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IBM eNetwork Communications Server for Windows NT
Host Publisher Feature, Version 6.01
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Host Publisher Hints and Tips

Screen Recognition

This point is so important it deserves its own page.

The WaitForScreen Rule

Screen recognition and data collection occur whenever a Data Loop or Screen macro issues a WaitForScreen macro command.

Corollary

Screen recognition and data collection only occur when a Data Loop or Screen macro issues a WaitForScreen macro command.

When it might affect you

When recording a macro, a WaitForScreen command is inserted at the following places:

Here are some consequences of these rules and the way that macros are recorded.

  1. The screen resulting from the last input sent by a macro is not typically recognized. There is no WaitForScreen inserted after the last terminal input in a recorded macro.

    In a Data Loop macro, typically the last terminal input is used to terminate the application, and it isn't necessary to recognize the next screen. But this can be important in a Screen macro, or if a Data Loop macro does not terminate the application.

    To handle this problem, you can add a WaitForScreen command to the end of the macro.

  2. Host Publisher can collect the same data items repeatedly if you send input to the terminal that does not change the displayed data. Host Publisher executes another WaitForScreen and recognize the same screen again.

    To handle this problem, you can change some of the WaitForScreen commands to oia.WaitForInput commands (to delay sending input until the terminal is ready, without triggering screen recognition), or choose screen confirmation text that only appears on the screen when you want to collect data.

  3. You can use a screen macro to navigate to other screens, and they can be recognized and data collected from them. Restrictions: (1) the newly recognized screens cannot use their own screen macros; (2) recorded screen macros might not have their WaitForScreen in the right place.

  4. Screens and errors are not recognized during Connect or Disconnect macros.

How to handle it

See the Macro language section for an explanation of these commands.

For more details about macros and screen recognition, see the Host Access Algorithm section in the Appendix. It explains how macros are processed by Host Access, including data collection, screen recognition, and execution of screen macros.


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IBM eNetwork Communications Server for Windows NT
Host Publisher Feature, Version 6.01