Certain fields in the capabilities, key bindings, and color sections are specified using strings. Strings are typically a combination of command sequences, literal values, and encoded arguments that tell OpenEdge how to control some aspect of the display.

The following table show the symbols that are common to all strings. Symbols that are unique to strings specified in the capabilities, key bindings, or color sections are explained in context.

Some terminal types require you to specify a delay period, also called a padding constant, with certain string capabilities. The delay, in milliseconds, gives the terminal adequate time to execute the command. Specify this delay as an integer value after the equals sign (=) in a string, as shown in the following example:

This tells OpenEdge to wait 20 milliseconds after sending the cursor motion (cm) command sequence.

You can optionally follow an integer delay value with an asterisk (*) for commands that affect more than one line of the display. In this case, OpenEdge delays the specified time for each line affected by the command. However, this significantly degrades performance and usually is not required.

When you specify proportional delay, you must specify an integer as the delay in a string field. It cannot have a fractional part; for example, a delay of 1.5* is not valid.