Function and Special Keys

 

Flynet Viewer provides full support for Function and Special keys using a special capability that "traps" keystrokes so they don't get processed by the browser when they should be terminal entry keys.  For example, the F1 key will be sent to the host as a PF1 key rather than display the browser HELP window.

 

Click on the Keyboard Help Icon to view a help file describing how the keys are mapped for your server between the PC keyboard and the available Host action keys.

 

Entering Data with the Keyboard

 

How your keyboard works when using the Flynet Viewer emulation depends on the setting for the entry field style (see the Entry Field Style preferences setting for more information).

 

Browser Style Entry Fields

 

If you have the browser-style entry fields (will have a surrounding box around each entry field), your keystrokes will be processed as when using other Windows and Web Browser applications, with some behaviors added by the Flynet Viewer DHTML:

 

•When you tab to a field, all text will automatically be selected- if you do not move the cursor with the LEFT or RIGHT arrow keys, the next keystroke will replace all the text in the current field

•By default, you are in insert mode and all keystrokes are inserted at the current insertion point or caret.  Note that as with other Windows applications, by highlighting characters with the keyboard or the mouse, you can replace multiple characters with a single keystroke.

•Cursor location is only tracked to the first character of the active input field.

•You can still cursor up and cursor down out of an entry field, but when you move the cursor from a protected portion of the display to an entry field, the cursor will automatically change to the Windows insertion point cursor and be positioned at the first character of the field

•All clipboard operations work within single entry fields (cannot highlight more than one area)

 

Emulator Style Entry Fields

 

This style of entry field uses a DHTML and Javascript simulation of how data entry works on a standard terminal.  In this mode:

 

•When you tab to a field, the first character is highlighted by the blinking block cursor

•By default, you are in replace mode and each keystroke will replace the current character if it is not a cursor movement key.

•Cursor location is tracked completely both in-between fields and inside a field (there are some host applications that are sensitive to cursor location inside an entry field when a screen is entered)

•Cursor movement in and out of fields will always maintain the cursor column

•Not all clipboard operations are available-- the Ctrl-C keystroke combination may be used to copy text into entry fields but other clipboard and text editing functionality is very limited