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Entity Design

Patterns

  • Generate Patterns Automatically

Specifies whether or not the Design Tool creates patterns automatically as you add entities to your host application model. Patterns can be generated automatically for block mode applications only.

  • Generate Patterns Based On

    Specifies the physical characteristics of the pattern to be recognized during auto-generation. You can generate patterns based on field type and text color. Patterns can be generated automatically for block mode applications only. See Pattern Preferences.

  • Position Type for Patterns

    Defines the settings (Row, Height, Col, and Width) that describe the actual position of the pattern on the host screen. Row can be defined with the row number or you can select from one of the following options: Any Row, Current Row, First Row, or Last Row. Col can be defined with the column number or you can select from one of the following options: Any Column, Current Column, First Column, or Last Column.

    Select either the Fixed or the Relative to cursor option. The default is Fixed and the coordinates of the pattern are automatically generated and can be viewed on the Pattern tab if pattern search is not defined relative to the cursor or in an expanded region.

    When defining a pattern, set the Row box to Current Row then configure the options in the Properties box. After you've configured the pattern properties, set the Row box to Any Row to ensure accuracy in your pattern configuration.

  • Use Blink for Patterns

    Specifies that the text added as a pattern blinks on the terminal screen. The default is No. To change the color of a display attribute in the Design Tool, use the Display Setup dialog box on the Settings menu. This setting applies to VT and HP hosts only.

  • Use Brightness for Patterns

    Specifies the brightness level of a static area added as a pattern on the terminal screen. Brightness can be normal (most screens and text) or half (which makes the characters appear dimmer). The default is No. This setting applies to HP and VT hosts only.

  • Use Case Sensitivity for Patterns

    Specifies whether or not text, either typed or selected from the terminal screen, in a selected pattern is case sensitive. The default is Yes.

  • Use Display Attributes for Patterns

    Specifies what types of physical characteristics to look for on a host screen when adding patterns to entities. By default, the Use all display attributes that are uniform across a selected area option is selected. This means that the Design Tool will allow any display characteristics that are similar to be added as patterns on entities. The other option, designed mainly for VT and HP hosts, is Use only specified display attributes.

  • Use Field Types for Patterns

    Specifies how the host has set a terminal display field attribute on the terminal screen. For example, the host may recognize a text field as an "unprotected" field while areas that cannot be edited by a user are "protected" fields. The default is No. This setting applies to IBM 3270 and 5250 hosts only.

  • Use Text Color for Patterns

    Specifies the terminal display attribute of the text color that appears on a pattern. The default is No. This setting applies to IBM 3270 and 5250 hosts only.

  • Use Text Color for Patterns

    Specifies that text characters, either typed into the Text box on the Pattern tab or selected from the terminal screen, be included when adding patterns to entities. The default is Yes.

  • Use Underscore for Patterns

    Specifies whether or not characters in a pattern appear to be underlined. The default is No. To change the color of a display attribute in the Design Tool, click Display on the Settings menu to open the Display Setup dialog box. This setting applies to VT and HP hosts only.

  • Use Video for Patterns

    Specifies the video type of a pattern on the terminal screen. There are two types of video: Normal (often white characters on a black background) and Reverse (black characters on a white background). The default is No. This setting applies to VT and HP hosts only.

Attributes

  • Character Mode Data Entry for Attributes

    If you are working on a character mode host, such as HP or VT, direct the Host Integrator to treat an attribute in any one of the following ways:

    • Don't wait for echo (default) - Select this option to transmit the string to the host and immediately move to the next action. Always use this option for block mode applications. For character mode applications, use this option only when you know that data will not be echoed back to the terminal screen. For example, many times alphanumeric keys are used to move between screens and are not echoed.

    • Wait for next tabstop - Select this option to wait for the cursor to appear at the next tabstop after transmitting data. If tabstops have been defined on the Cursor tab, then Host Integrator waits for the cursor to appear at one of the defined locations. If no tabstop definitions are applicable, then Host Integrator waits for the cursor to be anywhere on the screen that is outside the attribute or recordset field to which the data is being written.

    • Wait for next tabstop or string to echo at cursor - Select this option to wait for the exact data string to be written back to the terminal screen or to wait for it to appear at the next appropriate tabstop. This option is not recommended.

    • Wait for same number of characters to echo - Select this option to wait for the same number of characters to be sent back to the terminal screen after data has been transmitted to the host. To detect the number of echoed characters, Host Integrator transmits the data and waits for the cursor position to move the same number of columns as the length of the data transmitted. For example, if you transmit the name George as your password, a host will often echo six spaces instead of the original text. With this option selected, Host Integrator waits for the cursor to move six columns from the cursor position when the name George was transmitted to the host before moving on to the next command.

    • Wait for string to echo at cursor - Select this option to wait for the exact data string to be written back to the terminal screen after data has been sent to the host. This is the most robust option to select when working with character mode hosts. With character mode applications, the cursor must be wherever characters are being written to the screen. For this reason, use this option to synchronize with the host application.

  • Erase to End of Attribute for Attributes

    Specifies whether or not the Host Integrator is instructed to concatenate as many spaces as necessary to make the length of the input match the length of the attribute or field. The default is No. When writing an attribute value to an entity, there may or may not be a prefilled value from the host. If there is a prefilled value, just writing text to the screen will overwrite up to the length of the new data. If the old data is longer, the last few characters will be left behind, forming an odd input that was not intended. If this option is enabled, the Host Integrator fills in the remainder of the host field with spaces, thus "erasing" the left over prefilled value.

  • Generate Attributes Automatically

    Specifies whether or not the Design Tool creates attributes automatically as you add entities to your host application model. The default is No. On the Attribute tab in the Preferences Setup dialog box, select the No automatic generation option.

  • Generate Attributes Based On

    Specifies what types of characteristics the Design Tool should look for when generating attributes automatically. On the Attribute tab of the Preferences Setup dialog box, select Every Unprotected field when the Generate based on option is selected. Attributes can be generated automatically for block mode applications only. The following options are available: - Every unprotected field (Default) - Every field - Every modified field

  • Name Type for Attributes

    Specifies the name or names of the currently defined attributes. See Attribute Preferences.

  • Position Type for Attributes

Specifies the actual position of the attribute on the host screen. Choose from the options under Default position on the Attribute tab of the Preferences Setup dialog box. See Attribute Preferences.

  • Remove Leading Blanks for Attributes

    Gives you the ability to decide how the Host Integrator processes data after retrieving it from the terminal by allowing the you to remove blanks that come before the fetched data. The default is No.

  • Remove Trailing Blanks for Attributes Gives you the ability to decide how the Host Integrator processes data after retrieving it from the terminal by allowing you to remove blanks that come after the fetched data. The default is No.

Operations

  • Apply Default Value to Server

    Specifies whether or not to apply the default value provided for the attribute on the Host Integrator Server and the Design Tool or on the Design Tool only. The default in the View Settings dialog box is Default value for Design Tool only. Additionally, to apply the default value to the server, select this option in the Operation Generation Preferences dialog box.

  • Generate Operations Automatically

    Specifies that operations are generated by the Design Tool automatically as you traverse between entities. The default is Yes. On the Operation tab of the Setup Preferences dialog box, select the Automatically generate operations option. You can then choose Prompt me to approve each operation or Add operations silently.

  • Include CheckOperationCondition Command

    Specifies whether or not a CheckOperationConditions command is added to an operation being generated by the Design Tool. The default is Yes. In the Operation Generation Preferences dialog box, select the Include CheckOperationCondition command check box.

  • Prompt User When Generating Operations

    Specifies whether or not the Design Tool will prompt you with the Confirm Operation dialog box before automatically adding a new operation to the model. The default is Yes.

  • Record Attribute Contents with Command

    Specifies the command to use when recording attributes during operation generation. The default is Record attribute contents with DefaultValue command. The other option is to record attributes using the TransmitToAttr command.

  • Record Initial Cursor Position

    Specifies whether or not to record the first position of the cursor on the terminal screen during operation generation. The default is No. In the Operation Generation Preferences dialog box, select the Record initial cursor position check box.This setting is used with character mode applications.

  • Record the Contents of

    Specifies what type of records to record when generating operations automatically. The default is to record Modified Fields Only. On the Operation Generation Preferences dialog box, the default is Ignore unmodified fields.

  • Use Timeout for Commands

    Specify in seconds how long a command should take to execute before an error message is received. You can set the time out under Default properties in the Command tab of the Preferences Setup dialog box. The default is 5 seconds.

  • Use Timeout for Operations

    Specify in seconds how long a given operation should take to execute before you receive as error message. Under Default properties in the Operation tab of the Preferences Setup dialog box, the default timeout is 10 seconds.

    By default, connector API methods timeout after waiting 30 seconds for the Host Integrator Server to respond. If the operation timeout exceeds 30 seconds, you'll see the error report "Timed out while waiting for data." You can use SetMethodTimeout on the connector API to increase that default. Search for "SetMethodTimeout" in the Host Integrator API Reference for more information.

  • When Field Text is Hidden

    Specifies how the Design Tool should handle hidden field text during recording. On the Recording Preferences dialog box, the default is Record encrypted text. If you select Record clear text, the contents of the field will be recorded.

  • When the Field is Empty

    Specifies how to deal with an empty field that is recognized during operation generation. The default is Skip Recording. In the Operation Generation Preferences dialog box, the default is Ignore empty fields.

Recordsets

  • Cache All Field Writes

    Creates a temporary storage area for data assigned to recordset fields. To globally configure all recordset field data to be cached on new entities, select the Cache all field writes box on the Recordset Preferences dialog box. To cache recordset field data on a selected entity, select the entity in the Entity window and select the Cache all field writes box on the Recordset Fields tab.

    When data is assigned to a field from within the Design Tool or from a Host Integrator API, it will be stored in this area rather than the default behavior of being written directly to the terminal. In an operation, field data can be assigned using write commands like DefaultValue and TransmitToField. When using a Host Integrator connector, field data is assigned with methods like UpdateRecords or UpdateRecordByFilter. When Cache all field writes is selected, the field data assigned by the Design Tool or the Host Integrator connector is temporarily stored until an operation issues an UpdateAttribute or UpdateAttributes command to write the stored data to the terminal screen. Alternatively, an operation can call UpdateAttribute for each field in the desired order, inserting other commands in between as needed to modify cursor positioning, synchronize with the host state, or meet any other requirements to be executed by the operation.

    • By default, an UpdateAttribute command will be inserted in each generated operation when Cache all field writes is selected.
    • By default, an UpdateAttribute command will be inserted in each generated operation when Cache all field writes is selected.

    This feature is specifically designed for character mode applications as a solution for managing the order of screen updates. When field data assignments are arbitrarily mixed between an operation and a Host Integrator connector API, the order in which data is actually written to the terminal can be important to the host application.

  • Character Mode Data Entry for Recordset Fields

    If you are working on a character mode host, such as HP or VT, direct the Host Integrator to treat a recordset field in any one of the following ways:

    • Don't wait for echo (default)

      Select this option to transmit the string to the host and immediately move to the next action. Always use this option for block mode applications. For character mode applications, use this option only when you know that data will not be echoed back to the terminal screen. For example, many times alphanumeric keys are used to move between screens and are not echoed.

    • Wait for next tabstop

      Select this option to wait for the cursor to appear at the next tabstop after transmitting data. If tabstops have been defined on the Cursor tab, then Host Integrator waits for the cursor to appear at one of the defined locations. If no tabstop definitions are applicable, then Host Integrator waits for the cursor to be anywhere on the screen that is outside the attribute or recordset field to which the data is being written.

    • Wait for next tabstop or string to echo at cursor

      Select this option to wait for the exact data string to be written back to the terminal screen or to wait for it to appear at the next appropriate tabstop. This option is not recommended.

    • Wait for same number of characters to echo

      Select this option to wait for the same number of characters to be sent back to the terminal screen after data has been transmitted to the host. To detect the number of echoed characters, Host Integrator transmits the data and waits for the cursor position to move the same number of columns as the length of the data transmitted. For example, if you transmit the name George as your password, a host will often echo six spaces instead of the original text. With this option selected, Host Integrator waits for the cursor to move six columns from the cursor position when the name George was transmitted to the host before moving on to the next command.

    • Wait for string to echo at cursor

      Select this option to wait for the exact data string to be written back to the terminal screen after data has been sent to the host. This is the most robust option to select when working with character mode hosts. With character mode applications, the cursor must be wherever characters are being written to the screen. For this reason, use this option to synchronize with the host application.

  • Erase to End of Field for Recordset Fields

    Specifies whether or not the Host Integrator is instructed to concatenate as many spaces as necessary to make the length of the input match the length of the attribute. The default is No.

  • Recordset Bottom Position

    The following settings describe the bottom position of the recordset on the entity:

    • Fixed row - Select this option to specify the end row position of the selected recordset. By default, the Design Tool calculates the Row coordinate for you. This is the default setting for all sessions.

    • Relative to top - Select this option to specify the end position for the selected recordset based on the recordset top position. The Design Tool calculates the Row coordinate for you. The position coordinates are set based on recordset screen region and position type.

    • Relative to pattern - Select this option to choose an end position relative to a pattern created on the Pattern tab. Select the pattern from the list and the Design Tool will calculate the Row coordinate for you.

  • Recordset Record

    Specifies the size of the each recordset. The default is Fixed. Select this option if your recordset takes up a set number of rows. Select Variable to specify the beginning and end of a recordset on an entity. Use the Recordset Layout tab to define specific coordinates.

  • Recordset Top Position

    The following settings describe the top position of the recordset on the host screen:

    • Fixed row - Select this option to specify the start position of the selected recordset. By default, the Design Tool calculates the Row and Col coordinates for you. This is the default setting for all sessions.

    • Relative to cursor - Select this option to specify the start position for the selected recordset based on the position of the cursor. By default, the Design Tool calculates the Row and Col coordinates for you. The position coordinates are based on recordset screen region and position type. The recordset position will be set at the desired offset from the cursor's position when the entity is recognized and validated.

    • Relative to pattern - Select this option to choose a start position relative to a pattern created on the Pattern tab. Select the pattern from the list and the Design Tool will calculate the Row and Col coordinates for you.

  • Remove Leading Blanks for Recordset Fields

    Specifies whether or not the Host Integrator removes blank spaces that come at the beginning of the fetched terminal data. The default is No.

  • Remove Trailing Blanks for Recordset Fields

    Specifies whether or not the Host Integrator removes blank spaces that come at the end of the fetched terminal data. The default is No.

Other Entity Design Settings

  • Automatically Create New Entity

    Specifies whether or not the Design Tool creates an entity automatically as it encounters undefined screens while navigating through a host application. The default is No.

  • Automatically Generate Tabstops

    Specifies whether or not the Design Tool creates tabstops automatically as you add entities to your host application model.This setting is designed specifically for character mode applications.

  • Cache All Attribute Writes

    Creates a temporary storage area for data assigned to attributes. To globally configure all attribute data to be cached on new entities, select the Cache all attribute writes box on the Advanced Entity Properties dialog box. To cache attribute data on a selected entity, select the entity in the Entity window and select the Cache all field writes box on the General tab of Advanced Entity Properties dialog box.

    When data is assigned to an attribute from within the Design Tool or from a Host Integrator connector, it will be stored in this area rather than the default behavior of being written directly to the terminal. In an operation, attribute data can be assigned using write commands like DefaultValue and TransmitToAttr. When using a Host Integrator connector, attribute data is assigned with methods like SetAttributes. When Cache all attribute writes is selected, the attribute data assigned by the Design Tool or the Host Integrator connector is temporarily stored until an operation issues an UpdateAttribute or UpdateAttributes command to write the stored data to the terminal screen. Alternatively, an operation can call UpdateAttribute for each attribute in the desired order, inserting other commands in between as needed to modify cursor positioning, synchronize with the host state, or meet any other requirements to be executed by the operation.

    By default, an UpdateAttribute command will be inserted in each generated operation when Cache all attribute writes is selected.

    This is a solution to aid character mode applications in managing the order of screen updates. When attribute data assignments are arbitrarily mixed between an operation and a Host Integrator connector API, the order in which data is actually written to the terminal can be important to the host application.

  • Echoed Character Timeout

    Specifies in seconds how long an echoed character should take to execute before an error message appears. The default is 5 seconds. This setting applies to character mode applications only.

  • Global Navigation Timeout

    Specify in seconds how long navigation between two entities should take to execute before an error message displays. Configuring a global navigation timeout is useful if a model gets into an infinite loop waiting for an event to occur on the host. The global navigation timeout monitors SetCurrentEntity() calls and Navigate commands in an operation. The detection of a global timeout will halt the navigation process. A well-designed model should never encounter a global navigation timeout error. The default is 30 seconds.

  • Keep Alive Timer Interval (in minutes)

    Specifies in minutes the amount of time before a keep alive operation is executed on the host. You can define a keep alive operation for any given entity in the Advanced Entity Properties dialog box.

  • MoveCursor Command List Timeout

    Specifies in seconds how long Host Integrator should wait for a move cursor command list to execute. If this setting is exceeded, an error is issued. The amount of time to wait is set under Settings Details on the View Settings dialog box. The default is 5 seconds.This setting is useful when connecting to a character mode host.

  • MoveCursor for Character Mode

    Specifies what mechanism to use to create a move cursor command list for a character mode host application. The default is Use arrow keys. To define a move cursor command list, click Properties on the Model menu, and then click Advanced to open the Advanced Model Properties dialog box.

  • Record Cursor Position with Terminal Key Command

    Specifies whether or not to record a cursor position using a terminal key command. The default is No.

  • Use Writable Attributes as Automatic Tabstops

    Specifies whether or not to automatically include configured attributes as tabstop positions. The default is No. To configure this setting on the Cursor tab, select the Use writable attributes as automatic tabstops check box.

  • Wait for Cursor

    Specifies whether or not a command list will wait for the host to move the cursor to a specified location before an error appears. The default is No.

  • Wait for Host Writes

    Specifies whether or not a command list will wait for the host to send a response before validating its arrival at a destination. The default is No.