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Optional Attribute Editing Controls

The Attribute Description for variable attributes can be used to determine the control that the HPCA Administrator CSDB Editor displays for entering or editing that attribute in the Editing Instance dialog box. Normally, variable attributes are entered or edited as free text in a text box. You can change this to a check box, a set of check boxes, or a drop-down list.

To enable this feature, select the Use Edit Masks When Editing Instances option on the Instance Options tab of the Options dialog box. For details, see "Setting Preferences: Options Dialog Box".

• Flag Attribute
  A Flag Attribute is a one-character field whose value can be Y or N. To display a check box for entering or editing flag attributes in instances, the Attribute Description for the attribute in the class template must terminate with [Y/N], as shown in the following figure.
  ZSVCCAT variable contains [Y/N] for flag attribute
  The ZSVCCAT attribute is one character in length, and its Attribute Description, Service Visible in Catalog? [Y/N], ends with [Y/N]. Thus, to enter or edit this variable, the HPCA Administrator CSDB Editor interface contains a check box.
• Flag Set Attribute
  A Flag Set Attribute is a two- or more character field that holds a value composed of zero or more single-character flags. If a flag is on, the character value that is associated with the flag appears in the flag set string. If a flag is off, the character value that is associated with the flag does not appear in the flag set string. An empty flag set string indicates that no flags are on.
  For example, the DOS File Attribute flag set for a particular file is contained in the ZRSCRASH attribute of the FILE Class. You use this four-character attribute to indicate which of the DOS File Attributes such as, R=Read-only, A=Archive, S=System, H=Hidden should be turned on for the file associated with the FILE instance when that file is deployed to a user desktop.

  An attribute ending with a set of one-character choices
  

  If the Attribute Description ends with one-character choices separated by slashes, and the number of choices equals the length of the attribute, for example, the ZRSCRASH attribute above, the HPCA Administrator CSDB Editor treats the attribute as a flag set. It displays a check box for each potential value in the flag set in the Editing Instance dialog box. If a check box is selected, its associated value is inserted in the attribute.
• Drop-Down List
  The HPCA Administrator CSDB Editor displays a drop-down list for entering or editing attributes whose Attribute Description in the class template terminates with a series of choices separated by slashes and enclosed in square brackets.
  For example, the following figure shows that the ZRSCSTYP attribute of the FILE Class has two choices in the Attribute Description. An attribute description that terminates with a series of choices separated by slashes and enclosed in brackets will have a drop-down list for editing attributes.
  ZRSCSTYP attribute with a drop-down list