The Image Editor

The Image Editor is a “screen painting” facility within processes that support images. It allows you to specify exactly how an image should appear on a screen display or in a printed report. A key step in the definition of a menu, input, output, or inquiry process is painting the image(s) that specify the format the user will see on the screen or report. There is no separate menu option to select the Image Editor directly. Instead, you automatically enter the Image Editor directly from within process definition when defining an image for a menu, input, output or inquiry process.

The standard features of the Image Editor can be employed in character mode using only a keyboard. However, you need a mouse to take advantage of the GUI features within the Image Editor. GUI tools provide designers with the ability to create screen images complete with pictures, buttons, icons, wallpapers, and other graphical features. Another GUI tool is a data palette offering drag and drop selection and placement of data fields.

Basic functionality of the Image Editor is fully explored in Chapter 3-14: Using the Image Editor and a complete discussion of its GUI features is presented in Chapter 3-15: Using GUI Features of the Image Editor.