Understanding host components and widgets
In host applications, data can be presented in many different ways, such as menus, tables, and command prompts. These are known as host components. Your ZIETrans application converts them into graphical elements, or widgets, for displaying data on a GUI.
ZIETrans comes with a default set of host components, representing the most frequently used methods of presenting data, as well as a set of widgets associated with each one. These host components and widgets are listed in ZIETrans host components and their corresponding widgets. As you develop your ZIETrans application, you select a region on the host screen, select a host component (which is responsible for finding specific contents in that region, and select a widget (which is responsible for rendering the output of the host component.
For example, if a host application has a menu in which the user is required to select one of the several choices, you can design your ZIETrans application to display the menu on a GUI as a drop-down list. Alternatively, you can have the menu appear as a list of radio buttons, from which the user makes a choice, or as a list of links or buttons. You can even develop a custom component or widget.
Host component | Widget |
---|---|
Command line |
List |
Field |
Field |
Function key |
Button |
HTML DDS keyword |
Label |
Input field |
Calendar (Web-only) |
Input field with hints |
List |
Item selection |
Check box |
Light pen (attention) |
Button |
Light pen (selection) |
Check box |
Scrollbar field (ENPTUI) |
Scrollbar (ENPTUI) |
Selection field (ENPTUI) |
Button |
Selection list |
Button |
Subfile |
Subfile (check box) |
Table |
Graph (horizontal bar) |
Table (field) |
Graph (horizontal bar) |
Table (visual) |
Graph (horizontal bar) |
Text |
Label |
URL |
Link |