Multi-Tasking in Datafile

It is sometimes desirable to be able to perform two separate functions in Datafile at once. For example, you may be processing a sales order when someone phones up to ask to set up a new account with you. In the past you would have had to abandon the sales order and go into the sales ledger to set up the account, although some users got around this problem by giving themselves two user-ids. Now it is possible to do this using the same user-id and without abandoning anything using the "Multi-Task" option.

To enable multi-tasking you need to ensure that the correct "desktop" (.d08) file is updated. Sign on as CONFIG, and go to "Desktop Design". The filename is diamond.d08 by default, unless you have selected "Alternative Desktop" or "Installer Desktop" on the user-id in MASTER. The alternative desktop is created as "USER-ID.d08" and the installer desktop is "INSTALL.d08".

Once you have chosen the correct desktop file to update you need to choose whereabouts on the desktop to locate the multi-task option. In the example below we put it in the "User Routines" menu. On a new line, type in "Multi-Task Options and, having pressed <enter> type in 64 as the desktop option number.

Next, you need to set up the particular program parameter that you want to be able to run while processing something else. In this example we will set up the option to create a new sales account. If necessary, update the "Desktop Tools Definition" menu (DBDESK.d03) to include option DB.EXE, parameter 8008. This is the program parameter that allows you to set up multi-task definitions.

Selecting this menu option gives you the current list of multi-task options. Choose which entry to update and you will be presented with a screen similar to other desktop definition screens. All that needs to be entered is a title to be displayed to the user when selecting multi-tasking, the multi-task process (effectively the program to be run) and the parameter (the particular function of the program to call. The multi-task processes are available in a drop-down menu as below

The option to call can be selected by using the F4-select function to call up the full list of available functions within the program selected. Having chosen "SL-Sales Ledger", the list drawn up is as follows

 

Optionally you can choose to restrict the function to a certain authority level, a list of selected users and a particular company ID. When you next sign on the multi-task option should be available from virtually anywhere in Datafile. To use our example, below is the multi-task option called from the sales order processing screen. The user will be returned to the sales order screen once they have finished adding the new account. It should be remembered that the multi-task option does use up a user license (effectively it signs on with the user-id of HOSTnn, where nn represents the number of users using the multi-task option.)