IBM Host Access Transformation Services: Getting Started

94 Pages·2015·1.16 MB·English

IBM Host Access Transformation Services
Getting Started
Version 9.5
GI13-2847-01
IBM Host Access Transformation Services
Getting Started
Version 9.5
GI13-2847-01
Note
Before using this information and the product it supports, be sure to read the general information under “Notices” on page
71.
Eleventh Edition (November 2015)
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2002, 2015.
US Government Users Restricted Rights – Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract
with IBM Corp.
Contents
Chapter 1. Introducing Host Access Chapter 4. Enabling HATS runtime and
Transformation Services . . . . . . . 1 license settings . . . . . . . . . . . 29
What is HATS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Evaluating HATS . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A HATS 3270 example . . . . . . . . . . . 3
A HATS 5250 example . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Chapter 5. Creating a basic HATS
What's new in HATS . . . . . . . . . . . 11
project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
New supported environments . . . . . . . 11
Introducing the Rational SDP environment . . . . 31
| HATS toolkit usability enhancements . . . . . 12
Starting HATS Toolkit and perspective . . . . . 31
| TLS v1.1 and v1.2 connectivity . . . . . . . 12
Introducing the HATS Welcome page. . . . . . 33
| Support for the latest Struts framework . . . . 12
Starting HATS functions . . . . . . . . . . 34
| Removal of Java Visual Editor support for RCP 12
Using HATS icons . . . . . . . . . . . 34
| Removal of IBM Portlet API support . . . . . 12
HATS tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Coexistence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Developing a HATS project . . . . . . . . . 36
Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Creating a HATS project . . . . . . . . . 36
Serviceability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Testing your project . . . . . . . . . . 37
IBM Support Assistant. . . . . . . . . . 13
Roles and skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 6. Customizing your HATS
Casual Web developer . . . . . . . . . . 13
Advanced Web developer . . . . . . . . 13 project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Casual rich client developer . . . . . . . . 13 Understanding how a HATS application works . . 43
Advanced rich client developer . . . . . . . 14 Understanding HATS resources. . . . . . . 43
User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Using the host terminal screen as you work . . . 45
HATS administrator . . . . . . . . . . 14 Host screen preview . . . . . . . . . . 46
WebSphere administrator . . . . . . . . . 14 Working with screen captures . . . . . . . 46
Rich client administrator . . . . . . . . . 14 Updating your project's template . . . . . . . 47
WebFacing developer . . . . . . . . . . 14 Editing default rendering . . . . . . . . . . 48
Independent software vendors . . . . . . . 15 Creating global rules . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Accessibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Working with screen events . . . . . . . . . 49
Accessibility when using HATS. . . . . . . 15 Creating a new screen customization . . . . . 50
Where can I find more information about Creating a new screen combination . . . . . 51
accessibility? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Ordering and enabling your screen events . . . 52
Where can I find information about HATS?. . . . 16 Working with transformations . . . . . . . . 53
Understanding host components and widgets . . 53
How HATS uses transformations . . . . . . 55
Chapter 2. Introducing the WebFacing
Creating a new transformation . . . . . . . 55
Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Performing other customization tasks. . . . . . 57
What is WebFacing? . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Auto advance . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
WebFacing features . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Displaying function keys (PF keys) . . . . . 58
What's new in WebFacing . . . . . . . . . 21
Replacing text strings from the host screen . . . 58
New supported environments . . . . . . . 21
Using macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Where can I find information about WebFacing? . . 21
Using Host Publisher artifacts . . . . . . . 60
Creating background connections . . . . . . 60
Chapter 3. Installing HATS . . . . . . 23 Defining global variables . . . . . . . . . 60
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Applying business logic . . . . . . . . . 60
IBM HATS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Using keyboard support . . . . . . . . . 61
IBM WebFacing Tool for IBM i feature . . . . 23 Creating Integration Objects and EJB projects . . 61
Other prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Specifying a workstation ID . . . . . . . . 61
Installing HATS Toolkit . . . . . . . . . . 24 Using print support . . . . . . . . . . 61
Updating the HATS Toolkit installation . . . . . 25 Subfile support . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Modifying the HATS Toolkit installation . . . . . 26 Using Extended Field Attributes . . . . . . 62
Adding the HATS installation repository to IBM Enabling Enhanced Non-Programmable Terminal
Installation Manager . . . . . . . . . . . 27 User Interface (ENPTUI) . . . . . . . . . 64
Uninstalling HATS Toolkit . . . . . . . . . 27 5250 HTML DDS keyword support Web-only 65
Using silent install and uninstall . . . . . . . 28
Log files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2002, 2015 iii
Chapter 7. Preparing your HATS project Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
for use as an application . . . . . . . 67 Programming interface information . . . . . . 72
Deploying HATS Web applications . . . . . . 67 Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Exporting your project as an application. . . . 67
Installing your application in a runtime Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Deploying HATS rich client applications. . . . . 68
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Exporting your project as an Eclipse feature . . 68
Exporting HATS runtime features . . . . . . 68
Creating an update site . . . . . . . . . 68
Installing your application in a runtime
environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
iv IBM Host Access Transformation Services: Getting Started
Chapter 1. Introducing Host Access Transformation Services
®
| This book provides the information you need to understand the IBM Host Access
| Transformation Services (HATS) product, install HATS Toolkit, and use it to
| develop simple applications. After you have familiarized yourself with the
| concepts in this book and used HATS, you can find more advanced information in
| the HATS User's and Administrator's Guide, the HATS Web Application Programmer's
| Guide, the HATS Rich Client Platform Programmer's Guide, the HATS Advanced Macro
| Guide, and Developing WebFacing Applications.
What is HATS?
| With HATS, you can create Web applications and rich client applications that
| provide an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) for your 3270 applications
®
| running on IBM System z platforms and your 5250 applications running on IBM i
| operating system platforms. HATS applications can access 5250 applications
| without requiring Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) capacity. In this book,
| these character-based 3270 and 5250 applications are referred to as host
| applications. You can also create service-oriented architecture (SOA) assets using
| Web services that provide standard programming interfaces to business logic and
| transactions contained within host applications. Data from video terminal (VT)
| emulation screens can also be accessed.
| HATS applications can be given a modern appearance. HATS Web applications can
| be developed with an interface that matches your company's Web or portal pages,
| and your users can access them through their Web browsers. HATS Web
| applications can also be developed to provide access from mobile devices such as
| cellular phones, data collection terminals, and personal digital assistants (PDAs).
| HATS rich client applications can be developed to run in an Eclipse Rich Client
® ®
| Platform (RCP) implementation, in Lotus Notes , or in the Lotus Expeditor Client
| to provide native client applications targeted for a user's desktop. For more
| information about the Eclipse RCP environment see http://www.eclipse.org/
| home/categories/rcp.php. For more information about Lotus Notes, visit IBM
| Knowledge Center at http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/
| SSKTMJ_8.5.3. For more information about the Lotus Expeditor Client, visit IBM
| Knowledge Center at http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/
| SSVHEW_6.2.0.
Note: Throughout this document, configuration settings that apply only to HATS
Web applications and EJB applications unless otherwise noted, are marked
with Web-only . Configuration settings that apply only to HATS rich client
platform applications are marked with RCP-only .
HATS has two components:
®
v The HATS Toolkit is a set of plug-ins for the Eclipse-based IBM Rational
Software Delivery Platform (Rational SDP). For more on which versions of
Rational SDP are supported, see “Prerequisites” on page 23.
The HATS Toolkit enables you to develop new applications, previewing and
saving each change you make. Over time, or as quickly as you like, you can
streamline your HATS application, making it easier to use than the host
applications whose data it presents, and possibly moving functions from the
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2002, 2015 1
host applications into your HATS applications. The development process for
building HATS Web and rich client applications is similar.
After you have developed a HATS application, you deploy it to a production
runtime environment.
v The HATS runtime code runs as part of a HATS application deployed in a
®
production runtime environment, WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere
Portal, or rich client platform. Users interact with the HATS application through
the HATS GUI and data is sent back and forth between the user and the host
application.
The following figure shows the stages of development, deployment, and runtime
for a HATS Web application. If the application is a portlet, the stages are similar
except that the portlet is installed and run on a WebSphere Portal system.
1. The developer uses the HATS Toolkit to develop and test a HATS Web
application.
2. When ready, the developer deploys the HATS application by exporting it as a
™
Java EE application and installing and running it on a WebSphere Application
Server system.
3. Using a Web browser, the user accesses the HATS application.
4. The HATS runtime connects to the target host system through either a Telnet or
a WebFacing server.
5. As the user interacts with the host through the HATS application, the HATS
runtime transforms host screens to a GUI.
HATS Web application
1. Develop / test
2. Deploy
HATS Toolkit
Rational SDP
WebSphere Application Server /
WebSphere Portal
Telnet server
HATS enterprise application / portlet
(3270 or 5250)
3. Access
4. Connect
WebFacing server
5. Transform
HTML over HTTP (5250)
Web browser
Figure 1. HATS Web application
The following figure shows the stages of development, deployment, and runtime
for a HATS rich client application.
1. The developer uses the HATS Toolkit to develop and test a HATS rich client
application.
2. When ready, the developer exports the HATS application as an Eclipse feature,
creates an update site containing the application feature, and uploads it to a
Web server for deployment.
2 IBM Host Access Transformation Services: Getting Started
Note: Different methods can be used for deploying HATS rich client
applications. For example, Lotus Expeditor Server can be used to
centrally manage the software deployed to Lotus Expeditor Client
systems. For more information see the HATS User's and Administrator's
Guide.
3. The user, running a rich client platform, downloads and installs the HATS
application feature from the update site.
4. The user starts and accesses the HATS application using the rich client platform
environment.
5. The HATS runtime connects to the target host system through either a Telnet or
a WebFacing server.
6. As the user interacts with the host through the HATS application, the HATS
runtime transforms host screens to a GUI.
HATS rich client application
1. Develop / test
2. Upload
HATS Toolkit
Rational SDP
Web server
Update site
HATS application
feature
Telnet server
4. Access
(3270 or 5250)
3. Download
5. Connect
WebFacing server
(5250)
6. Transform
Rich client
Figure 2. HATS rich client application
A HATS 3270 example
Imagine you need to create a GUI for a 3270 host application. With HATS you
have a choice of providing the GUI using a Web application (including portlets) or
a rich client application. For more information about the use of HATS portlets and
rich client applications, including advantages, considerations, and limitations, see
the WebSphere Portal and HATS chapter and the Developing and deploying rich
client applications chapter in the HATS User's and Administrator's Guide.
The following figure shows a screen from the host application:
Chapter 1. Introducing Host Access Transformation Services 3
ACCOUNTS ADD ACCOUNT NUMBER 55550
SURNAME : (18 CHRS) TITLE : (4 CHRS OPTIONAL)
FIRST NAME : (12 CHRS) MIDDLE INIT: (1 CHR OPTIONAL)
TELEPHONE : (24 CHRS)
ADDRESS LINE1 : (24 CHRS)
LINE2 : (24 CHRS OPTIONAL)
LINE3 :
CARDS ISSUED : (1 TO 9) CARD CODE : (1 CHR)
DATE ISSUED : (MM DD YY) REASON CODE : (N,L,S,R)
APPROVED BY : (3 CHRS)
UPTO 4 OTHERS WHO MAY CHARGE (EACH 32 CHRS OPTIONAL)
01: 02:
03: 04:
SPECIAL CODE1: CODE2 CODE3: (EACH 1 CHR OPTIONAL)
NO HISTORY AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME CHARGE LIMIT STATUS
NOTE:-DETAILS IN BRACKETS SHOW MAXIMUM NO.CHARACTERS ALLOWED AND IF OPTIONAL
FILL IN AND PRESS "ENTER," OR "CLEAR" TO CANCEL
MA* a 03/017
Figure 3. A host terminal screen
If you decide to create a Web application that provides the GUI, you use a wizard
to create a simple HATS Web project. You give your project a name and specify the
host machine where the host application runs. You take all the defaults and add no
customization. After just a few minutes, you use the preview function to see the
host screen transformed to this:
My Company Innovative technologies designed for the future
Home Links About My Company Stock Quote
My Company Home Page ACCOUNTS ADD ACCOUNT NUMBER 55550
My Company Map
SURNAME : (18 CHRS) TITLE : (4 CHRS OPTIONAL)
My Company Employees FIRST NAME : (12 CHRS) MIDDLE INIT: (1 CHR OPTIONAL)
Jobs at My Company TELEPHONE : (10 DIGS)
ADDRESS LINE1 : (24 CHRS)
My Company Articles
LINE2 : (24 CHRS)
Support LINE3 : (24 CHRS OPTIONAL)
Reset
CARDS ISSUED : (1 TO 9) CARD CODE : (1 CHR)
Default DATE ISSUED : (MM DD YY) REASON CODE: (N,L,S,R)
APPROVED BY : (3 CHRS)
Refresh
Disconnect UPTO 4 OTHERS WHO MAY CHARGE (EACH 32 CHRS OPTIONAL)
Turn Keyboard Off 01: 02:
03: 04:
SPECIAL CODE1: CODE2: CODE3: (EACH 1 CHR OPTIONAL)
NO HISTORY AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME CHARGE LIMIT STATUS
NOTE:-DETAILS IN BRACKETS SHOW MAXIMUM NO.CHARACTERS ALLOWED AND IF OPTIONAL
FILL IN AND PRESS "ENTER," OR "CLEAR" TO CANCEL
Contact Us Human Resources Employee Information
Figure 4. A default Web transformation
As you can see, HATS has added a banner across the top of the screen and a
navigation area on the left, but has made minimal changes to the original host
screen. This Web page may not yet be what you want to show to your users. Now
you do some customizations. You change your template. After each modification
you make, you preview the screen to evaluate your changes. Soon your page looks
like this:
4 IBM Host Access Transformation Services: Getting Started