Rational Developer for System z

Tutorial for the BMS Map Editor

This series of steps guides you through some of the features and capabilities of the BMS Map Editor. For detailed information about procedures and configuration, see the specific topics in the BMS Map Editor helps.
Note: You should regularly save any modifications to a map set.
In Rational® Developer, the BMS Map Editor is associated with .bms map set files and is available in any perspective. The editor uses the following views:

You can import map set files in certain perspectives, such as Enterprise Service Tools.

You can export maps to a JavaServer Faces Web page and its components. See Generating a JSF Web page for detailed instructions.

Creating a new project

Map sets can only be created in an existing project. Complete the following steps to create a new project:
  1. From the main menu, selectFile > New > Project.
  2. In the New Project wizard that opens, expand General > Project. Click Next.
  3. Type Test project as the project name. Click Finish to close the wizard and create the new project.

Test project is displayed in the Project Explorer view. Open this view by selecting from the main menu, Window > Show View > Other and entering Project Explorer as the filter text.

Creating a new map set

To create a new map set within a project, complete the following steps:
  1. From the main menu, selectFile > New > Other.
  2. In the New wizard that opens, enter Map Set as the filter text, and select BMS > Map Set from the list of file wizards.
  3. Click Next.
  4. Select Test project as the parent folder.
  5. Type NEWMAPSET as the file name. The .bms extension will be automatically added.
  6. Click Finish to accept the default configuration.

The map set file NEWMAPSET.BMS is displayed in theTest project project in the Project Explorer view.

Adding maps to the map set

To add and modify maps and fields within the map set, complete the following steps:
  1. Open the map in the editor by double clicking on NEWMAPSET.BMS if it is not already open
  2. Start by tagging and dragging the mouse down to and to the right in the Design canvas. Notice the size and position of the map are displayed in the popup box.
  3. In the Palette view, select Map under the Basic drawer.
  4. Move the cursor to the Design canvas, and click to place the map.

You can use the Select tool under the Default drawer to move and resize the map.

Viewing and modifying map properties

Select a map in the Design canvas. Note that the map properties are displayed in the Properties view. The selected map is also highlighted in the Outline view.

To modify map properties from the Design canvas, complete the following steps:

  1. In the Outline view, right-click MAP2. Note that the map is highlighted in the Design canvas.
  2. Click the Toggle Black and White Mode button, , located in the upper right of the Design canvas to view the selected map more easily.
  3. Right-click the highlighted map in the Design canvas, and select Map Properties from the context menu to modify the settings.

To modify map properties under the Source tab, complete the following steps:

  1. Click the Source tab below the Design canvas.
  2. Locate the Map1 label.
  3. Place the cursor in the source code and change the map size parameters to SIZE=(14,60). This changes the height of the map to 14 columns and the width to 60 columns. Note that the change is shown in the Properties view.

Adding and modifying fields

To add and modify a label field, complete the following steps:
  1. In the Palette, select the Label button in the Constant Fields drawer.
  2. Click in the Design canvas to place the field. If the location is not valid (for example, outside the boundaries of an existing map), you will not be able to place the field.
  3. If the label field is not displayed with the map in the Outline view, select the Show Unnamed Fields button, , to display the label field.
  4. Left-click the field in the Design canvas once, and type a new label value.
  5. Double-click the field in the Design canvas.
  6. Add a name for the label field, and click Apply. Click Show Unnamed Fields again; the field is now displayed with its name, in the Outline view.
  7. Right-click the field in the Outline view. Select Cut to remove the field from its current map.
  8. Select a different map in the Outline view. Press Ctrl+V to place the field into that map.
To add and modify a password field, complete the following steps:
  1. Click the Password field button in the Variable Fields drawer.
  2. Place the pointer in the Design canvas. A drop box is added to the simple pointer.
  3. Click and hold the left mouse button at the location that you want.
  4. Draw the field to a width of 5 characters and release the mouse button.
    Note: The height in the pop-up box cannot be greater than 2 characters; the drawn box can be only 0 or 1 character high.
Align the fields by completing the following steps:
  1. In the Outline view, select multiple fields by holding the Ctrl key and clicking the field icons.
  2. Right-click one of the highlighted fields in the Design canvas, and select Align > Align to Parent > Top. The fields are aligned to the top of the map.

Use the Shift key with the Select tool to grab and move multiple items in the Design canvas. View the maps and fields with the other display options, to see how they can assist you in modifying maps and fields.

Filtering and previewing maps

Use the Filters feature to view, prioritize, or hide specific maps within a set:
  1. Click the Filters button above the Design canvas. Note that the name of the current filter is displayed below the selection button.
  2. Click New to add a new filter.
  3. Move maps up or down the filter list, or deselect maps.

    Note the changes in the Preview pane. Filters display the enabled maps in order, as you look at the Preview pane or Design canvas (the second map is placed behind the first, the third is placed behind the second, and so on).

  4. Click OK to complete the filter modification.
  5. Click the drop-down list beside the Filters button and select the newly added filter from the list of available filters. Note that the filtered maps are not displayed in the Design canvas or the Outline view.
  6. Click the Preview tab. In Normal mode, the filtered maps are not displayed.

The Preview page displays maps and fields in Web and Normal mode. Normal mode provides a terminal-like preview, with full filtering capability. The Web mode shows all maps in a set.


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