fmli(1)                                                      fmli(1)


       NAME
             fmli - invoke FMLI

       SYNOPSIS
             fmli [-a alias_file] [-c command_file] [-i initialization_file] file . . .

       DESCRIPTION
             The fmli command invokes the Form and Menu Language
             Interpreter and opens the frame(s) specified by the file
             argument.  The file argument is the pathname of the initial
             frame definition file(s), and must follow the naming
             convention Menu.xxx, Form.xxx or Text.xxx for a menu, form or
             text frame respectively, where xxx is any string that conforms
             to UNIX system file naming conventions.  The FMLI descriptor
             lifetime will be ignored for all frames opened by argument to
             fmli.  These frames have a lifetime of immortal by default.

             The available options are as follows:

            -a    If -a is specified, alias_file is the name of a file
                   which contains lines of the form alias= pathname.
                   Thereafter, $ alias can be used in definition files to
                   simplify references to objects or devices with lengthy
                   pathnames, or to define a search path (similar to $PATH
                   in the UNIX system shell).

            -c    If -c is specified, command_file is the name of a file in
                   which default FMLI commands can be disabled, and new
                   application-specific commands can be defined.  The
                   contents of command_file are reflected in the FMLI
                   Command Menu.

            -i    If -i is specified, initialization_file is the name of a
                   file in which the following characteristics of the
                   application as a whole can be specified:

                         A transient introductory frame displaying product
                         information

                         A banner, its position, and other elements of the
                         banner line

                         Color attributes for all elements of the screen





                           Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc.               Page 1

      fmli(1)                                                      fmli(1)


                        Screen Labeled Keys (SLKs) and their layout on the
                        screen.

         Environment Variables
           LOADPFK
                  When this variable is set to yes, true, or the null
                  string, it directs FMLI to download alternative
                  keystroke sequences into the function keys of terminals
                  that do not have fixed, preset values for them.

           COLUMNS
                  Can be used to override the width of the logical screen
                  defined for the terminal set in TERM.  For terminals
                  with a 132-column mode, for example, invoking FMLI with
                  the line
                      COLUMNS=132 fmli frame-file

                 will allow this wider screen width to be used.

           LINES Can be used to override the length of the logical screen
                  defined for the terminal set in TERM.

           LANG  Can be used to obtain FMLI messages in a certain
                  language.  The default setting of LANG (LANG=C) makes
                  FMLI output messages in English.

      EXAMPLES
            To invoke fmli:

                  fmli Menu.start

            where Menu.start is an example of file named according to the
            file name conventions for menu definition files explained
            above.

            To invoke fmli and name an initialization file:

                  fmli -i init.myapp Menu.start

            where init.myapp is an example of initialization_file.

      DIAGNOSTICS
            If file is not supplied to the fmli command, fmli returns the
            message:




                          Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc.               Page 2

       fmli(1)                                                      fmli(1)


                   Initial object must be specified.

             If file does not exist or is not readable, fmli returns an
             error message and exits.  The example command line above
             returns the following message and exits:

                   Can't open object "Menu.start"

             If file exists, but does not start with one of the three
             correct object names (Menu., Form., or Text.)  or if it is
             named correctly but does not contain the proper data, fmli
             starts to build the screen by putting out the screen labels
             for function keys, after which it flashes the message:

                   I do not recognize that kind of object

             and then exits.

       FILES
             /usr/bin/fmli

       REFERENCES
             vsig(1F)
             Character User Interface Programming
























                           Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc.               Page 3