Method and system for exporting menu objects to a peripheral using a direct data entry structure

A method and system for exporting menu objects to a peripheral, which includes the steps of collecting configuration data of the current setting, creating a Direct Data Entry menu of pages and elements, storing the configuration data into the Direct Data Entry menu, and sending a Direct Data Entry string for a requested element in the Direct Data Entry menu.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally concerns an exporting method for displaying a menu in a peripheral. The method of the invention more specifically concerns exporting methods using a direct data entry structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically, using an input and output device, such as an input and output “I/O” card (herein “card”), data can be exported to a peripheral for display to users. The card generally includes a microprocessor for processing any commands from the peripheral, memory (i.e. a computer storage medium or computer-readable medium) for storing the processes and data and an interface for communicating with the peripheral. The most common data displayed to the user is configuration data, such as a setting for the default paper size, relating to the peripheral.

However, in prior methods, the card could send only text strings, which are then displayed to the user by the peripheral. A string is a sequence of data values (e.g., bytes), which typically stand for characters (e.g., a “character string”). The mapping between values and characters is determined by the character set which is itself specified implicitly or explicitly by the environment in which the string is being interpreted. Because the strings in the prior method are limited to user readable text, the menu display and flexibility is greatly limited. In addition, since the peripheral is generally adapted to send only incremental commands, only one entry can be displayed at one time. As peripherals play a greater role in networking, it is becoming more common for the peripherals to be implemented with a server, resulting in a very long and complicated configuration menu. A typical menu would involve multiple pages, sections, subsections, and choices. With the limited use of text strings and incremental commands, the peripheral cannot display such complex menu without being a tedious task for the user, since only one entry can be displayed at a time. Furthermore, it would be difficult for the peripheral to recognize any menu structures that may be divided into pages, sections and subsection.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, the configuration data of a current setting of a peripheral is first collected, and a Direct Data Entry menu of the pages and elements is then created. The configuration data is stored into the created Direct Data Entry menu. Upon a request for an element in the menu, the Direct Data Entry string for the requested element is then sent.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a way to display complicated menu structures on peripherals, which are generally limited to text strings. With the use of a Direct Data Entry (“DDE”) structure, the peripheral is able to recognize a page, section, subsection or items. Users can easily navigate through the menu using the display panel on the peripheral. For example, users can navigate from a page with many sections (e.g., opens up to more choices) and items (e.g., selectable for configuration), and from a particular section with multiple subsections and items.

In the present invention, the configuration data of the current setting of a peripheral is first collected, and a Direct Data Entry menu of the pages and elements is then created. The configuration data is stored into the created Direct Data Entry menu. Upon a request for an element in the menu, a Direct Data Entry string for the requested element is then sent.

A block diagram of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown inFIG. 1, and indicated generally at10. As with most typical systems, there is a peripheral12that generally includes a display panel13for displaying data to users, microprocessor14for processing data, a shared memory16for storing data, an interface chip18for communication with other devices, and a bus controller chip20for controlling the processing among the microprocessor. In this embodiment, a card22is used as an input and output device for communicating with the peripheral12. Similarly, the card includes a microprocessor24for processing, memory26(i.e. a computer storage medium or computer-readable medium) for storing data and program codes of processes executable by microprocessor24, and an interface chip28for communicating with the peripheral. The card is a separate component (i.e., external) from the peripheral. For example, the card can be inserted or extracted easily to and from the peripheral. However, the present invention also contemplates using the card or any input or output device that is internal to the peripheral. Thus, it should be understood that these various implementations are within the scope of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the card22stores the configuration data, such as menu objects of a menu, for display on the peripheral12. With the use of a display13on the peripheral, the card exports the menu to the user for configuration set up or revision. In this embodiment, the card22monitors and controls the navigation of a user session for configuring the menu. However, implementations of the peripheral monitoring and controlling the navigation are also contemplated, and these various implementations are within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention may be implemented in a variety of systems. The current embodiment uses a card as one of the many implementation variations. The present invention, nonetheless, can be implemented on any device that has the capability to store and process information. However, it should also be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various computer codes, such as machine codes, and firmware.

In addition, the present invention can be implemented with different types of data structures, such as a tree. As a result, it should be understood that others skilled in the art can appreciate the implementations of the various systems and configurations, and these implementations are within the scope of the present invention. However, a page object-oriented data structure is used as the data structure according to one embodiment, and the present invention will be explained and described with a page object-oriented data structure implementation as the data structure.

A general data structure30and an exemplary data structure32of a Direct Data Entry string according to an embodiment of the present invention are shown inFIGS. 2A and 2B. In the current embodiment, a Direct Data Entry (“DDE”) string of an element is generated by the card22in response to commands sent from the peripheral12. An element is defined as one of the items of data in an array (i.e., a collection of similarly typed data items distinguished by their indices or subscripts). In the present DDE data structure, an element can be a page, a selection and an item, and this is dependent on what type the element is defined as. In the current embodiment, elements are used to define menu objects (e.g., page, a selection and an item) in a menu with a specific structure, and the DDE string defines the configuration of the elements, which includes multiple attributes. An attribute is used as a named value or relationship that exists for some or all instances of some entity and is directly associated with that instance. The peripheral, using these attributes, displays the menu objects according to their appropriate structure.

In this embodiment, there is a type attribute (e.g., type=user) for defining a type for the element and an identification attribute for uniquely identifying the element in a page. Although the identification attribute is defined as “id=0x01”, the “0x0” does not necessarily indicate any specific order or structure of the menu. Thus, for example, the identification attribute of “id=0x860020” would have also worked with the current implementation. It should be understood that any numbering of the identification attribute could have been chosen, depending on the implementation. As a result of the type attribute and the identification attribute, the menu objects (e.g., elements) are displayed according to their structure in a given menu. For example, a type attribute can be used to define a page (e.g., type=page), a host name (e.g., type=user), information relating to the network address of the peripheral (e.g., type=ipaddr), a selection defined by the user (e.g., type=selection), or any thing that may be appropriate to define menu objects in the menu structure.

There are also other attributes, such as an element count attribute for defining the total number of elements for a page, a value attribute for indicating a value for the element, a title attribute for defining a title for the element, a label attribute for defining a description of the element, a vis attribute for indicating whether the element is visible and operational, and an access attribute for indicating the users' right to view or modify the element. Although not all the attributes have been shown in this example, a skilled artisan would appreciate that various attributes can be added, altered or deleted depending on the implementation. The various implementations with the use of different attributes are contemplated, and they are within the scope of the present invention.

As shown in the examples shown inFIG. 2B, the element entitled “TCP/IP” (e.g., title=“TCP/IP”) has a total of four elements (e.g., elements=4). The first element under “TCP/IP”, which is a host name (e.g., label=“HOST NAME”) of “stargate” (e.g., value=“stargate”), an identification attribute of “id=0x01” is used as an association to an element in the page. As shown, there may be other attributes, such as max-length attribute for defining the maximum length allowed for the value attribute, an allow attribute for indicating the allowed characters for the value attribute, a focus attribute for defining a previously selected element, as well as the vis attribute for indicating whether the element is visible and operational and an access attribute for indicating the users' right to view or modify the element. A typical menu structure of the element “TCP/IP” has been shown, which includes a host name, an IP address, a subnet mask and a default gateway.

A Direct Data Entry structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown inFIG. 3and indicated generally at40. The overall data structure is divided into a Session group42, an Element group44, a Page group46and a Selection group48. The remaining groups of Elem TypeIpAddr50, Elem TypeUint3252, Elem Type Float3254and Elem TypeUser56are used to define the allowed configuration of elements of a specific type. Under each of the groups, the attribute and the commands are shown.

For example, session42includes attributes58of “−MyRoot: Page” for defining the root page as the first page, “MyLanguage: UNIT32” for defining the default language and “MyCharacterSet: UNIT32” for defining the character and commands60of “Begin( ): void” for beginning the session, “Cancel( ): void” for canceling the session and “End( ) for ending the session. Page group46, on the other hand, includes attributes62of “Focus: POSITION” for defining a previously selected element, “ListOf Elements: LIST” for defining the number of elements in the page and “CurrentElement: POSITION” for defining the current element being processed and commands64of “GetPageTitle(data:String): void” for getting the title of the page, “GetFirstElement( ): void” for getting the first element in the page, “GetNextElement( ): void” for getting the next element in the page, “SetNewPage( ): void” for setting a new page and “ExitCurrentPage( ):void” for exiting the current page.

The attributes66(e.g., “MyId: UINT32”, “MyLabel: String”, “MyType: String”, “MyVisibillty: BOOL” and “MyAccess: BOOL”) and commands68(e.g., “GetDDEString(data:String): void” for getting the DDE String” and “SetDDEString(data:String): void” for setting the DDE String) of the group element44are then used as a current element of the current page from the Page group46. Lastly, a selection group48is included for allowing the user to select elements from the menu. The selection group48, similarly, includes a different set of attributes70(e.g., “value: String”, “currentIndex: UINT32”, “minIndex: UINT32” and “MaxIndex: UINT32”) and commands72(e.g., “LookupIndex(index:UINT32,data:String):void” and “Setlndex(index:UINT32): void” for looking up and setting the identification attribute of the selected element).

Because the group “Elem TypelpAddr”50, “Elem TypeUint32”52, “Elem Type Float32”54and “Elem TypeUser”56are used to define the allowed configuration of elements of a specific type, they do not have any commands in the current embodiment. Rather, these elements inherent commands from their base class (e.g., group elements). Put differently, these elements are a specific instance(s) of the group element. “Elem TypeIpAddr”50includes an attribute74of “value: IPADDR32” for defining the value of elements having IP Address as type (e.g., type=ipaddr), and “Elem TypeUint32”52includes attributes76“value: UINT32”, “min: UINT32” and “max: UINT32” for defining the value of elements having an unassigned integer as type. Finally, “Elem Type Float32”54and “Elem TypeUser”56includes similar attributes78(e.g., “value: FLOAT32”, “min: FLOAT32”, “−max: FLOAT32” and “precision: UINT32”),80(e.g., “value: String”, “maxLength: UINT32”, “allow: String” and “deny: String”). Again, a skilled artisan would appreciate the flexibility in the implementation of the present invention, and it should be understood that the groups, attributes and/or commands may be changed. These various implementations are within the scope of the present invention.

One embodiment of a method for exporting menu objects of a menu to the peripheral12in accordance with the invention is shown inFIG. 4. The method is initiated by a user, through the peripheral12, by calling a command to start a menu session (block90), and the peripheral accordingly sends a Mod_Start_Session command to the card (block92). However, it should be noted that automatic initiation by a computer program is also contemplated, depending on the design and needs of the implementation. The card then creates a menu session on the display panel of the peripheral (block94) and collects the configuration data of the current setting for the peripheral (block96). In the current embodiment, the configuration is stored on the card, but the configuration data can also be stored on the peripheral.

Once the card finishes collecting the configuration data (block96), a DDE menu of the pages and elements is created (block98) and stored with the current configuration data (block100). The peripheral sends a Mod_Set_First_Page command to set the first page (block102), and, in response, the card sets the root page as the current_page (block104). After the root page is set as the current page (block104), the page-load process is initiated for loading the currently set page (block106), which is shown inFIG. 5.

Turning now to the page-load process (block106) shown inFIG. 5, for the current_page (e.g., the root page), the peripheral first sends a Mod_Get_Page_Title to the card for getting the title of the current page (block108). In response, the card returns a DDE string of the title of the current page (block110). From which, the peripheral sends a Mod_Get_First_Element command to get the first element of the current page (block112). The card accordingly sets the first element in the current page as the current_element (block114), and returns the DDE string of the current element (block116). In preparation for the next element in the current page, the card returns a status of a next element of the current page to the peripheral (block118).

It is then determined whether there is a selection element requested (block120). If so, the peripheral sends a Mod_Lookup_Selection command to request that an option in a selection element be returned by the card (block121). As requested, the card returns a DDE string of the selection element to the peripheral (block122). It is next determined whether there are more options in the selection element (block124). If there is another option (block124), the process reloops to the step of the peripheral sending the Mod_Lookup_Selection command for another request (Block120). This subroutine is repeated until there are no more options in the selection element (block124). Once it is either determined that there is not a selection element (block120) or there are no more options for the selection element (block124), the page-load process then determines whether there is a next element in the current page (block126). When there is a next element (block126), the peripheral sends a Mod_Get_Next_Element command to get the next element for the current page (block128). The card, in response, sets this next element as the current_element (block130) and reloops to the step of returning the DDE string of the current element (block116). The page-load method is restarted from this step. If, on the other hand, there is not a next element (block126), the peripheral displays the page elements with the returned DDE string to the user (block132) and returns to the method shown inFIG. 4(block134).

Referring back toFIG. 4, after the elements of the current page are displayed to the user (block132), a response is expected from the user (block136). Once the user responds, it is determined whether the user's response is to set an element in the current page (block138). If so, it is then determined whether the element is an item or a selection selected by the user (block140). If the element is an item, the peripheral sends a Mod_Set_Item command for setting the item (block142). Similarly, if the element is a selection, the peripheral sends a Mod_Set_Selection command for setting the user selection (block144). Once the element has been set, it is determined whether the data sent to set the element is valid (block146). If so, according to the current embodiment, the data for the current element is saved to the temporary memory (block148). If the data fails the validity test (block146), the process simply waits until there is another user response (block136).

Upon a response from the user, the process loops back to the step of determining whether the user response is to set an element in the current page (block138). If the user response is to set an element, the process repeats. However, if the user response is not to set an element, it is then determined whether the user response is to go to the menu or a page in the menu (block150). If the user response is to go to a page, a page-change method (block152) shown inFIG. 6is initiated to make such a page change.

Turning now to the page-change method (block152) shown inFIG. 6, it is determined whether the user response is to exit the current page or to set a new page (block154). If the user response is to set a new page, the peripheral sends a Mod_Set_New_Page command to request that a new page be set (block156), which is followed by the card setting the new page as the current_page (block158). In addition, the card responds with a page status of this change to the peripheral (block160). The page-change method ends and returns (block162) to the method shown inFIG. 4. If, however, the user response is to exit the current page without indicating a new page (block154), the peripheral would send a Mod_Exit_Page command to the card to make such a request (block164). The card then determines whether the current page is the root page (block166). If so, the card simply responds with a status of the current page being the root page to the peripheral (block160) and returns back to the method shown inFIG. 4. However, if the current page is not the root page, the card sets the current_page to a parent page of the page being requested for exit (block168), and, again, the card sends a page status of the current page (block160) and returns to method shown inFIG. 4(block162), and the page-change method ends at this point.

Referring again toFIG. 4, after the page-change method is finished processing and returns with a page status of the current_page (block152), it is determined whether the current_page is beyond the root page (block170). Put differently, it is determined whether the currently set current_page is past the root page (block170). If the current_page is not beyond the root page (block170), the process reloops to the page-load method (block106), which is again initiated with the currently set current_page.

If, on the other hand, the current_page is beyond the root page (block170) or the earlier sent user response is to go back to the menu (block150), it is next determined whether there is a request to end or cancel the session altogether (block172). If a request to end the session has been submitted by the user (block172), the peripheral sends a Mod_End_Session command to the card for ending the session (block174). In response, the card saves the data from the temporary memory to the permanent memory (block176) and the session is ended (block178). However, if it has been requested to cancel the session (block172), the peripheral sends a Mod_Cancel_Session command to the card (block180). In response to the command, the card discards the data from the temporary memory (block182) and ends the session (block178).

Exemplary inputs and outputs given a defined menu structure is shown inFIGS. 7A,7B,7C,7D,7E,7F,7G and7H. Turning toFIG. 7A, an overall menu structure of the root page along with a specific example of the “TCP/IP” page under the root page is shown and indicated generally at184. Under the root page entitled, “NETWORK SETTINGS,” there are 4 elements, specifically a TCP/IP page element, a IPX/SPX page element, a APPLETALK page element and a RESTORE DEFAULTS selection element. In the example, only the TCP/IP page element is shown, and it has 4 other elements under the TCP/IP page element, which are HOST NAME, IP ADDRESS, SUBNET MASK and DEFAULT GATEWAY. Note that there is an unique identification attribute (e.g., id=0x01) for uniquely identifying each element in the page. Although TCP/IP and HOST NAME has the same identification attribute (e.g., id=0x01), the identification attribute is specific to each page element.

Turning now toFIG. 7B, a trace for setting the first page of the menu session is shown and indicated generally at186. A trace is a utility that allows developers to see a list of inputs and outputs for the processing of the commands. The card receives the Mod_Set_First_Page from the peripheral, and there is no input or output from the card, since the root page is the first page by default. Next, the card loads the currently set page, which is the root page, and the trace for loading the current page is shown inFIG. 7C.

InFIG. 7C, the trace for the page-load method is shown and indicated generally at188. From the previous example inFIG. 7B, the first page is set as the current page being loaded, which is a root page from the example inFIG. 7A. For each command sent from the peripheral, the card outputs a DDE string for the command. For example, for the Mod_Get_Page_Title command, the card outputs the DDE string of “[title=“NETWORK SETTINGS”, elements=4, root=1]”. The DDE string for the title is followed by each of the elements. The DDE string of the first element (e.g., TCP/IP) is returned with the Mod_Get_First_Element command. After all the elements for the current page have been returned and displayed on the peripheral, the peripheral may sent back a Mod_Lookup_Selection command if the user selects an element from the current page. In this case, the card receives the command along with an input of the identification attribute and the index attribute of the selection (e.g., input=[id=0x04, index=0]), and an output (e.g., output=[id=0x04, index=0, value=“YES”]) that there is such a value is sent to the peripheral.

A trace of the page-change method with a specified page of the TCP/IP page is shown inFIG. 7Dand indicated generally at190. The card receives the Mod_Set_New_Page command along with an input identifying the requested page using the identification attribute (e.g., input=[id=0x01]) from the peripheral, the card initiates the page-load method to load the TCP/IP page element, which is shown inFIG. 7E.

A trace of the page-load method for loading the TCP/IP page element is shown inFIG. 7Eand indicated generally at192. Again, a Mod_Get_Page_Title command is received by the card, and a DDE string for the title (e.g., output=[title=“TCP/IP”, elements=4) is returned to the peripheral. From the DDE string of the title, the peripheral sends the Mod_Get_First_Element command and the Mod_Get_Next_Element command to obtain the elements in the TCP/IP page from the card. As shown, the card returns the DDE string of each element shown inFIG. 7A.

With the TCP/IP page displayed, the user can set an item, change the current page or set an selection, which is shown inFIGS. 7F,7G and7H and indicated generally at194,196,198, respectively. If the user requested to set an item in the TCP/IP page, the peripheral sends the Mod_Set_Item command with an input to identify the element and the value for the element (e.g., input=[id=0x01, value=“stargate”]). In this case, the card does not output any string to the peripheral. Similarly, the page-change method shown inFIG. 7G, there is a Mod_Exit_Page, and there is no input or output to and from the card. InFIG. 7H, the user can also set a selection, which again prompts the peripheral to send the Mod_Set_Item command along with an input (e.g., input=[id=0x04, index=0) to the card.

From the foregoing description, it should be understood that an improved system and method for exporting menu objects of a menu in a peripheral using a direct data entry structure have been shown and described, which have many desirable attributes and advantages. The system and method enables menu objects and structure to be exported to a peripheral, allowing for user selection to configure these menu objects.

APPENDIX APERIPHERAL COMMANDSMOD_MENU_Return the menu title in the buffer. Does not affectTITLEthe card internal state. The title string must containat least one printable character.MOD_START_A request sent by the peripheral to enter into theSESSIONcard's menu state machine. A null string is sent bythe peripheral in the request and the card returns anull string in the response. No Indicator bits shouldbe set in either the request or responseMOD_END_A request sent by the peripheral to exit the card'sSESSIONmenu state machine and save any modifications. Anull string is sent by the peripheral in the requestand the card returns a null string in the response.No Indicator bits should be set in either the requestor responseMOD_CANCEL_A request sent by the peripheral to exit the card'sSESSIONmenu state machine and discard any changes. Anull string is sent by the peripheral in the requestand the card returns a null string in the response.No Indicator bits should be set in either the requestor responseMOD_SET_A request sent by the peripheral to enter into theFIRST_PAGEcard's first page. A page is a logical grouping ofmenu elements. A null string is sent by theperipheral in the request and the card returns a nullstring in the response. No Indicator bits should beset in either the request or response.MOD_SET_A request sent by the peripheral to enter a newNEW_PAGElogical grouping of menu elements. A DDE string issent by the peripheral in the request to inform thecard of the desired page and the card returns a nullstring in the response. No Indicator bits should beset in the request. The card may set Indicator Bit 3in the response if the requested page is invalid.MOD_GET_A request sent by the peripheral to get the title for aPAGE_TITLEpage. Does not affect the card internal state. Thetitle string must contain a least one printablecharacter. Peripherals should issue this requestwhen entering and exiting pages. The peripheralcannot assume the title of any previous page is stillvalid after performing either aMOD_SET_SELECTION or MOD_SET—ELEMENT and must issue this request after recei-ving responses to these requests.MOD_EXIT_A request sent by the peripheral to leave the currentCURRENT_PAGElogical grouping of menu elements and return to theprevious page. A null string is sent by the peripheralin the request and the card returns a null string inthe response. No Indicator bits should be set in therequest. If the peripheral was on the first page whenthis request is issued, the card will return theresponse with Indicator Bit 3 set. The peripheralcannot assume the elements of any previously pageare still valid and the peripheral should gather all theelements of the current page after receiving theresponse from this request.MOD_GET_A request sent by the peripheral to get the firstFIRST_ELEMENTelement of the current page. A null string is sent bythe peripheral in the request and the card returns aDDE string representing the element in theresponse. This DDE string will represent variouselement types including parameter/items, menus,and selections. See the appendix at the end of thisdocument for more information concerning DDEstrings. No Indicator bits should be set in therequest. Indicator bit 2 will be set in the card'sresponse verifying this is the first element on thepage. If the peripheral does not have a current pagewhen this request is issued, the card will return theresponse with a null string with Indicator Bit 3 set.MOD_GET_A request sent by the peripheral to get the nextNEXT_ELEMENTelement of the current page. A null string is sent bythe peripheral in the request and the card returns aDDE string representing the element in theresponse. This DDE string will represent variouselement types including parameter/items, menus,and selections. See the appendix at the end of thisdocument for more information concerning DDEstrings. No Indicator bits should be set in therequest. Indicator Bit 1 in the card's response will beset if this is the last element on the page. The list ofelements on a page is not circular; the next requestafter the last element has been retrieved will returna response with a null string with Indicator Bit 3 set.When the first element on the page is returnedIndicator bit 2 will be set in the card's response. Ifthe peripheral does not have a current page whenthis request is issued, the card will return theresponse with a null string with Indicator Bit 3 set.MOD_GET_A request sent by the peripheral to get the previousPREV_ELEMENTelement of the current page. A null string is sent bythe peripheral in the request and the card returns aDDE string representing the element in theresponse. This DDE string will represent variouselement types including parameter/items, menus,and selections. See the appendix at the end of thisdocument for more information concerning DDEstrings. No Indicator bits should be set in therequest. Indicator Bit 1 in the card's response willbe set if this is the last element on the page. Thelist of elements on a page is not circular; a previousrequest on the fist element will return a responsewith a null string with indicator Bit 3 set. When thefirst element on the page is returned Indicator bit 2will be set in the card's response. If the peripheraldoes not have a current page when this request isissued, the card will return the response with a nullstring with Indicator Bit 3 set.MOD_SET_A request sent by the peripheral to set the DDESELECTIONstring choice for a selection. A DDE string is sentby the peripheral indicating which choice is to beset for the selection and the card returns a nullstring in the response. See the appendix at the endof this document for more information concerningDDE strings and selection elements. No Indicatorbits should be set in the request. The cardmay set Indicator Bit 3 in the response if the re-quested choice cannot be set or is invalid. Theperipheral cannot assume the elements of the cur-rent page are still valid after sending this re-quest and the peripheral should gather all theelements of the current page after receiving theresponse.MOD_LOOKUP_A request sent by the peripheral to get one of theSELECTIONenumerated DDE string choices for a selection. ADDE string is sent by the peripheral indicatingwhich choice is requested and the card returns aDDE string representing this item. See the appen-dix at the end of this document for more informationconcerning DDE strings and selection elements. NoIndicator bits should be set in the request. The cardmay set Indicator Bit 3 in the response if therequested selection element is invalid.MOD_SET_A request sent by the peripheral to set theITEMparameter of a specified item/parameter element ofthe current page. A DDE string is sent by theperipheral in the request and the card returns a nullstring in the response. See the appendix at the endof this document for more information concerningDDE strings. No Indicator bits should be set in therequest. The card may set Indicator Bit 3 in theresponse if the requested page is invalid. Theperipheral cannot assume the elements of thecurrent page are still valid after sending this requestand the peripheral should gather all the elements ofthe current page after receiving the response.MOD_GET_For Enhanced Menus only, see section 11.11.2 andDDE_STRINGthe appendix at the end of the document for theDDE string format definition. The peripheral sendsthis operator as a request with a null string. Thecard returns the Direct Data Entry format stringdescribing the current configuration item/parameter.The Indicator field must be set as listed below. Thisoperator is typically issued by the peripheral whenkeyboard data will be entered for the parameter.

The parts of a DDE string are explained below:Identification: The id keyword is a card-supplied identifier that is unique to the current menu page. The card may reuse identifiers from page to page, but not within the same page. The identifier is a 32-bit hex number.Label: The label keyword is followed by text that is localized in the language and character set specified by NLS Set PGP packet. The label describes the menu item. The label is surrounded by quotes and does not allow for internal quotes to be present in the string.Type: The type keyword determines how to capture and display data to the user. The type indicates the menu item is for an integer, hexadecimal number, real number, IP address, list of selections, or user-supplied text.Detailed Attributes: Any type-specific attributes must be placed after the identifier, label, and type attributes. For each data type there is a set of keywords that further describe rules for data capture and display for a given menu item.Prefix and Suffix: The prefix and suffix attributes are optional. They are not required to be supported by peripherals, so card-supplied DDE strings must be sufficiently clear without them. They are primarily for displaying units before and/or after the value text.Visibility: The vis attribute is optional. It is applicable to all data types. When set to 1, it indicates that the menu item is visible and operational. When set to 0, the menu item is not visible and is therefore non-operational. Peripherals may post an icon indicating that the current menu item is locked, or hidden. Peripherals may also omit the menu item from the menu page.Access: The access attribute is optional. It is applicable to all data types. The access indicates the degree of access the user has to view and modify the item's value.r—menu item can be viewed but not modifiedw—menu item can be both viewed and modified

The page keyword is used for sub menus. There are no detailed keywords. The page title (sub menu title) is contained in the label part of the DDE string. The peripheral will enter into sub menus (pages) by sending an110command, CMD_MENU_DATA, with the modifier, MOD_SET_NEW_PAGE, with a DDE string that contains the id of the page into which to enter.

Unsigned integers are useful for positive numbers and for hexadecimal numbers, which are useful for station addresses. Peripherals that do not have alpha characters on their keypads can use incremental menu commands to process this menu item. Card designers have to be aware that peripherals may use incremental menu commands instead of direct data entry for this uint32type.

Data type andKeywordprintf formatRange and commentsValueUINT32, “%u”Card supplies value such that 0 <= value <=e.g. value=270232- 1, and min <= value <= max. Forvalues greater than 100, the peripheraldetermines whether and how to display theradix depending on the current localization(e.g. “1000” for neutral or “1,000” for U.S.or “1.000” for Europe).MinUINT32, “%u”Card supplies min such that 0 <= min <=e.g. min=0232- 1, and min <= max.MaxUINT32, “%u”Card supplies max such that 0 <= max <=e.g. max=360232- 1, and min <= max.large-stepUINT32, “%u”Card supplies large-step x such that x > 0,e.g. large-and x <= (max-min). Peripherals use x tostep=30adjust a value up or down in largeincrements. Peripherals add x to the valueto step up or subtract x from the value tostep down. When the max or min isreached or exceeded, the peripheraldetermines how to wrap to a new value thatstill meets the criteria min <= value <=max. The default is large-step = 10 for allapplicable data types except when using theuint32 type with hex format, for which thedefault is large-step = 0 × 10 (16 decimal),and the real32 type, for which the default islarge-step = 10.0.WrapUINT32, “%u”Card supplies wrap flag such that 1 = yes toe.g. wrap=0include wrap numeric values, and 0 = no toe.g. wrap=1not wrap numeric values then either min ormax has been reached. The default is wrap= 0 (do not wrap). Peripherals may chooseto ignore this option.formatUINT32, “%u”Card supplies format as dec for decimal ore.g.hex for hexadecimal. The formatformat=decdetermines how to capture numbers frome.g.the user and how to display numbers to theformat=hexuser. The default is format = dec (decimalformat). This option is only supported foralphanumeric enhanced and alphanumericflex menus.percentUINT32, “%u”Card supplies percent flag such that 1 = yese.g. percent=0to include a percent symbol, and 0 = no toomit a percent symbol. The percent symbolis ASCII code 37 (“%”). This flag does notapply to the hex format type. The default ispercent = 0 (no percent symbol).Peripherals may choose to ignore thisoption.

The peripheral will set the value of the unsigned integer by sending an IIO Command, CMD_MENU_DATA, with the modifier, MOD_SET_ITEM, with a DDE string that contains the id of the element to be set and its value.

Signed integers are useful for negative numbers.

Data type andKeywordprintf formatRange and commentsvalueSINT32, “%d”Card supplies value such that -216<= valuee.g. value=−5<= 216- 1, and min <= value <= max. Fornegative values the peripheral must displaythe value with a minus sign. For valuesgreater than 100, the peripheral determineswhether and how to display the radixdepending on the current localization (e.g.“1000” for neutral or “1,000” for U.S. or“1.000” for Europe).minSINT32, “%d”Card supplies min such that -216<=min <=e.g. min=−10216- 1, and min <= max.maxSINT32, “%d”Card supplies max such that -216<=maxe.g. max=+10<= 216- 1, and min <= max.large-stepUINT32, “%d”[ See uint32 type ]e.g. large-step=10signUINT32, “%d”Card supplies sign flag such that 1 = yes toe.g. sign=1include a sign symbol, and 0 = no to omit asign symbol. The sign symbol is ASCIIcode 43 (“+”) for positive sign and ASCIIcode 45 (“−”) for negative sign. Regardlessof sign specification, the peripheral mustalways display the negative sign symbolwhen the value being displayed is less thanzero. So the significance of this signspecification is whether to display thepositive sign symbol when the value isstrictly positive. When the card suppliesvalue=0 with sign=1, the peripheral doesnot display the positive sign symbol. Thedefault is sign = 0 (no sign symbol).Peripherals may choose to ignore thisoption.percentUINT32, “%d”[ See uint32 type ]e.g. percent=0

The peripheral will set the value of the signed integer by sending an IIO command CMD_MENU_DATA, with the modifier, MOD_SET_ITEM, with a DDE string that contains the id of the element to be set and its value.

IP addresses are useful for identifying nodes, stations, hosts, devices, etc., on a network or on the Internet.

Data type andKeywordprintf formatRange and commentsvalueUCHAR (× 4)Card supplies text containing all four octets“%u.%u.%u.%of the IP address, and each octet is anu”unsigned 8-bit number. Network byte ordere.g.is not an issue here because the card andvalue=peripheral exchange strings that depict the15.8.26.163order of the octets. All combinations arevalue=allowed upon data entry. The card verifies015.008.026.1each entry for validity. So, the peripheral63must allow the user to enter “0.0.0.0” for anIP address. The peripheral must then givethat over to the card. The card decideswhether the entry is valid for the menu itemat hand. The ipaddr type is useful for anyaddress that resembles its format: IPaddress, subnet mask, etc.

The peripheral will set the value of the ip address by sending an IIO command, CMD_MENU_DATA, with the modifier, MOD_SET_ELEMENT, with a DDE string that contains the id of the element to be set and its value in unsigned dot notation.

Selections are useful for showing the user the options relevant for the menu item at hand. The user selects the best answer from that set of relevant options. Typically peripherals will “lookup” the strings for all the possible index values between the mm and the max and present these strings as choices to the user.

Data type andKeywordprintf formatRange and commentsvaluePUCHAR,Card supplies text as a quotized string of“%s”localized text. This text corresponds to thestring that is represented by the currentindex.indexUCHAR,The numeric index that corresponds to the“%d”currently selected value. This value must bea positive integer in the range between themin and the max listed below.minUCHAR,The minimum value that the index value“%d”can take. This must be a positive numbergreater or equal to zero.maxUCHAR,The maximum value that the index value“%d”can take. This must be a positive numbergreater or equal to zero.

The peripheral will query the value strings for the selections with the IIO command MOD_LOOKUP_SELECTION, with a DDE string that contains the id of the selection element and the index value to query.

The peripheral will set the value selections by sending an IIO command, MOD_SET_SELECTION, with a DDE string that contains the id of the selection element to be set and the index value.

Real numbers are useful for statistics, thresholds, set points, offsets, or any numbers that map to physical space rather than logical space. They are also useful for currency. This DDE string type is only available with alphanumeric enhanced and alphanumeric flex menus.

Data type andKeywordprintf formatRange and commentsvalueFLOAT32,Card supplies the value of the real number)“%f”such that its absolute value is withinrange:e.g.value=92.50.0001 <= abs (value) <=100000.0The maximum integer part of the realnumber is one hundred thousand. Themaximum fractional part of the real num-ber is one ten thousandth (1/10,000),which is 4 decimal places. Peripheralsonly have to support 6 digits for theinteger part, 1 character for the radix, 4digits for the fractional part, and 1character for a sign (+/−) symbol. So themaximum character length for a realnumber is 12 characters. When interfacingwith the user, the peripheral must displaythe lower radix according to the currentlocalization (e.g. “92.5” or “92,5”). Theperipheral may include or omit the upperradix from the display. If included in thedisplay, the upper radix must be localized(e.g. “1,092.5” or “1.092,5”).When peripheral and card exchangestrings, all real numbers in the float32DDE string must in fixed-point format(not scientific or exponential format).They must include a period for the lowerradix and they must omit the upper radix.Keywords and numeric values in DDEstrings are not localized.minFLOAT32, “%f”Card supplies min such that:e.g.min=0.0−100000.0 <= min <= value <=maxmaxFLOAT32,Card supplies max such that:“%f”e.g.min <= value <= max <=max=100.0+100000.0precisionUINT32, “%d”Card supplies precision such that 1 <=e.g.precision <= 4 to indicate the number ofprecision=1decimal places to display to the user. Theprecision=2peripheral must always show the specifiednumber of decimal places, even if thefractional part of the real number is zero(e.g. 76.0). Precision must be consistentwith value, min, max, single-step, andlarge-step attributes. So, if single-step=0.25 then precision must be greaterthan or equal to 2. Precision of 0 is notallowed - use the sint32 type for numbersthat have zero precision. The precisionattribute is required in all float32 DDEstrings.single-stepFLOAT32,Card supplies single-step for the“%f”incremental resolution of the number. Thise.g.is used to indicate how far to incrementsingle-and decrement in single steps. The defaultstep=0.1is single-step=0.1 (one tenth).single-step=0.25single-step=1.0large-stepFLOAT32,[See uint32 type]“%f”e.g.large-step=0000.5000signUINT32, “%d”[See signed integer type -- sint32 type ]e.g. sign=0percentUINT32, “%d”[See uint32 type]e.g. percent=1

The peripheral will set the value of the real number by sending an IIO Command, MOD_SET_ELEMENT, with a DDE string that contains the id of the element to be set and the value of the real number.

User text is useful for capturing names, personal identification numbers, passwords, web addresses, e-mail addresses, and so on, from the user. The user text allowed is limited by the text class or by the filter. This string type is only available with alphanumeric enhanced and alphanumeric flex menus.

Data type andKeywordprintf formatRange and commentsvaluePUCHAR,Card supplies text as a quotized string of“%s”localized text.max-UCHAR,Card supplies max-length of 0 to 255. Thelength“%d”length does not include the null terminator.This is the maximum number of charactersthat the card will accept as input for usertext.allowPUCHAR,Card supplies allow keyword to instruct the“%s”peripheral to allow only specific charactersExamples:upon data entry; not compatible with classallow=“0-9a-keyword or deny keyword. If no allowzA-Z”keyword is specified, no special restrictionsallow==“-+a-are placed on user text. The filter is limitedz{circumflex over ( )}%$”to ASCII values in the range 1-127 (\001 to\177 octal) that are printable. The default isthat only printable characters areautomatically allowed.denyPUCHAR,Card supplies deny keyword to instruct the“%s”peripheral to deny only specific charactersExamples:upon data entry; not compatible with classdeny=“0-9a-keyword or allow keyword. If no denyzA-Z”keyword is specified, no special restrictionsdeny=“-+a-are placed on user text. The filter is limitedz{circumflex over ( )}%$”to ASCII values in the range 1-127 (\001 to\177 octal) that are printable. The default isthat all non-printable characters areautomatically denied.

The peripheral will set the value of the user strings by sending an IIO command MOD_SET_ELEMENT, with a DDE string that contains the id of the element to be set and the value string.