HP OpenVMS Systems Documentation

The New Desktop does not support entering control characters in the login Username text field. If entered, these characters are discarded. This differs from the DECwindows login Username text field which supports such key sequences as:

• Ctrl/U, Ctrl/J, or F13 (deletes to beginning of the line)
• Ctrl/H or F11 (positions to the beginning of the line)
• Ctrl/E (positions at the end of the line)

The New Desktop does support Ctrl/U, which when typed while entering a password at login or when unpausing the screen, erases any characters entered up to that point.

2.3.15.2 Use Return Key to Move Between Login Text Fields

Because the Username text field and Password text field are different dialog boxes in the New Desktop, press the Return key to move the cursor from the Username text field to the Password text field. The Tab key does not move the cursor to the next text field; rather, this action highlights the OK button.

2.3.15.3 First Character Discarded When Entering Pause Screen Password

If the workstation is paused and the Password dialog box is not displayed, the first character typed is ignored. This differs from the DECwindows pause screen, which always accepts any characters typed.

When using the New Desktop, use a nontyping key, such as Shift, or move the mouse to redisplay the Pause dialog box before entering your password. If you are unsure of what you have already typed, you can use Ctrl/U to erase the Password text field.

2.3.15.4 Text on the Welcome Screen is Not Displayed

If the 100-dpi fonts are not included in the X server's font path, the welcome text is not displayed on the blue welcome screen that appears immediately after logging in. This may also occur if you are displaying your session on a remote X server.

2.3.16 Font Selection Limitations

V1.2--4

On the New Desktop, Style Manager contains a control that displays a dialog box used to select font size. Selecting a new font size affects only New Desktop applications and does not affect existing DECwindows Motif applications.

2.3.17 Default Workspace Limitations

V1.2--4

The New Desktop provides a default backdrop for the four default workspaces. You can change or even select Nobackdrop using the Backdrop control located in Style Manager.

When no backdrop is selected, you cannot drag icons and place them on the backdrop of the desktop. If you drag an icon and release it, it snaps back to File Manager or Application Manager.

Icons that were dropped on the background before Nobackdrop was selected remain and function correctly.

2.4 Applications

This section contains release notes pertaining to the Bookreader application.

2.4.1.1 Bookreader Hangs When Switching Libraries

V1.2--6

When running DECwindows Motif Version 1.2--6 or greater on an OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.3--1 system, entering a library file specification that ends with a semicolon or a version number in the Selection field from the Switch Libraries dialog box causes Bookreader to hang.

To prevent this problem from occurring, do not specify a semicolon or version number at the end of the file specification.

2.4.1.2 Support for Display PostScript Removed

V1.2--6

With the removal of the support for Display PostScript from the current version of DECwindows Motif, Bookreader no longer supports the display of PostScript artwork in online manuals. When Bookreader detects PostScript artwork, it displays a full-size figure window with a large "X" overlayed with an error message box containing the following message:

Unable to display PostScript(R) graphic.
This feature is no longer available.

There is no workaround.

2.4.1.3 Including Comment Characters in the DECW$BOOKSHELF File

V1.2--3

If you include a comment character (! or #) in the last line of the DECW$BOOKSHELF file, Bookreader fails with a reserved operand fault. As a workaround, ensure that you do not add comment characters to the last line of the file.

2.4.2 CDA

This section contains release notes that pertain to the Compound Document Architecture (CDA) Run-Time Services and CDA Viewer components of DECwindows Motif.

2.4.2.1 Viewing Large, Color DDIF Files using eXcursion Version 7.1

V1.3

If you are unable to display large, color DDIF files while running the CDA Viewer from an eXcursion X Server session, HP recommends that you do one of the following:

• Display the DDIF file from a CDA Viewer session that uses local or DECnet transport--outside of eXcursion.
• Upgrade the HP PATHWORKS 32 software to Version 7.2 or later. See the OpenVMS web site (http://www.openvms.compaq.com) for information on obtaining a copy of this software.

V1.2--6

With the removal of the support for Display PostScript from the current version of DECwindows Motif, CDA no longer supports the display of PostScript source. The PostScript option has been removed from the CDA Viewer. If you attempt to view a PostScript file from the character cell interface CDA viewer, the viewer displays the following message:

%CDA-E-UNSUPFMT, unsupported document format.

There is no workaround.

2.4.3 DECterm

This section contains release notes pertaining to the DECterm application.

2.4.3.1 Invoking DECterm May Fail while Kerberos is Enabled

V1.3

When using Kerberos authentication, the DECterm controller may fail to start. The workaround for this problem is to change SYLOGIN.COM so that Kerberos is initialized (@SYS$MANAGER:KRB$SYMBOLS.COM) within the MODE_OTHER section of SYLOGIN.COM.

2.4.3.2 Euro Currency Symbol May Not Display Correctly When Using eXcursion

V1.3

Due to differences in how the euro symbol is supported between eXcursion and DECwindows Motif, the symbol may not display correctly on DECterm windows invoked via eXcursion. DECterm substitutes Latin-9 fonts with equivalent Latin-1 fonts, causing problems with the display of the symbol.

To prevent font substitution from occurring, modify the eXcursion font alias files, as described in the eXcursion release notes. The release notes describe how to edit the alias files, and describe additional restrictions related to support of the euro currency symbol.

2.4.3.3 Window Text is Not Displayed Properly on Multihead Systems

V1.3

In a multihead configuration that uses the XINERAMA extension and Powerstorm 4d20 graphics cards, DECterm windows may not display text properly. However, keyboard input is still processed.

Refreshing any affected DECterm displays by running the XREFRESH utility from within each window will normally correct the situation. XREFRESH can be executed as follows:

$  RUN DECW$UTILS:XREFRESH

V1.3

When you attempt to specify an Agfa Monotype TrueType font (such as the DECterm font) using a wildcard in the font specification, DECterm crashes. The workaround is to enter the full X Logical Font Description (XLFD) name for the font (as listed in the HP DECwindows Motif for HP OpenVMS Alpha New Features manual) rather than specifying the wildcarded font name.

2.4.3.5 DECterm Window Shrinking Problem

V1.2--5

If the XUI window manager is in use, "Auto Resize Terminal" is on, and you used the mouse to resize the DECterm window, the DECterm window shrinks. To workaround this problem, add the following line to the DECterm resource file DECW$TERMINAL_DEFAULT.DAT:

DECW$TERMINAL.main.terminal.useWMHints: false

If you make this change, be aware that the window manager will report the size of the DECterm window in pixels rather than character cells. Also, if you maximize a DECterm window, it might not properly restore to its previous size. However, it will no longer shrink.

2.4.3.6 DECterm Resource File Name

V1.2--4

The locale of the display is now used to create the file name of the DECterm resource file. For example, if the locale is set to "ja_JP", then the default resource file name becomes DECW$TERMINAL_DEFAULT_JA_JP.DAT.

However, DECterm continues to use the old resource file name until the user selects Save Options at least once in the particular locale. The default resource file name for DECterm continues to be DECW$TERMINAL_DEFAULT.DAT if the locale meets any of the following conditions:

• Is "C"
• Starts with "en_US"
• Contains "8859-1"

V1.2--4

A DECterm controller can create a maximum of 23 DECterm windows. This occurs because DECterm needs an event flag for each terminal window to use. There are 23 event flags that DECterm can use. (Event flag 0 and event flags 24--32 are not available for DECterm to use.)

If you need more than 23 DECterm windows, then you must create a new controller. To create a new controller, enter the following command:

$ MCR DECW$TERMINAL

Note that the window from which this command is executed cannot be used for anything else because this command does not return until the last DECterm window is closed. After starting the controller with this method, the user can create another 23 DECterm windows with the DCL command CREATE/TERMINAL.

2.4.3.8 Resizing the Terminal

V1.2--3

If you maximize the DECterm window when you enable the Auto Resize Terminal window option, the window is expanded to its nearest cell boundary; the window does not necessarily occupy the entire screen. The Restore options continue to function appropriately.

2.4.3.9 Reporting the DECterm Window Size

V1.2--3

When you enable the Show Feedback option in the Workspace Options dialog box of the Window Manager and you resize a DECterm window, the size of the window is reported in characters instead of pixels.

2.4.3.10 Changing the Auto Repeat Setting

V1.2--3

You cannot change the Auto Repeat setting in the DECterm Keyboard Options dialog box. Instead, change the setting in the Keyboard dialog box in the Session Manager (Traditional DECwindows Desktop) or Style Manager (New Desktop).

2.4.3.11 Positioning DECterm Windows

V1.2--3

DECterm windows may not be displayed where the DECW$TERMINAL.x and DECW$TERMINAL.y resources are specified. On the Traditional DECwindows Desktop, DECterm windows are positioned incorrectly if the resource Mwm*clientAutoPlace is set to TRUE. As a workaround, set this resource to FALSE and restart MWM.

If using the New Desktop workspace manager, DTWM, then the relevant resource is Dtwm*clientAutoPlace. Set this resource to FALSE and restart the workspace manager.

2.4.3.12 Timeout for Displaying the Copyright Notice

V1.2--3

If keyboard or mouse activity does not take place for 10 seconds after the copyright notice is displayed on the terminal, the notice disappears from the DECterm screen.

2.4.3.13 Selecting Fonts

V1.2

Not all fonts work properly with DECterm. DECterm emulates a character-cell terminal, and, therefore, expects the fonts to be monospaced (each glyph occupies the same number of pixels). Proportional fonts can be chosen, but they produce unpredictable results.

Furthermore, DECterm fonts are supplied in families of 26 related fonts, including variations for bold, double-width, double-width/double-height, normal, and condensed characters. Also, DECterm fonts include special characters, such as the Line Drawing and the DIGITAL Technical character sets. A DECterm font family is identified by the font naming convention.

Use of fonts that do not have all the related font family variations, fonts that do not have the needed special characters, or font families that do not adhere to the DECterm font family naming conventions, may not result in an optimal display or otherwise perform as expected.

2.4.3.14 Supported DECterm Logical Names

V1.1

Table 2-1 describes the logical names that are supported by DECterm. If you do not define these logical names in your LOGIN.COM file, the controller uses the default values.

V1.1

Printing to a port device requires you to have read and write privileges on that port. You cannot print by allocating the device, since the controller requires access to the device. Instead, set the device to WORLD:RW.

For example, to use the printer port on a VAX 3100 system, enter the following command from a privileged account or include the command in the system startup file:

$ SET PROTECTION=WORLD:RW TTA3:/DEVICE

V1.1

If the hold screen key response time is too slow, add the following lines to your DECW$TERMINAL_DEFAULT.DAT file:

DECW$TERMINAL.main.terminal.syncFrequency: 1
DECW$TERMINAL.main.terminal.batchScrollCount: 1

Using these resources can affect the performance of the DECterm window. The actual impact on performance varies from site to site. You can trade off scrolling speed to hold-screen response time. A faster hold-screen response results in a slower scrolling speed. The default values for these resources are 10 and 0, respectively.

2.4.3.17 DECterm Graphics

V1.1

The following information is specific to DECterm graphics:

• In some cases, a private colormap is created in DECterm. This private colormap is created when ReGIS or Sixel graphics are displayed in the window and a sufficient number of colors from the default colormap cannot be allocated. The result is that when the DECterm window has input focus, the colormap changes for the entire workstation. The default colormap is four colors on a four-plane or monochrome system and 16 colors on color systems with more than four planes.
  To restore a DECterm window to the default colormap, select Clear Display from the Commands menu to clear the window. Then select Reset Terminal from the Commands menu to reset the terminal.
• Only graphics, not text, are written to the graphics backing store. When part of a window has to be redrawn in DECterm, the graphics portion of the window is drawn first, then the text is overlaid. As a result, the redrawn window might not look the same as the original picture.
• ReGIS addresses the entire window, not just 24 rows and 80 columns, so the aspect ratio between text and graphics might not always be the same as on the VT330 or VT340 terminal.
• The following ReGIS features are not implemented:
  • Command Display mode
  • Scrolling
  • Output cursors

V1.1

You cannot create more terminal windows than your system resources and quotas allow. If you have insufficient resources, a dialog box is displayed with a message indicating that no additional DECterm windows can be created.

To reduce the memory requirement of each DECterm window and create additional terminal windows, decrease the number of Record Lines Off Top in the Display dialog box and decrease the number of columns for each DECterm window.

Once the resource limit is reached, log out of all DECterm windows that are running on the host system before you increase the number of terminal windows.

2.4.3.19 Diagnostic Crash File and Messages

V1.1

DECterm produces a diagnostic file when a status code of fatal is returned. The DECTERM_ERROR.LOG file is produced in the login directory when the DECterm application exits abnormally. If you have a problem with the DECterm application, submit a copy of this log file to your HP service representative. However, under certain circumstances, a log file is generated even when no problem is encountered. Therefore, the appearance of a log file as an isolated event should not be cause for a problem report.

You can enable additional levels of diagnostic messages by defining either a logical name or a symbol named DECTERM_DIAG. When defined, enhanced diagnostics are displayed by the DECterm images. Use this mode only for diagnosing problems; it causes Session Manager message windows to be generated for each new DECterm created from the Session Manager.

DECterm diagnostics can be captured in a file by defining the logical name DECW$DECTERM_OUTPUT to point to a file.

2.4.3.20 Using the Debugger

V1.0

To redirect the output from the debugger to a DECterm window, enter the following command:

$ CREATE/TERMINAL/NOPROCESS/DEFINE=xxx

This command creates a DECterm without an associated process but with a logical name of xxx that points to the terminal. This procedure enables you to direct output to a DECterm window other than the window where the application is currently running. To redirect the output, enter the following commands:

$ DEFINE /USER DBG$INPUT xxx:
$ DEFINE /USER DBG$OUTPUT xxx:
$ RUN /DEBUG application.EXE

V1.0

To create a process that uses a virtual terminal, enter the following command:

$ CREATE/TERMINAL/NOPROCESS

Then establish focus to the newly created DECterm, press Return, and log in. Note that the /DEFINE qualifier is not required.

2.4.3.22 VT330 and VT340 Terminal Emulation Restrictions

V1.0

Although DECterm incorporates some of the features of the VT330- and VT340-series video terminals, such as ReGIS and Sixel graphics; it does not provide complete VT330 and VT340 terminal emulation.

The following restrictions apply to DECterm:

• User-loadable characters (DRCS), local mode, and control representation mode (CRM) are not implemented.
• The checkerboard character (character 97 in the DIGITAL Special Graphic character set) is used as an error character in place of the reverse question mark.
• DECterm uses replace mode as the default for Sixel drawing on servers with eight planes or less. On servers with more than eight planes, DECterm uses overlay mode; replace mode is not functional on those servers.

V1.0

The /PROCESS=procnam qualifier does not work when used in conjunction with the /DETACHED qualifier, unless there is already a process running on the system where its process name is equal to the user name.

To work around this problem, use the following command procedure:

$! CREATE_TERM_PROC.COM
$!
$! Invoke as SPAWN/NOWAIT @CREATE_TERM_PROC procname
$!
$ SET NOON
$!
$! Set Process name to username
$!
$ X = F$CONTEXT("PROCESS", PID, "PRCNAM", "''F$PROCESS()'","EQL")
$ NAME = F$EDIT(F$GETJPI(X,"USERNAME"),"COLLAPSE")
$ SET PROCESS/NAME="''NAME'"
$ CREATE/TERMINAL/DETACHED/PROCESS="''P1'"
$!
$! Allow new process to RUN LOGINOUT before exiting subprocess
$ WAIT 00:00:10

If the /PROCESS=procnam qualifier specifies a process name that is already in use, the DECterm is created but creation of the process inside the DECterm fails. In this case, the DCL command CREATE/TERMINAL returns the following error message:

%SYSTEM-F-DUPLNAM, duplicate name