ScreenMan Forms

Block Properties

Block properties are stored in two locations:

• Block properties stored in the FORM File
  
  
• Block Properties stored in the BLOCK File

Block Properties Stored in the FORM File

Since these properties are stored in the FORM (#.403) file, they apply only as it is used on a particular form.

• Block Name
  
  
• Block Order
  
  
• Type of Block
  
  
• Block Coordinate
  
  
• Pointer Link
  
  
• Pre Action and Post Action
  
  
• Replication, Index, Initial Position, Disallow LAYGO, Field for Selection

Block Name

(Required) This is the .01 field of the BLOCK Multiple of the PAGE Multiple of the FORM (#.403) file. This field is a POINTER to the BLOCK (#.404) file.

Block Order

(Required) The Block Order determines the order in which users traverse fields on a page when they press <PF1><PF4> to go to the next block or press the Enter key to move from the last field on one block to the first field on the next. When the user first reaches a page, ScreenMan places the user on the block with the lowest Block Order number.

Type of Block

(Required) The Type of Block property can be either:

• DISPLAY—DISPLAY blocks allow fields to be displayed but not changed by the user. Fields in a DISPLAY block are read-only.
  
  
• EDIT—EDIT blocks allow fields to be changed by the user. Adding an EDIT block to a form enables the editing of any DATA DICTIONARY fields placed on the EDIT-type block.

When you first add a block to a form, you enter the properties for the block, including the type of block it is. You can also edit the properties of the block later. See the "ScreenMan Tutorial for Developers Manual," particularly Lessons 1-2 (DISPLAY blocks) and 1-7 (EDIT blocks) for more information. This manual is available both in Adobe Acrobat PDF and HTML formats on the VA FileMan Home Page.

Block Coordinate

(Required) This property defines the location of the block. The format of a coordinate is:

    Row,Column

A Block Coordinate is defined relative to the page on which the block is defined. A Block Coordinate of "1,1", for example, corresponds to the top left corner of the page. If a page is moved to a new position (i.e., if it is given a new coordinate), all blocks on the page move with it.

Pointer Link

This property is used if the fields displayed in this block are reached through a relational jump from the primary file of the form. The Pointer Link is a relational expression that describes this jump.

REF: For more information, see the "Relational Navigation" section in the VA FileMan Advanced User Manual.

Pre Action and Post Action

The Pre Action property is M code that is executed whenever the user reaches this block.

The Post Action property is M code that is executed whenever the user navigates away from this block. Since these two properties are stored in the FORM (#.403) file, they apply to the block only as it is used on this form.

Replication, Index, Initial Position, Disallow LAYGO, Field for Selection

These properties pertain only to repeating blocks.

REF: For more information about these properties, see the "Displaying Multiples in Repeating Blocks" section.

Block Properties Stored in the BLOCK File

Since these properties are stored in the BLOCK (#.404) file, they are part of the definition of the block itself. These properties apply to the block wherever it is used.

• Name
  
  
• DD Number
  
  
• Disable Navigation
  
  
• Pre Action and Post Action

Name

(Required) This is the .01 field of the BLOCK (#.404) file. The block Name should be namespaced.

DD Number

This is the data dictionary (DD) number of the file or subfile that contains the fields that are placed on this block. A block can contain fields from only one file or subfile.

Disable Navigation

If you set this property to YES, navigation within the block is disabled:

• Users cannot ^-jump to other fields.
  
  
• Users cannot ^-jump to the command line.
  
  
• The <ARROW UP>, <ARROW DOWN>, Tab, and PF4 keys traverse the fields in the same order when pressing the Enter key (i.e., in the order established by the Field Order property of the fields).
  
  
• Users cannot use the <PF1>S, <PF1>E, <PF1>Q, and <PF1>C key sequences.

If you set this property to OUTOK, navigation within the block is disabled, but the user can:

• ^-jump to the command line.
  
  
• Use the <PF1>S, <PF1>E, <PF1>Q, and <PF1>C key sequences.

Pre Action and Post Action

The Pre Action property is M code that is executed whenever the user reaches this block.

The Post Action property is M code that is executed whenever the user navigates away from this block. Since these two properties are stored in the BLOCK (#.404) file, they apply to the block as it is used on any page of any form.

Reviewed/Updated: May 2026