Automatic GUI Recognition

Rules for Automatic GUI

The rules associated with aXes Terminal Server support for automatic GUI recognition can be controlled using the URL: http://system:port/ts/dev/ts.html

This URL is protected by an Access Control List so you will be prompted for authentication before the URL will load successfully. The default user ID and password is ‘dev’. This may have been changed after installing the product in which case you should ask your system administrator for the user ID and password.

After successfully authenticating the browser loads a development skin that contains an additional tab in the Action Tabs panel. Click the icon in the top-left corner to make the Action Tabs panel appear.

You can use the AutoGUI tab to control the recognition algorithms used to convert text to GUI components.

Each type of control is split into sections as follows.

Function Keys

The Function Keys section indicates aXes Terminal Server should search for text that represents function key definitions and convert that text into push buttons. You can control the style of text and the area on the screen that is searched.

This feature is used only for recognising function keys. It does not handle other engraved keys such as Help, Print, RollUp, or RollDown. By default aXes Terminal Server recognises standard function key patterns such as F3=Exit. You can use the check boxes to modify the recognised prefix values. The key text must include a number to be recognised as a valid function key. If your application uses non-standard function key patterns you may be able to get aXes Terminal Server to recognise them by specifying a suitable search string.

The value for search string is a regular expression. The default value is \d+ which means one or more digits. See a Javascript Reference for information about the syntax for regular expressions. For example, the regular expression:

(F|CF|PF|cmd)( *|-)\d+ *(=|-| )

will catch many strange function key formats and turn them into buttons. However, some function key formats may never be recognised by aXes Terminal Server. In these cases you must change the DDS and either use a recognisable function key text pattern or use DDS pushbutton fields to replace the function key text.

You should tick the ‘Text includes multiple function keys’ box if you put all the function keys in a single field. If you use separate fields for each function key text then you should uncheck this box.

Subfiles

The Subfiles section indicates aXes Terminal Server should convert subfiles into HTML tables.

Subfile recognition will only occur for proper subfile record formats and UIM list areas.

aXes Terminal Server uses a heuristic algorithm to locate column headings for the subfile. Because of this it may not always correctly find column headings or may misinterpret other fields as column headings. Although a best effort will be applied to make the algorithm as robust as possible sometimes the only solution will be to change the DDS to make the column headings less ambiguous.

You can improve the chances of correct interpretation by restricting the subfile control record to contain only column headings. Other display fields should be on separate record formats. For example:

WRITE HEADER

WRITE FOOTER

EXFMT SFLCTL

Subfile Options

The Subfile Options section indicates aXes Terminal Server should convert subfile options into clickable links. A clicked option will be applied to the subfile entry that currently contains the cursor.

You can select numeric options, alphabetic options, or both.

The value for the delimiter is an equal sign plus any other character you specify.

Menu Items

The Menu Items section indicates aXes Terminal Server should convert menu options into clickable links. The menu number associated with the option is entered into the first input-capable field.

The value for the image path should be a URL that references an appropriate image which will be used to replace the menu option number.

Note that menu item recognition will only occur for proper UIM menu objects and normal record formats that satisfy the following criteria:

• Digits are the first characters of the text object
• Digits are followed by "."
• Spaces must follow the "." if you tick the "Require at least one space following 'nn'" box.

Page Keys

The Page Keys section indicates aXes Terminal Server should convert More… and Bottom text into push buttons.

The values for the text can be a comma-separated list which allows you to specify multiple languages.

Hyperlinks

The Hyperlinks section indicates aXes Terminal Server should convert text that looks like a URL into a clickable link.

Background

The Background section allows you to specify the images displayed in the background of the terminal session. You can use this to display a corporate logotype for example.

Save your changes by clicking the Save button.

The ts/dev/ts.html skin automatically reloads the GUI rules definitions and applies them to the current session so you can see the effect of your changes immediately. However only new sessions will use the changes. They will not affect currently active sessions—even if those sessions sign off and back on. The session must be reloaded before the new rules will be used.