Dialog System - Character Mode - Supplemental

Chris

I've been trying to compile test1.cbl as per the sample given in www.microfocus.com/.../dcchar.htm chapter 3 and using 32-bit Object COBOL in Windows Terminal (and tried also in Visual COBOL command prompt.).

I compile to TEST1.GNT. Then choose F6=Run but the screen remains blank.

There is a TEST1W.EXE created but running this just gives a blinking cursor. Recompiling gave TEST1WG.EXE. Running this showed a COBOL Text Window but again with just a blinking cursor.

Previous attempts to run the program gave a message that 'DSRUN' cannot be found in the file or folder.  I have set up a batch file to provide the COBOL environment and pointers to the DSChar\bin folder so I'm not sure where it is trying to find 'DSRUN'.There is a dsrun.dll and a couple more .dlls as well as dsch.exe, which I've used to create the screen set in DSChar\bin.So is there a DSRUN.EXE?

Are the DS object modules (Chapter 14, Linking, e.g, dsrun.obj, dscrun etc) not included in this version of the DS System?

Thanks

Parents
  • 0

    Thanks Chris.

    I'll have a look at the article.  Re the .obj modules, am I correct in assuming that these are not strictly required to get the Character DS to 'work' as using the was described as optional?

  • 0   in reply to 

    Yes, you are correct that the .obj modules are not required as all of the support has been added directly to the run-time .dlls. The .obj modules were included in older products to allow for static linking of your executables and static linking is no longer supported in Visual COBOL.

    Chris Glazier
    Rocket Software - Principal Technical Support Specialist
    If you found this post useful, give it a “Like” or click on "Verify Answer" under the "More" button

  • 0 in reply to   

    Chris

    I've setup a native Console Application in VC and made the changes suggested in the article you provided with regard to PATH and COBDATA plus the COPYBOOK entry. The program TEST1.CBL compiles without error but running it gives "DSRUN error 18,0,0" as outlined in the article. This despite including in the program  

         copy "ds-cntrl.mf".
         copy "c:\workarea\dsystem\test1.cpb".
         copy "c:\workarea\dsystem\test1.s".

    and making the changes to PATH, COBDATA and COPYBOOK.

  • 0 in reply to 

    Actually there was an error in the program - I didn't need copy "c:\workarea\dsystem\test1.s" and so deleted it and compiled fine. But still get "DSRUN error 18,0,0. Screen set test1 not found".

  • 0   in reply to 

    Can you please upload your version of test1.cbl, test1.cpb and test1.s so I can try it here?

    Thanks 

    Chris Glazier
    Rocket Software - Principal Technical Support Specialist
    If you found this post useful, give it a “Like” or click on "Verify Answer" under the "More" button

Reply Children
  • 0 in reply to   

    Chris

    I can't see how to upload a compressed file containing those files or individually.

  • 0 in reply to   

    Hello sir can you help me read from a Portuguese id 

  • 0   in reply to 

    You should be able to click the Insert option and then click the Upload link in the displayed dialog. This should let you select a file from your computer to upload.

    Chris Glazier
    Rocket Software - Principal Technical Support Specialist
    If you found this post useful, give it a “Like” or click on "Verify Answer" under the "More" button

  • 0   in reply to 

    Hi Frimps,

    Please create a new thread on this forum as your question does not pertain to this active thread. Also please provide more detail as I have no idea what it is that you are asking.

    Thanks.

    Chris Glazier
    Rocket Software - Principal Technical Support Specialist
    If you found this post useful, give it a “Like” or click on "Verify Answer" under the "More" button

  • 0   in reply to 

    I received your test files via email. It appears that the KB article is incorrect. Instead of setting PATH to point to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Micro Focus\Visual COBOL\DSChar\bin location, try setting COBPATH environment variable. 

    When I set COBPATH it works ok.

    Chris Glazier
    Rocket Software - Principal Technical Support Specialist
    If you found this post useful, give it a “Like” or click on "Verify Answer" under the "More" button

  • 0 in reply to   

    Chris

    Thanks. The screenset is now shown after the change to COBPATH. However the layout on the screen is completely distorted. I had this problem in another application that I developed using the ACUCOBOL windowing syntax and changing the Terminal to Windows Console Host fixed this issue. But it doesn't do that with this DS app.

  • 0   in reply to 

    This is normally caused by the console size being set differently from the screen layout. Your application looks fine on my machine when compiled to .gnt and run within a standard Windows console. The default screen size is 80 x 25 which is what this application is expecting. Can you change the size of the console in the Windows Console Host? This can be changed by the application by using the run-time tunables screen_lines and screen_cols. See here

    Chris Glazier
    Rocket Software - Principal Technical Support Specialist
    If you found this post useful, give it a “Like” or click on "Verify Answer" under the "More" button

  • 0 in reply to   

    Chris

    That's strange since the default size of the window is 80x25. I had already set this size for both Windows Console Host and Windows Terminal with no effect.

    So I added COBCONFIG to my project's environment variables and created consol.cfg with screen_lines=25 and screen_cols=80. Unfortunately this also had no effect :-(

    I checked my earlier application (that used ACUCOBOL windowing syntax) and had displayed its windows correctly in Windows Host Console. Despite the fact that I had made no changes to the app it is now showing distorted screens.

  • 0 in reply to   

    Yh I was hoping you could help me do it with Delphi sir 

  • Suggested Answer

    0 in reply to 

    I appear to have a solution. I went into Settings -> System -> For Developers -> Terminal and chose Windows Console Host as the default terminal app.I then ran the app both from within Visual Studio and via a VC Command Prompt and the screen set displayed correctly. I didn't need the COBCONFIG setting.

    My earlier app using ACUCOBOL Windowing syntax displayed correctly as well. I can  only imagine that I had set Windows Console Host via some other method previously which did not achieve the desired result. So going through Settings -> System etc. would appear to be the correct method.

    Thanks, Chris for your input, as always.