Nortel Networks VT100 - Manual (Page 18)

Template files 2-5
Meridian IVR VT100 Gateway Development Guide Product release 2.0/I
The action templates, screen templates, and screen.conf file are ASCII text
files that use a simple syntax to define the screen flow and input/output fields.
The sections that follow provide a detailed explanation of the templates, as
well as the information necessary to create the
screen.conf file.
Action templates
A VT100 transaction typically moves through several screens until it locates
specific information. The screens may be a series of commands issued at the
operating system prompt, or they may be screens within an application
running on the host computer. Whenever Meridian IVR 2.0/I references an
action template, the VT100 Gateway executes the screen templates listed in
the action template, moving through the application just as a terminal
operator would. An action template must specify the same sequence of
screens that the terminal operator traverses.
A separate action template defines each transaction. In the example shown in
Figure 2-1, if you want to select a menu option other than “Accounts
Receivable,” you would define another action template.
Action templates describe the flow of the screens that comprise a particular
transaction. For example, if you want a transaction to access billing
information for a specific client, as a terminal operator you would perform the
following steps:
Procedure 2-1
Accessing transaction information
1 Log on to the computer.
2 Start the “acct” application.
3 Select the “Accounts Receivable” menu.
4 When prompted, enter the client’s account number and press the
Return key. A screen would appear displaying the client’s billing
information.
5 Read the account information on the screen.
In a Meridian IVR 2.0/I VT100 transaction, an initial-action template
performs steps 1 and 2. The initial-action template automatically executes
when the TRS process starts (initial-action templates are described later in
this chapter.). An action template created to execute this transaction would
perform steps 3 through 5.