at any stage of the Help process. Below are examples of the Help F Keys and commands most useful to EDB Entry/Update.
Pressing "F1" while on any Help screen causes the display of a "window" which partially overlays the original help screen.
The format and content of the second "window" display will vary depending on the nature of the help being provided.
For example: When the user presses "F1" from a screen-level Help screen. the screen in the window displays general information on the Help F key functions and special commands.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | EDBHEPD1 Help EDB E U Personal Data 1 | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ |D21H04 Help for Help More: | |Navigational Commands: | |BN Browse Next Topic | |F Find string.... Ex: F ABCDEF | |LEVEL1 Return to first Topic viewed | |T Top - return to first line of current Topic | | | |Command ===> | |Enter F1=Help F2=EX Help F3=eXit F7=FWd F8=Bkwd F11=Index F12=Cancel| +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | There are no highly abbreviated or group field labels on EPD1. | | | | Command ===> | | F1=Help F2=EX help F3=eXit F4=copy F6=move F7=BKwd F8=FWd | | F12=Cancel | +------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
F2 - Extended Help
Pressing "F2" on any Help screen causes screen-level Help for the current application screen to be displayed. The screen-level Help will overlay any other Help screens currently displayed. If the user is already viewing Screen-level Help, pressing "F2" will have no effect.
F3 - Exit
Pressing "F3" on any Help screen causes the application screen from which Help was requested to be redisplayed, regardless of how many Help windows are displayed.
Pressing "F4" while the cursor is positioned on a highlighted value on a field-level Help screen causes the value to be copied back to the entry field.
The Help Find command has two variations:
F String
where string is the character string to be found
FN
where N indicates that the next occurrence of the character string specified in the Find Command is to be found
Entering the 'F String' command causes Help to display the first occurrence in the Help text of the specified character string. If the specified string contains more than one word, enter the string exactly as you wish the search to be done, i.e. ‘F BANK OF AMERICA’.
For example: After getting Help for the Leave of Absence Type Code field on the ELVE screen, entering ‘F research’ at the command line (===>) of the help window and pressing "Enter" causes Help to search for the first occurrence of the word ‘research’ in the Help text.
+----------------------------------------------------------------+ 7 10:47:02
| EDB0139 LEAVE OF ABSENCE TYPE CODE-EDB | ABCDE
| More: + | ay: MO
| Publ.: 01/19/94 "LEAVE OF ABSENCE TYPE CODE-EDB" |
| |
| Description: Code indicating the type of leave taken by |
| the employee. |
| |
| Format: N/A |
| |
| Code Interpr.: 01 - Sabbatical at full salary |
| 02 - Sabbatical at partial salary |
| 03 - Sabbatical in residence at full |
| salary |
| 04 - Pregnancy disability |
| Command ===> F research |
| F1=Help F2=EX help F3=eXit F4=copy F6=move F7=BKwd |
| F8=FWd F12=Cancel |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
Next Func: ID: Name: SSN:
===>
F: 1-Help 2-Jump 3-PrevMenu
F: 9-Update 12-Exit
|
If there is a match to the character string entered, the cursor is positioned on the specified character string and the message ‘****MATCH****’ is displayed in the upper left of the Help window.
For example, in the previous example the command ‘F research’ was entered and a match was found ‘Special Research’.
+----------------------------------------------------------------+ 7 10:47:02 | EDB0139 LEAVE OF ABSENCE TYPE CODE-EDB | ABCDE | **** MATCH **** RESEARCH More: -+ | ay: MO | 05 - Extended illness | | 06 - Government/Public Service | | 07 - Professional Development | | 08 - Personal | | 09 - Workers' Compensation | | 10 - Furlough | | 11 - Military | | 12 - Special Research | | 13 - Administration | | 14 - Sabbatical in residence at | | partial salary | | 15 - Family and medical leave | | Command ===> | | F1=Help F2=EX help F3=eXit F4=copy F6=move F7=BKwd | | F8=FWd F12=Cancel | +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Next Func: ID: Name: SSN: ===> F: 1-Help 2-Jump 3-PrevMenu F: 9-Update 12-Exit |
If the match found is not the entry desired, entering the 'FN' command (or pressing "F5") causes the system to search for the next occurrence of the same character string and display the next match it finds.
In the above example, if ‘Special Research’ was not the code desired, pressing "F5" or entering ‘FN’ at the help window command line and pressing Enter would cause Help program to search for the next occurrence of the word ‘research’ in the Help text.
If there is no match to the entered character string, the message '**NOT FOUND** ' is displayed in the upper left of the Help window.
For example: if ‘F clinical’ was entered and the system found no match to the character string ‘clinical’, the message ‘** NOT FOUND**' would be displayed.
+----------------------------------------------------------------+ 7 10:47:02
| EDB0139 LEAVE OF ABSENCE TYPE CODE-EDB | ABCDE
| ** NOT FOUND ** CLINICAL More: + | ay: MO
| Publ.: 01/19/94 "LEAVE OF ABSENCE TYPE CODE-EDB" |
| |
| Description: Code indicating the type of leave taken by |
| the employee. |
| |
| Format: N/A |
| |
| Code Interpr.: 01 - Sabbatical at full salary |
| 02 - Sabbatical at partial salary |
| 03 - Sabbatical in residence at full |
| salary |
| 04 - Pregnancy disability |
| Command ===> |
| F1=Help F2=EX help F3=eXit F4=copy F6=move F7=BKwd |
| F8=FWd F12=Cancel |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
Next Func: ID: Name: SSN:
===>
F: 1-Help 2-Jump 3-PrevMenu
F: 9-Update 12-Exit
|
F12 - Cancel
Pressing "F12" on any Help screen causes a return to the previous Help screen or application screen.
For example: Press "F1" on the EADD screen to display screen level help. Press "F1" again and the Help for Help screen will be displayed.
PPEADD0-E1302 EDB Entry/Update 10/22/YY 10:30:58
10/21/YY 15:43:12 Employee Address Data Userid: ABCDE
ID: 900222596 Name: BLUES,BERTHA D Pri Pay: MO
P +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| EDBHEADD Help EDB E U Employee Address |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| D21H04 Help for Help More: |
| Navigational Commands: |
| BN Browse Next Topic |
| F Find string.... Ex: F ABCDEF |
| LEVEL1 Return to first Topic viewed |
| T Top - return to first line of current Topic |
| |
| Command ===> |
| Enter F1=Help F2=EX Help F3=eXit F7=FWd F8=Bkwd F11=Index F12=Cancel |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
S | |
C | There are no highly abbreviated or group field labels on EADD. |
N | |
| Command ===> |
= | F1=Help F2=EX help F3=eXit F4=copy F6=move F7=BKwd F8=FWd |
| F12=Cancel |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
Press "F12" while in the Help for Help window. Help for Help will disappear and the cursor will be positioned in the first Help window.
PPEADD0-E1302 EDB Entry/Update 10/22/YY 10:32:24
10/21/YY 15:43:12 Employee Address Data Userid: ABCDE
ID: 900222596 Name: BLUES,BERTHA D Pri Pay: MO
P +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| EDBHEADD Help EDB E U Employee Address |
| More: |
F | Function: EADD enables the user to enter and update employee |
| address information, including campus and home address and |
H | telephone numbers, spouse name, and disclosure information. |
C | |
E | Nature of Information: EADD contains permanent and campus |
| address information, campus and home telephone numbers, spouse |
C | name, and codes indicating employee-selected disclosures to |
| employee organizations, and for UC business purposes. |
| |
C | There are no highly abbreviated or group field labels on EADD. |
| |
| |
N | |
| Command ===> |
= | F1=Help F2=EX help F3=eXit F4=copy F6=move F7=BKwd F8=FWd |
| F12=Cancel |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
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