VIP FAQ

VIP General

Can I use any terminal emulator, any terminal table?

VIP requires Thoroughbred’s TbredComm terminal emulator when connecting to a remote host. In addition, you must use the TBRECON terminal table. If you create a custom terminal table you must use “TBRED” as the first 5 characters of the terminal table name.

Can I use a Windows host?

VIP can run on a Windows network. Starting with 8.5.0 a Basic installed on Windows 10/Windows 11/Windows Server 2016/Windows Server 2019/Windows Server 2022/ Windows Server 2025.

VIP appears to time out or hang periodically?

General network problems over a slow network can often be corrected by reducing the maximum size of the inbound message: messages posted from the host to the client. If you experience general connectivity problems try reducing the Queue Size in the WorkStation Manager. Try reducing this to 16K or 8K. The default value is 16K; the maximum value is 64K

Why does VIP occasionally crash when displaying Screens or Views?

At times local cache can become corrupt. This might happen when the timestamps on the workstation and the host match but the GUI objects are not in sync with the host.

You can delete the problem GUI object from the appropriate vip-data-path\Tsi\ObjectCache folder or use TSSetupEnv.exe to reload local cache. See the Reloading Local Cache section of this manual for more information.

It is important when restoring IDDbk files that you also restore the corresponding IDDbkVIP file to keep the host character screen and GUI screen definitions in sync.

None of the VIP objects have the focus, which object is the current one?

Find Current Objects (CTRL-F)
The host controls what graphical object within the main VIP GUI Server window should have the focus. In a windows environment the user can click on any window displayed on the desktop. This inherent difference between host application code and a windows workstation paradigm can at times create a situation where the current VIP object cannot retain the focus. To find the current object press CTRL-F. Or from the VIP menu select “System” then select” Find Current Object”.

How do I prevent my customers from incorrectly shutting down my application by closing
the VIP or TbredComm window?
The WorkStation Manager contains options to disable the close button on both the main VIP
GUI Server window and the TbredComm window.

I’m not using Desktop Application Menus, how do I have my application start with VIP enabled?
Please see VIPSTART discussed in the VIP for Dictionary-IV manual (Enable the Graphic Presentation).

Are there multiple spoken language versions of the VIP product suite?
No, however you can translate all the text presented by the VIP products; error messages, dialog boxes, menu bar text, etc. Please refer to the Multi Language for VIP for details.

Which fonts work well when migrating from character to GUI?
Always use fonts that are guaranteed to be installed on the client. If a font or point size is used by a VIP graphical object and that font is not installed the client, the OS will perform a font substitution. This may not yield the desired results. When creating GUI Screens, and setting default values in the WorkStation Manager, always use fonts that you know to be installed on each VIP client.

For proper data alignment in Screens and Views always use a fixed font. Keep in mind that the VIP interprets the character (80x24 grid) versions of the various Dictionary-IV Classes when creating the corresponding GUI objects. Resolution and font can have a dramatic impact on this interpretation. Consider fonts in a data entry screen. Assume an input field is defined as /FIELD(10)=data-element. VIP will calculate the width of that field based on 10 * the width of the W character in the specified font. By using fixed-width fonts you can avoid some of the slight variations that come into play with this averaging. Recommended fonts for on-line help are DejaVu Mono, Courier New, and IBMPCDOS. For more information, please see refer to the WorkStation Manager manual (Screen, Menu and Help Fonts tab).

On-line Help will be displayed using the font defined in the WorkStation Manager. If your help contains business graphic characters you must use a font and terminal table that will support these characters. When editing help text with VIP enabled it is critical that the column and row mapping for the character presentation be preserved.

Diagram: NOTE: The Tbred font is no longer supported.

Why does VIP occasionally crash when displaying on line help?
Help generated and cached on the client using VIP 4.031 or earlier is not compatible with VIP 4.10. To correct this problem, clear the contents of the TSI\ObjectCache\Help folder. In release VIP 4.10 the communication of help was modified in order to correct several problems making it incompatible with cached help definitions created by prior releases.

Views

How do I control where the GUI objects appear within the VIP GUI Server window?

The starting location of a Screen or a View in character mode may not be the best starting location for that same object in GUI mode. In the WorkStation Manager there is an option to save the location of a GUI object where it was last displayed. For example, col 5 might make sense in char mode for the start col of a view but may not be the optimal location running with VIP enabled. It is important to remember that a location running in one resolution might be inappropriate in another resolution.

In addition, GUI objects typically require less ‘real estate’ on the desktop than the corresponding character definitions. Experiment with resizing and saving GUI object locations on the client to optimize the presentation of your application.

How to I control data alignment in a View?

As mentioned above, fixed-width fonts will always produce the best alignment of data in a column. Recommended fonts are DejaVu Mono, Courier New, and IBMPCDOS. For more information, please see refer to the WorkStation Manager manual (Screen, Menu and Help Fonts tab).

In addition, the View Rules setting in the WorkStation Manager will control how data is aligned within a View. By enabling this option all date fields, all numeric fields, and all fields where the padding types are 1 or 3 will be right justified. All other field types and padding types will be left justified.

What GUI presentation is used for the View Pre/Post Processing options?

A right mouse click context menu is automatically created for each column based on the format attributes of the data element. These options include: Lookup, Connects, Help and Properties. If a ‘class’ of options is not defined it will appear as disabled in the context menu. The ‘Properties’ option is only available when in developer mode. This is the equivalent of doing an F11 to modify the format attributes of the data element.

Tool Bars

Does VIP support a Tool Bar?

The VIP product supports two Tool Bars, the WorkStation Manager Tool Bar that is tied to the desktop and the VIP Tool Bar that is contained by the main VIP GUI Server window. Consider using a VIP Tool Bar for those functions that are common to the various object classes in your application. For example: LookUps, Exit, Help, etc. The VIP Tool Bar is dynamic. It is possible to define multiple Tool Bars and control, which Tool Bar is on top of the stack at any point in your application code.

Creating GUI Screens

What do I need to know when creating and editing GUI screen definitions?

All screens start as default screens. Based on the character definition VIP will create a graphical interpretation of the screen definition. You can control some of the rules that are applied to this logic by configuring the Screen Filter File. For example, using this filter you can control if the field label “Customer Code” will be created as two controls or one. Configuring this file appropriately will produce default screens that are easier to modify and change in the Graphic Screen Editor.

Before converting all your screen definitions pick a few screens that represent a good cross sample of your application and experiment with a few different styles. You can create several different templates and apply them in the GUI screen editor to get a quick feel for how your application might look. Converting all your screens and getting them all just right can be a fair amount of work. Taking the time up front to work out a template and a style will reduce the effort of converting all your screens.

For input fields stick with fixed-width fonts. Recommended fonts for on-line help are DejaVu Mono, Courier New, and IBMPCDOS. For more information, please see refer to the WorkStation Manager manual (Screen, Menu and Help Fonts tab).

If you will be adding buttons to your screens, use the option in the Graphic Screen editor to define default values for your buttons. Adding buttons in this way will provide consistent font attributes and a consistent size to all your buttons across all your screens. Also consider using a VIP Tool Bar for functions that are common across your application. This will provide a clean easy to read screen and a common interface for your user.

How do I select multiple controls to move or align a group of controls?

First be sure that the Shift Down button is not enabled. The Shift Down button is a shortcut to the Properties dialog and will take precedence over making multiple selections. While holding down the Ctrl key, use the mouse click to select multiple controls. Each selected control will be highlighted with grab handles. Once a group of controls are selected, the entire group and be moved simply by dragging the group or aligned using one of the alignment options on the Editor Tool Bar.

Why do controls ‘jump’ when I move them in the editor?

When the option for “snap to grid” is enabled, controls will be moved to the nearest point on the grid. Experiment with disabling the grid control in the Graphic Screen Editor and using the various Align options on a selected group of controls. It is a matter of preference however some users find it easier to work with the grid disabled.

Why do I get the warning ‘Caption and Tips cannot contain more than 50 characters’?

There is a limit to the length of text that can be used for text (caption) and tool tips. This limit is not strictly tied to these two properties alone. Specifically, there is a limit to the total number of characters used to store the definition of a control. On average there are approximately 50 characters available for both the text and tool tips.

VIP appears to time out or hang when uploading screen definitions?

When working with large custom GUI screen definitions over a slower network it may be necessary to adjust the maximum size of an outbound message: messages posted to the host. If you experience problems saving large GUI screen definitions back to the host, try reducing the Upload Message Size in the WorkStation Manager.

In addition to network speed the client hardware and operating system can contribute to problems when editing large GUI screen definitions. Most current hardware and operating systems can run with an Upload Message Size of 64K. On older machines the Upload Message Size may have to be reduced to 8K. In extreme cases it may not be possible to edit large graphical screens. For editing large GUI screens, we recommend at least a P2 with a minimum of 128MB RAM.

Why is a template being applied to a screen when it is loaded in the editor?

This can happen for one of two reasons:

In the Graphic Screen Editor under Edit, Options, Templates there is an option to automatically apply the selected template when a screen is loaded in the editor.

From Dictionary-IV Screen Maintenance when you select a screen for editing and there is no corresponding GUI screen, a default screen will be created for the editor. If in the WorkStation Manager the to option to apply a template to a default screen is enabled, that template will be applied to the default screen created for the editor.

Why isn’t the WorkStation Manager (Screen Template Options) not showing the current list of templates?

The list of templates displayed by the WorkStation Manager is updated only when a GUI screen template is loaded in the GUI screen editor. Loading a template in the editor is the only way to update the client with a template definition. If a template definition is not included in the list, simply load that template in the GUI screen editor to update the client with the template definition.

Why is the screen loaded in the editor when I do a CONNECT SCREEN?

It is recommended that the Graphical Screen Designer be closed before trying to access screens at run time. The screen designer is not closed after a screen definition is uploaded or unloaded. This is done to avoid having to reload the designer each time a GUI screen is selected for editing by the host. If the designer is not closed and a CONNECT SCREEN or INPUT SCREEN is requested, under some circumstances the screen will incorrectly be loaded in the editor.

Run Time GUI Screens

The foreground and background colors of certain screen controls are difficult to read, how do I correct this?

You can control the foreground and background color for Security fields, Calculated (formula) fields, and the current field in the WorkStation Manager. These foreground and background colors are applied to the control when the GUI screen is rendered at run time. When selecting colors, keep in mind that the OS will apply the system highlight color to the active field. When selecting default colors for the current field, consider using a color combination that will not conflict with the system highlight colors.

Why has VIP slowed down when creating GUI screens?

Never run with the OCX Message trace enabled unless you have been requested to do so by Customer Support. This will dramatically reduce the performance of screen processing. Don’t forget to disable message tracing in the WorkStation Manager if you have enabled it to generate trace files for Customer Support.

Why are the default screens very large and empty or corrupted?

This can happen for one of two reasons.

The ActiveX control (ScrControl.ocx) used for processing screens has either been renamed or moved causing the registry entry to be altered. To correct this, please refer to registering the OCX control using TSTCON32.exe described in the VIP for Dictionary-IV manual.
The default font or point size for Screens defined in the WorkStation Manager is not installed on the client. Also see ‘Why is the font used by the default screens so small?’

Why is the font used by the default screens so small?

This is a problem with the way Windows handles font selection. The Windows Common Dialog for selecting fonts displays font sizes that are not necessarily available for the selected font type. Windows attempts to match the closest font size, which can yield unexpected results. Another related item that contributes to the font confusion is a difference in the way fonts are handled in Windows and they way they are handled in Visual Basic. Depending upon the font, there can be some variation in point size.

Recommended fonts are DejaVu Mono point size 11 or Courier New point size 11.

Slave Printing

Why do slave print jobs remain the windows spooler?

You must PRINT the ‘PC’ mnemonic before closing the slave printer. For example:

0010 OPEN(1)”UTCUST;
     OPEN(2)”PS”;
     PRINT(2)’OPEN’

0020 K$=KEY(1);
     READ RECORD(1)A$;
     PRINT(2)A$

0030 PRINT(2) ‘CLOSE’,;
     PRINT ‘PC’,;
     CLOSE(2)

0090 END

TbredComm

What is the largest font I can use with TbredComm?

The font size is dependent upon the font used. For example, Courier New supports a point
size of 72.

WorkStation Manager

I disabled the WorkStation Manger icon in the system tray, how do I get it back?

Once the option to show the WorkStation Manager icon in the system tray has been disabled, it can only be enabled by manually editing the Tbred.ini file. Using Notepad or any text file editor open vip-system-path\Tbred.ini in the [TWMGR] section change TrayIcon=no to TrayIcon=yes and reboot the client.

How do I prevent my customers from altering the Option settings in the WorkStation Manager or from selecting certian items available on the WorkStation Manager menu?

There are two ways to accomplish this.

You can prevent the WorkStation Manager icon from being displayed in the system tray. Set the ‘Tray Icon’ option on the WorkStation Manager tab to ‘No’. Please refer to the WorkStation Manager manual for details.
Individual items can be deleted from the WorkStation Manager menu. Please refer to this faq How Can I Customize the WorkStation Manager Menu?

How can I Customize the WorkStation Manager Menu?

The context menu that is displayed when doing a right mouse click on the WorkStation Manager icon can be modified. Entries can be deleted, text can be altered but entries cannot be added. The content of the menu is defined by the file OOMGRMNU-language_code-timestamp located in the vip-data-path \Tsi\TWMgr folder. Note that this file is not downloaded from the host. Changes to this file must be made on each client.

For more information, please refer to the Multi-Language for VIP manual.

In some cases, it is preferred to remove one or more WorkStation Menu items. This is a two-step process. The OOMGRMNU file is modified, removing the desired entries and the noitems= in the [TWMGR] section of the Tbred.ini file is updated to reflect the new menu item count. Both of these files can be edited using any standard text editor, for example notepad.exe.

For example, the “Menus” and “Applications” items can be removed from the WorkStation Manager menu. OOMGRMNU before deleting the “Menus” and “Applications” entries:

-1MWorkstation Manager Menu[]
00XOptions[40075]
00MToolbar[]
01MToolbar Position[]
02SNone[40057]
02SFloating[40058]
02STop[40059]
02SBottom[40060]
02SLeft[40061]
02SRight[40062]
01XLoad New Toolbar[40072]
01XToolbar Maintenance[40071]
00MMenus[]
01XRemove Application Menu[40068]
01XRestore Application Menu[40073]
00MApplications[50004]
00MHost Type[]
01SRemote Host[40063]
01SWorkstation[40082]
00MPresentation Mode[]
01SCharacter[40065]
01SVIP[40066]
00XStop Manager[40070]

Tbred.ini before deleting the ‘Menus’ and ‘Applications’ entries:

[TWMGR]
noitems=22

OOMGRMNU after deleting the ‘Menus’ and ‘Applications’ entries:

-1MWorkstation Manager Menu[]
00XOptions[40075]
00MToolbar[]
01MToolbar Position[]
02SNone[40057]
02SFloating[40058]
02STop[40059]
02SBottom[40060]
02SLeft[40061]
02SRight[40062]
01XLoad New Toolbar[40072]
01XToolbar Maintenance[40071]
00MHost Type[]
01SRemote Host[40063]
01SWorkstation[40082]
00MPresentation Mode[]
01SCharacter[40065]
01SVIP[40066]
00XStop Manager[40070]

Tbred.ini after deleting the ‘Menus’ and ‘Applications’ entries:

[TWMGR]
noitems=18

From the VIP for Dictionary-IV Reference, version 8.9.1. Open this page in the PDF