Technical Notes

Features Introduced in Verastream Host Integrator 5.5
Technical Note 10028
Last Reviewed 23-Feb-2007
Applies To
Verastream Host Integrator version 5.5
Summary

This technical note describes features introduced in Verastream Host Integrator (VHI) version 5.5.

New Release Available

Verastream Host Integrator version 6.5 is available beginning in February 2007. For a list of what's new, see Technical Note 10069.

Upgrading and Patching Information:

• For information about upgrading to VHI version 5.5 in a Windows-based environment, see Technical Note 40021.
• For information about upgrading to VHI version 5.5 in a Linux/UNIX environment, see Technical Note 40022.

The improvements and enhancements to Host Integrator are described in the following sections:

Event Handling

Event handling is a feature that extends the capabilities of Host Integrator models by defining specific events that will suspend the interpretation of a model when a particular event is triggered, and turn control over to user-supplied procedural code.

One use of event handlers is to improve the presentation of host data in new client applications. For example, you can use event handlers to:

• Convert cryptic host application codes to user-friendly descriptions
• Convert formats for currencies or dates
• Secure access to sensitive data
• Create other functions that might otherwise require custom client-side programming

You can also use event handlers to extend the Host Integrator error-handling capabilities. For example, you can add an event handler that captures diagnostic information or takes corrective action.

For more information about event handlers, see the online help.

Microsoft Platform Support

Host Integrator now provides a native .NET connector so that developers creating applications on the .NET platform can interact with the Host Integrator Server. Programmers can work in VB.NET or C#. The .NET API help is provided in the form of a standalone MSDN-style Help system (available from the Start menu); you can also access Help information on specific API elements from within your development environment.

Microsoft platform support also extends to the Web Builder, where you can now generate any of the following:

• C#-language based .NET procedure-based web application
• VB.NET-language based .NET procedure-based web application
• .NET class library
• .NET screen-based web application
• .NET web service

The Host Integrator Web Builder includes .NET options.

Design Tool

Table and Procedure Enhancements

• The tables and procedures interface has been enhanced significantly. You can now bypass the step of creating table columns in a table and then, in the Procedure Editor, automatically create table columns as you map procedure parameters to model attributes and recordsets. This option is described in the online help "Creating Procedures" topic. This approach is possible only if you are using the Procedure Editor to create procedures, rather than the Procedure Wizard.
• The new Edit Table Columns dialog box (available from the Procedure Editor by clicking the Edit Table Columns toolbar button) allows experienced users to manage tables and procedures. Because you access this new dialog box from the Procedure Editor, it supports the procedures-first paradigm for procedure creation: You start by creating a table and a procedure in the Tables dialog box, then use the Procedure Editor to design the procedure's contents—which entities the procedure will visit, and which parameters are matched to which entity attributes and recordsets, etc. At any time you can switch to the Edit Table Columns dialog box to add new columns, delete existing columns, see which other procedures are using which table columns, or define maximum and minimum values for a table column. For more information, see the topic, "Creating Procedures," in the online help.
• You can now configure a procedure so that the server does not return to the home entity after it is executed. Do this by clearing the "Navigate back to starting point upon completion" option in the Procedure Properties pane of the Tables dialog box. Such "non-circular" procedures can be chained together to implement complex navigation paths.
• The concept of a home entity now is applied at the procedure level rather than at the table level. You can create a table with a variety of procedures, with the home entity for each procedure optimized to prevent unnecessary navigation back to a common home entity. This gives the procedure developer more freedom, but can change the time required to start a procedure (that is, to reach the procedure's home entity).

Model and Settings File Enhancements

You can now load and create settings files that are customized for specific terminal types. These files are a starting point for creating a model, and Verastream Host Integrator includes a default settings file for each supported terminal type. You can build your own settings files to quickly create multiple models that share settings.

Host Integrator provides default settings files for all supported terminal types. Click New from the File menu to open the New Model dialog box, then select HPModel, IBM3270Model, IBM5250Model, or VTModel. After you have customized other preferences for viewing your model, click Save Settings As from the File menu to create a settings file based on your currently loaded model. Using a settings file to create a model is optional.

A settings file can contain terminal configuration information for the Design Tool, such as terminal type, model ID, transport type, port, host name or IP address, and device name. A settings file also allows you to save preferences specifying the Design Tool initial window position as part of the model, or you can choose to use the same window position as the previous session. It can also contain settings for window size, colors, keymapping, and other preferences. No model-specific information is contained in the settings file.

Note: Settings files require a .dtool extension. See information about upgrading from version 5.0 for details about how these .dtool files differ from those in earlier versions. For information about upgrading in a Windows-based environment, see Technical Note 40021. For information about upgrading in a Linux/UNIX environment, see Technical Note 40022.

Other Design Tool Enhancements

Terminal-specific settings that do not apply to your terminal type are now automatically disabled in the Design Tool. The following character mode settings are not available for a 3270 or 5250 model:

• Cursor tab settings
• Advanced Model Properties settings for cursor positioning
• Attributes tab settings for Echo
• The Advanced Recordset Field Preferences settings for character mode data entry

Many dialog boxes in the Design Tool are now resizable.

When you open a second copy of the same model in another instance of the Design Tool, the second copy will now automatically open in read-only mode with most editing options disabled.

Deployment Enhancements

The new deployment options in the Design Tool provide greater flexibility in how you deploy a model to a local Verastream host. You can now deploy a model as a session pool to the Verastream server, as well as a single session. You can also include a model variable list in your deployment, exclude or include model variables, and require the value of certain variables to be unique and/or hidden. See Using the Design Tool to Deploy a Model for more information.

Web Builder

Web Builder generates Javabeans, Java web services, and Java web applications. With this release, you can now also generate:

• .NET class libraries, applications, and web services
• ASP web applications
• Visual Basic ActiveX DLLs

Web Builder detects when project files have been modified during the rebuild process. The user can select to use the modified file or save it in a backup folder.

Projects created with an earlier version of Web Builder are updated automatically to run in the new version when you open them in Web Builder.

Web Builder generates all the necessary project files so that the source can be quickly viewed, modified, and rebuilt by industry standard tools and/or Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). The following tools and IDEs are supported: Dreamweaver MX, Visual Studio .NET 2003, JBuilder 6.0 or greater, and Visual Basic 6.

You can now hide entities, attributes, operations, and procedures; Web Builder ignores those model elements that have _HIDE appended to the element name.

Web Builder handles naming conventions for different platforms. For all project types and platforms, Web Builder will generate valid names:

• For generated web services, the underscore will be removed if the web service platform does not support it
• For Java-based web services, the underscore will be removed
• For Microsoft-based web services, the underscore will remain untouched

Enhancements to Project Settings

Project settings can be set globally or on a specific project prior to building that project.

You can view the settings that were used to create a project after the project is created, as well as make changes to those settings.

User-Defined Project Types provide the ability to create a customized "template" for creating Web Builder projects.

For procedure-based web applications, a menu option enables a user to enter SQL statements that are executed against the model.

Web applications generated by the Web Builder will use cascading style sheets to format web pages.

Keyboard mapping is available through JavaScript. It can be modified globally and on a per-project basis using keymap3270.js or keymap5250.js.

Enhancements to Rejuvenation

Unprotected fields use the same colors as the host; this can be changed in styles.xsl.

Cursor position initial focus can be specified. The web application will put the initial focus in the same field specified for the host application.

Web Builder creates screen-based web applications for Character Mode (VT and HP), using the web format layout.

Options for dealing with unrecognized screens include terminal screen templates or displaying error messages.

Recognized screens can be displayed in either terminal screen format or web layout format.

Scriptable Multi-Target Deployment

Host Integrator now provides deployment commands that you can use from the command line or in a script to automatically deploy a model to multiple servers. With this capability you can combine model files with any event handlers they use, along with deployment information that tells a Host Integrator Server how to provide access to the model, such as via a session pool of a certain size, or by using specific requests for a new session. For more information, see the topic, "Using Commands to Deploy a Model Package," in the online help.

Session Server

• The Session Server now initializes and connects the minimum number of sessions specified for each session pool (Count) at server startup, making them available for use by client applications. You can control how quickly these sessions are created: disable the setting for Create pooled sessions concurrently in the Administrative WebStation to create the sessions serially. This may be necessary for slower or older hosts if concurrent creation could cause errors when multiple session pools are initialized.
• There are now methods in the connector APIs that allow you to specify how long to wait before retrying a session connection request, including the option to prevent any retry of the connection request that cannot be satisfied immediately. See the information on the "ConnectionTimeout" method/property in the following section.

Connector Enhancements

In addition to the new .NET connector (described in the Microsoft Platform Support section, above), the Verastream Host Integrator connectors have been enhanced by the addition of some new methods:

• A "MetaDataOnly" method/property has been added. This allows clients to establish a "meta-data-only" connection to the server. Such a connection can be used to obtain information about the model, such as the names of entities and procedures, but it cannot be used to make a connection to the host. With a meta-data-only connection, developers can use tools, such as the Verastream Web Builder, to generate and work on client applications while off-site. When a client connects with MetaDataOnly set to true, the server will not report the connection as a session, and will not allocate a new session or a session from a pool. There will be no indication in the Administrative WebStation or Session Monitor that there is an active client connection.

• A "ConnectionTimeout" method/property has been added. This method/property is useful, for example, if the server is temporarily unable to allow any more sessions, or if the domain load has been reached. Connection attempt information, including the number of connection attempts and the time of those attempts, is written to the log. The default value is 30 seconds.

• A "ProcessString" method has been added. Use this method to pass a string directly to the ProcessString event. ProcessString is a model event, part of the new Event Handling feature in Host Integrator.
• The API and connector help has been restructured to make it more convenient and easy-to-find. You can now view Help from the Start menu for any of the connectors supported in Host Integrator. To find Connector Help, follow this sequence on the Start menu: Verastream > Host Integrator > Help > Connectors and APIs.

Setup

Installation of the Host Integrator Development Kit has been streamlined. When you launch Setup, simply select the Typical option to install all components of the Host Integrator Development Kit with default settings. Customized setup options are still available.

Related Technical Notes

10061	Features Introduced in Verastream Host Integrator 6.0
10069	New Features in Verastream Host Integrator 6.5
40021	Upgrading Host Integrator 5.0 to 5.5 in a Windows-Based Environment
40022	Upgrading to Host Integrator 5.5 in a Linux/UNIX Environment
40999	Verastream Host Integrator Technical Notes