Basic Display File DDS Keywords

Learning Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognize a few common DDS keywords used to describe how a field looks and behaves on a 5250 screen, beyond the field usage and function key concepts already covered.

Simple Explanation

You have already learned several important DDS ideas for display files: record formats, field usage, and function key indicators. Display file DDS also supports additional keywords that describe smaller, specific details about how a field looks or behaves on screen. A few especially common ones include:

• TEXT, a description attached to a field or record format purely for documentation, helping someone reading the DDS later understand its purpose, similar in spirit to a comment.
• DSPATR (Display Attribute), which changes how a field visually appears, such as showing it in a different color, underlined, or highlighted, useful for drawing attention to important information or clearly marking a field as protected from input.
• COLOR, which sets a specific display color for a field, closely related to DSPATR and often used alongside it.

Every field and record format also has a position, stated as a specific row and column on the 24-by-80 grid covered in the 5250 Screen Design Basics lesson, determining exactly where that element appears on the screen.

Why It Matters

These keywords let a display file's DDS control not just what fields exist and how they behave, input, output, or both, but also how they actually look and where they sit on the screen. This level of control is part of what makes thoughtful 5250 screen design possible, connecting directly to the layout principles covered earlier in this lesson group.

Practical Example

Imagine the customer inquiry screen from earlier lessons in this group. The screen's title text might use DSPATR to appear highlighted, making it stand out at the top of the screen. The customer balance output field might use COLOR to display in a specific color if the balance is important to notice quickly. Meanwhile, TEXT on the customer number input field might simply document, for anyone reading the DDS later, that this field expects a numeric customer identifier.

This is a simplified, illustrative example rather than a specific real screen, but it reflects common, practical ways these keywords are used together in real display files.

Common Confusions

"Does TEXT affect what the user actually sees on the screen?" No. TEXT is documentation for whoever reads the DDS source later; it does not change what appears on the 5250 screen itself.

"Do I need to memorize every possible DSPATR or COLOR option to design a basic screen?" No. Recognizing that these keywords exist, and roughly what they are for, visual emphasis and color, is enough to read and understand basic display file DDS. The full range of specific options is a more detailed, advanced topic beyond this introductory lesson group.

"Is a field's position the same thing as its usage?" No. Usage, covered in the Input Fields, Output Fields, and Both Fields lesson, determines how a field behaves for input and output. Position determines only where that field visually appears on the screen's row and column grid. A field has both a usage and a position, independently of each other.

Quick Recap

• TEXT documents a field or record format for anyone reading the DDS later, without affecting what the user sees.
• DSPATR and COLOR control a field's visual appearance, such as highlighting or color.
• Every field and record format has a position, a specific row and column, on the 24-by-80 screen grid.
• These keywords add visual control on top of the field usage and function key concepts already covered in this lesson group.

Try Asking the AI Tutor

Use the AI Tutor to ask follow-up questions about this lesson. For example, try asking:

• "What are some common DSPATR options besides highlighting and underlining?"
• "Can TEXT be used on a whole record format, not just a single field?"