Before using this information and the product it supports, read the following general information.
May 2018
References in this documentation to IBM products, programs, or services do not imply that IBM intends to make these available in all countries in which IBM operates. Any reference to an IBM product, program, or service is not intended to state or imply that only IBM's product, program, or service can be used. Any functionally equivalent product, program, or service that does not infringe upon any of IBM's intellectual property rights or other legally protected rights can be used instead of the IBM product, program, or service. Evaluation and verification of operation in conjunction with other products, programs, or services, except those expressly designated by IBM, are the user's responsibility.
IBM may have patents or pending patent applications covering the subject matter in this documentation. The furnishing of this publication does not give you any rights to these patents. You can inquire, in writing, to:
IBM Director of Licensing IBM Corporation 500 Columbus Avenue Thornwood, NY 10594 U.S.A.
For on-line versions of this documentation, we authorize you to:
You are responsible for payment of any taxes, including personal property taxes, resulting from this authorization.
THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so the above exclusion might not apply to you.
Your failure to comply with the terms above terminates this authorization. Upon termination, you must destroy your machine-readable documentation.
References in this publication to IBM products, programs, or services do not imply that IBM intends to make these available in all countries in which IBM operates. Any reference to an IBM product, program, or service is not intended to state or imply that only IBM's product, program, or service may be used. Any functionally equivalent product, program, or service that does not infringe any of IBM's intellectual property rights may be used instead of the IBM product, program, or service. Evaluation and verification of operation in conjunction with other products, except those expressly designated by IBM, is the user's responsibility.
IBM may have patents or pending patent applications covering subject matter in this document. The furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents. You can send license inquiries, in writing, to the IBM Director of Commercial Relations, IBM Corporation, Purchase, NY 10577.
The following terms are trademarks of the IBM Corporation in the United States or other countries or both:
IBM
IBM VisualAge
C/2
C Set ++
Windows is a trademark of Microsoft.
Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.
While you are working with DCConnect, help is always available. F1 is the key you use to request help.
You can press F1 or select the Help push button (when it is available) to get information on the active window.
Within a help panel, certain words or phrases appear in a different color than the rest of the text. These words or phrases are hypertext links to other information. The first hyperlink on each help panel appears in reverse video. You can use the Tab key to move through all of the available links on a help panel. Double-click on the words or phrases that appear in the different color to go to that additional information. You can also use the Tab key to move to the word or phrase and then press Enter.
Press Esc to return to the previous help window. If there is no previous help window, Esc returns you to the active product window.
Note: Alt+F4 also closes the help window.
The DCConnect help system includes the following types of help:
For specific information about the tasks you can perform using DCConnect, refer to the DCConnect User's Guide.
The following navigational aids help you find information within the help system:
The following sections provide additional information about using the DCConnect help system:
The Data Collection Connection (DCConnect) program uses screens, pop-up menus, and pull-down menus. These work best by using a mouse.
When data entry from the keyboard is required, input fields are shown on the display. The cursor will appear at the end of the field in Insert mode. To overwrite any data already in the field, use the Backspace key to back up the cursor to your desired starting point.
All menu and option titles have one character underlined. To select a feature:
The title bar is at the top of the window and names the current window. The System Menu icon is to the left of the title, and is used to size and close the current window or to access the Task Manager. The square buttons on the right are used to maximize and minimize the window size.
The menu bar is the second line, containing key words that tell what options are available in the current window. The options on the menu bar usually access pull-downs with further commands and features.
The scroll bar is on the right side or bottom of the window. If there is more data available than can be shown on one screen, use the scroll arrows or slider box to move the information up and down or left and right.
Some windows have check boxes, entry lists that allow more than one item to be checked at once. If you have a mouse, you can toggle a check box on and off by pointing to the check box and clicking mouse button 2 once. If you do not have a mouse, tab to the item and use the spacebar to toggle.
Radio buttons are round buttons on the screen indicating items in a list of available options. When radio buttons are used, only one item in the list can be selected at a time. If you do not have a mouse, tab and use spacebar.
Push buttons are 3-D rectangles with text inside, sometimes located near the bottom of the screen. The indicated action, such as cancel, will occur when the push button is selected.
This section contains:
IBM Data Collection Connection (DCConnect) provides traditional runtime support for your data collection and processing and maintains support for the IBM family of DCTs (DCTs).
The DCConnect Application Program Interface (API) is compatible with the current DCC/2 32-bit API and also supports DOS- and Windows-based terminal devices. DCConnect provides essential features such as data integrity through the logging of transactions and data validation, as well as an open systems architecture for both IBM and non-IBM hardware platforms.
DCConnect Highlights
In addition, DCConnect supports, as terminals, any DOS or Windows computer that is running an application built with the IBM Terminal Services for DOS and Windows API (a separate product).
DCConnect controls the DCTs, processes data from them, and interfaces with various application programs. DCConnect works with data collection applications and data generated by DCT keyboard entries and other devices attached to the DCTs, and allows for verification of the correctness of the data.
Units of data are known as transactions, and can be:
This section introduces you to terms you will need to know to use DCConnect. The following are definitions of the most common terms:
Term | Definition | ||||||||
Adapter | An adapter connects a device to a computer or another device. DCConnect has four types of adapters:
| ||||||||
Application | An external program that runs concurrently with DCConnect and can be started automatically when DCConnect is started. An application can remove transactions from a Mailbox for further processing. | ||||||||
Batch terminal | This term is often used to describe a handheld terminal that will communicate with the DCConnect Server over its serial port when it is placed into a docking station. Terminals of this type are often used to accumulate many transactions and then unload them as a batch when the terminal is docked. | ||||||||
Data collection terminal (DCT) | A specialized data-entry device that allows entry of data through its keyboard, a bar code reader, magnetic stripe reader, and other sensors. DCTs include IBM 7524, 7525, 7526, 7527 terminals, any terminal running the DCConnect Client (formerly known as 752x Emulator for DOS) and any DOS or Windows PC running Terminal Services for DOS and for Windows. | ||||||||
Download | The process by which information commonly stored in files on the DCConnect system unit are sent to DCTs. The transfer can be to individual terminals or to function groups. | ||||||||
Function Group | A Function Group is a group of terminals performing similar functions. It is a Logical grouping of terminals as opposed to a Physical grouping or layout of your terminals. The DCConnect Node Configuration view shows the Physical grouping of your terminals. The DCConnect Function Group Configuration view shows the Logical grouping of your terminals. The grouping is determined by the user. See Function Groups (SeeFunction Groups) for more information. | ||||||||
ERPBridge | ERPBridge provides processing of transactions that are destined for ERP applications. | ||||||||
Line | The line connects the adapter with the terminal. The ARTIC adapter can have two, four, or eight lines (ports) per card. A serial 'adapter' can have up to eight lines: COM1 - COM8. A TCP/IP adapter (usually ethernet) has one line. | ||||||||
Mailbox | A Mailbox is the destination for a transaction generated by a DCT and where the applications get transactions for processing. In DCC/2 a mailbox was called a destination (16-bit) or export (32-bit). | ||||||||
ERPBridge for MAPICS | The ERPBridge for MAPICS (MAPICS) product provides a total solution for customers of MAPICS XA who have Production Monitoring and Control (PM&C) installed. MAPICS is a set of DCConnect transaction programs for the IBM 7524, 7526, 7527 7527 data collection terminals and terminals running the DCConnect Client. Also included are Transaction Connection (TC) scripts that collect PM&C transactions and forward them to the MAPICS XA system running on an AS/400. The prerequisite Transaction Connection is included with ERPBridge for MAPICS . | ||||||||
Navigation Toolbar | See Navigation Toolbar (SeeNavigational Toolbar) for details. | ||||||||
Node | The computer system used to collect, store, and process transaction data. | ||||||||
RF Terminals | RF (Radio Frequency) Terminals are those that communicate via a radio instead of over a directly attached cable such as ethernet or serial. Several different technologies and radio protocols are implemented by the RF terminals supported by DCConnect. | ||||||||
Routing Group | A Routing Group is a logical grouping of terminals that send the same transaction data to a specific Mailbox. See Transaction/Mailbox Configuration (SeeTransaction/Mailbox Configuration) for more information. | ||||||||
Transaction Connection (TC) | An IBM product that provides an interface for interactive communications between DCTs and host applications, commonly called screen scraping. TC also provides an interface between DCConnect and IBM DB2 databases. TC interprets script files that you create. To configure a TC script file, use the Applications Settings notebook. Go to the General tab and select TC in the 'Type' field. | ||||||||
Transaction Programs | A transaction program is a sequence of one or more transaction commands that will be executed by a terminal. Each terminal type supports its own set of well-defined commands. DCConnect provides an interactive method for creating and maintaining transaction programs for 7524/Client, 7525, 7526, and 7527 DCTs. | ||||||||
User | A user is someone who has been given access to DCConnect services and functions. A user must log onto the DCConnect system to use the services and functions. Each user's access is managed by their assigned capabilities. |
This section contains:
The steps for installing the various IBM Data Collection products are documented in the IBM Data Collection Installation Instructions manual. Please refer to that manual for all the details.
To start the graphical user interface for the DCConnect Development Toolkit or Server, open the DCConnect folder on the Desktop and double-click on the DCConnect User Interface icon using mouse button 1.
On Windows NT/2000/XP/7/Server you can also use the following path from the Start button:
Start -> Programs -> DC Connect -> DC Connect User Interface
DCConnect Server is the nongraphical user interface part of DCConnect.
To set up the DCConnect Server executable so that it starts when OS/2 starts, add the following to the OS/2 STARTUP.CMD file assuming DCConnect was installed on drive C:
c:
cd \dcconn\bin
dcxcpos2
where c: and \dcconn are the drive and directory where DCConnect is installed and dcxcpos2 is the executable file for the server.
To run an unattended system or to start the Server and bring up the DCConnect User Interface at a later time, start the Server from a command prompt.
Note: You can enter commands in either lowercase or uppercase.
To start the Server executable from the command line C: prompt, do the following:
c:
cd \dcconn\bin
where C: is the drive and DCCONN\BIN is the directory.
DCConnect Server is the nongraphical user interface part of DCConnect.
To set up the DCConnect Server executable so that it starts when Windows NT/2000/XP/7/Server starts, add the Server executable to the Startup folder by following these steps:
The next time you start Windows NT/2000/XP/7/Server and log on, the DCConnect Server is started.
To run an unattended system or to start the server and bring up the DCConnect User Interface at a later time, start the server from a command prompt.
Note: You can enter commands in either lowercase or uppercase.
To start the server executable from the command line C: prompt, do the following:
c:
cd \dcconn\bin
where C: is the drive and DCCONN is the directory where DCConnect is installed.
If you want the DCConnect Server to start without a user login whenever the PC boots to Windows NT/2000/XP/7/Server, you need to configure the DCConnect service in the Windows NT/2000/XP/7/Server Control Panel. This configuration is useful once DCConnect is fully configured and tested, as it allows the system to recover immediately from a power outage without any user intervention. Follow these steps:
| Note: | This Account with a User ID and password is the recommended response. |
If the DCConnect service is set to login with a particular user name and password, a user who logs in to Windows NT/2000/XP/7/Server using the same user name and password as DCConnect uses can start other DCConnect applications (such as the Graphical User Interface). These applications can interact with the DCConnect Server started via the service. However, the text-mode server window itself is not visible to any user. Any applications registered with DCConnect in the Applications folder that has the Autostart box checked also automatically start when the DCConnect server starts, but the applications are not visible.
If the DCConnect service uses the system account to login, the DCConnect server window is visible. However, user applications cannot access DCConnect, and therefore the User Interface cannot display the status of terminals, mailboxes, and so forth, even though the DCConnect Server is running. However, it is possible to see the Server window and the window for any applications that are started by the server.
Because there is no method for determining the state of the data collection system if the DCConnect service uses the system account, it is recommended that you use a user account. The disadvantage of not being able to see the DCConnect Server window is minimized by the ability to use the User Interface to view the status of the Server. There is no such offsetting advantage for a system account login because no user program can interact with the server.
When DCConnect is installed, it creates the following subdirectories relative to the target path (default is C:\DCCONN) specified during the installation:
c:\dcconn\bin - Executables
data - Configuration, mailbox logfiles,
system error message file
dll - Dynamic link libraries
include - API header file
help - Message and online documentation
lib - API library
val - Validation files
graph - Graphics files
cfr - Custom Function Routines (CFRs)
job - Terminal job and program files
samples - Sample API code and executables
The base directory (in this case, C:\DCCONN) is assigned to the environment variable DCCONN. This environment variable is used by DCConnect to determine where its data files are installed.
(On OS/2) The original DCC/2 product used the environment variables DCCROOT, DCC, and DCXROOT to determine where DCC/2 was installed and where its data files were located.
DCCONN, DCXROOT, and DCCROOT should not indicate the same directory.
To help you become familiar with using DCConnect, the product CD includes an online interactive tutorial. The tutorial leads you through setting up a typical system. We recommend that you run through the tutorial at least once before using the product. You can rerun specific sections of it later to refresh yourself on particular functions.
| Note: | If your Personal Computer does not have a sound card to allow you to hear audio instructions, you can follow the instructions displayed on the screen. |
The tutorial covers the following areas of the Toolkit and Server products:
Hardware
The following hardware is required as a minimum to run the tutorial:
Software
One of the following products is required to run the tutorial:
You can run the tutorial either before or after DCConnect is installed.
To start the tutorial before DCConnect is installed:
cd \tutorial
DCConnect has groups in its Application Program Interface to help it link with other programs. These APIs are written in C-language, and execute using the services of a set of dynamic link libraries.
The API groups are:
Terminal Interface Commands | These APIs let an application send data to terminals and query terminal status. The application can show a message or send a transaction to the terminals for immediate execution. It can also query terminal processing status and hardware configuration data. |
Transaction Mailbox | These APIs link an application to the transaction data it needs to process. As transactions are received from the DCTs, they are stored in a Mailbox. These APIs allow applications to get a transaction and process it, and delete the transaction from the Mailbox. This can include passing the data to a host application, or processing the data as it is received (for example, on-line statistical quality analysis). MAPICS and TC use these Mailbox APIs to accumulate the transactions and pass them to the target. |
Data Validation | These APIs let the application program submit validation objects or receive and respond to validation requests. If the application is using program validation, it can request a validation transaction, then respond to it after validating the transaction. |
Error Handling | These APIs allow an application to receive the same system error messages that go to the System Error Message Log. |
General Support | These APIs handle basic support operations specific to each application. They can query configuration information of parts of DCConnect or synchronize the date and time between DCConnect and its terminals. There is also an API to determine if DCConnect is currently running. |
Data Requests | These APIs are required to support data requests from terminals running Terminal Services for DOS and for Windows. |
For more information about the DCConnect API, please see the DCConnect Technical Reference.
This section introduces you to DCConnect objects you encounter as you use DCConnect. Each object is in most cases, represented by an icon and has a pop-up menu associated with it.
Note: Starting with version 2.10 of DCConnect, the DCConnect Server has the ability to work with dynamically configured terminals running DOS/Windows Terminal Services (DWTS). Dynamically configured terminals are not part of the static configuration that is set up by the DCConnect User Interface and therefore will not appear on any of the screens of the User Interface nor can they be controlled by the User Interface. For more information about dynamically configured DWTS terminals, please see the DWTS User's Guide.
If you move the mouse pointer over the object and click mouse button two and choose Settings the settings notebook appears. For transaction program, moving the mouse pointer over the object, clicking mouse button two and choosing Modify, allows you to view or modify the transaction program.
To view the choices in the object's pop-up menu, move the mouse pointer over the object and single-click mouse button 2.
The following are objects with useful pop-up menus:
Point to the Custom Function Routine (CFR) object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
From the pop-up menu, select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition |
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the CFR. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. |
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. |
Point to the Terminal Personality Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
From the pop-up menu, select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition |
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the Terminal Personality. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. |
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. |
Point to the Graphic Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
From the pop-up menu, select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition |
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the graphic object. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. |
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. |
Point to the Node Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
From the pop-up menu, select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition | ||||||||||||||||
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the node. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. | ||||||||||||||||
Folders | Displays a list of containers of objects. | ||||||||||||||||
View System Error Messages | Views the System Error Message Log that is maintained by this node. | ||||||||||||||||
Shutdown DCConnect | Provides a pop-up from which you can select to shut down either the DCConnect User Interface, the DCConnect Server or both. | ||||||||||||||||
Change Terminal State | Change the state of all terminals on the node. The choices available for changing the terminal state are:
| ||||||||||||||||
Download | Fast path mechanism to perform DCT download functions. The process by which files on the DCConnect system unit are sent to a DCT. The choices available for download are:
|
Point to the Adapter Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
Select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition | ||||||||||||||||
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the Adapter. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. | ||||||||||||||||
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. | ||||||||||||||||
Change Terminal State | Change the state of the terminal attached to the selected adapter. The choices available for changing the terminal state are:
| ||||||||||||||||
Download | Fast path mechanism to perform DCT download functions. The process by which files on the DCConnect system unit are sent to a DCT. The choices available for download are:
|
Point to the Line Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
Select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition | ||||||||||||||||
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the Line. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. | ||||||||||||||||
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. | ||||||||||||||||
Change Terminal State | Change the state of the terminals attached to the selected line. The choices available for changing the terminal state are:
| ||||||||||||||||
Download | Fast path mechanism to perform DCT download functions. The process by which files on the DCConnect system unit are sent to a DCT. The choices available for download are:
|
Point to the Terminal Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
Select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition | ||||||||||||||||
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the Terminal. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. | ||||||||||||||||
Link | Adds a link to a parent object (line, routing group, or function group). | ||||||||||||||||
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. | ||||||||||||||||
Delete Link | Removes the link to its parent object (line, routing group, or function group) but does not delete the object. | ||||||||||||||||
Program Binding | Fast path to the tab in the Terminal Settings notebook that allows you to make DCT key associations (bindings) to DCT transaction programs. | ||||||||||||||||
Data Monitor | Fast path mechanism to add this terminal to the list of terminals currently being monitored by the Data Monitor component of DCConnect. | ||||||||||||||||
Change Terminal State | Change the state of the terminal. The choices available for changing the terminal state are:
| ||||||||||||||||
Download | Fast path mechanism to perform DCT download functions. The process by which files on the DCConnect system unit are sent to a DCT. The choices available for download are:
|
Point to the Application Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
Select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition |
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the Application. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. |
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. |
Start | Start the application as defined in the Application Settings notebook. |
Point to the Mailbox Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
Select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition |
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the Mailbox. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. |
Clear All Transactions | Clears all the transactions from this mailbox. |
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. |
Point to the Transaction Program Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
Select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition |
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the Transaction Program. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. |
Modify | Allows you to view or modify the transaction program. |
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. |
Point to the Routing Group Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
Select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition |
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the Routing Group. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. |
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. |
Point to the Function Group Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
Select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition | ||||||||||||||||
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the Function Group. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. | ||||||||||||||||
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. | ||||||||||||||||
Change Terminal State | Change the state of the terminals belonging to the function group. The choices available for changing the terminal state are:
| ||||||||||||||||
Download | Fast path mechanism to perform DCT download functions. The process by which files on the DCConnect system unit are sent to a DCT. The choices available for download are:
|
Point to the User Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
Select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition |
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the User. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. |
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. |
Change or Reset Password | Allows users to change or reset their passwords. |
Point to the Validation Object and click mouse button 2. The pop-up menu appears.
Select a choice by single-clicking with mouse button 1.
Choice | Definition |
Settings | Opens the Settings notebook for the object. The Settings notebook contains all the information relating to the Validation Object. You can change the information on any page of the Notebook. You save the changes by selecting the OK push button at the bottom of the page. To change the settings to those that were active before the window was displayed, select Undo. Select Cancel to close the notebook without making any changes. Select Help to get additional information on the fields on that notebook. |
Delete Object | Deletes selected object. |
Delete Link | Removes the link to its parent object (line, routing group, or function group) but does not delete the object. |
Modify | Allows you to view or modify validation data. You can add, delete, or change validation entries in the object. |
Submit | Submits the validation object to DCConnect in a suitable format for data collection terminal validation (for downloading to DCTs), system-unit validation, or program validation. |
The Navigational Toolbar contains icons representing the most commonly used parts of DCConnect. The same navigational toolbar appears on all views. It is a quick way to move from one part to another. The following discusses the icons and what they do.
You use the Navigational Toolbar as follows:
"Flyover Text" appears describing the icon, for example, "Data Monitor".
Each icon represents a different part or function of DCConnect as follows:
Icon | Definition |
Mouse Pointer | Changes the mouse pointer from the selected object back to a normal arrow mouse pointer. This is used during Copy and Link operations. |
Logon | Permits a user to logon to a system in which security is enabled. Any user who has been configured in the system can logon. |
Logoff | Permits a user to logoff a system in which security is enabled. This action will disable the system for use until another configured user logs on again. |
Node Configuration | Presents the Node Configuration view. See Node Configuration (SeeNode Configuration) for how to use information. |
Transaction/Mailbox Configuration | Presents the Transaction/Mailbox Configuration view. See Transaction/Mailbox Configuration (SeeTransaction/Mailbox Configuration) for how to use information. |
Function Group Configuration | Presents the Function Group Configuration view. See Function Groups (SeeFunction Groups) for how to use information. |
Transaction Program Folder | Presents the Transaction Programs Folder. See Transaction Program Generation (SeeTransaction Program Generation) for how to use information. |
Data Monitor | Presents the Data Monitor view. See Data Monitor (SeeData Monitor) for how to use information. |
Server Operation | Shows the status of the DCConnect Server and allows it to be changed. The icon shows a seated blue man if the DCConnect Server is not running, the seated man with an "up" arrow if the DCConnect Server is starting, the seated man with a "down" arrow if the DCConnect Server is shutting down, and a running blue man if the DCConnect Server is currently running. When the man is seated, pressing the icon will start the DCConnect Server; if changes to the configuration have not been saved, you will be prompted as to whether or not these changes should be saved before the Server is started. When he is running, pressing the icon will cause the DCConnect Server to be shut down (after a confirmation popup). |
Shutdown | Presents pop-up allowing the shut down of the DCConnect User Interface, the DCConnect Server or both. |
Help | Presents Help options. |
In a data collection system, you need to configure how your terminals are physically attached to the system unit. In DCConnect, you do this by using Node Configuration. This is where you customize the parameters that allow DCTs to communicate with the personal computer (PC).
DCConnect allows you to configure your system to fit your needs.
Items in node configuration are:
When DCConnect is started it uses the latest saved configuration. DCConnect supports multiple configurations but only one can be active at a time. Use the Backup/Restore configuration program for multiple configurations.
Note: You cannot change the current configuration while DCConnect is active. You have to save any configuration changes you make. When DCConnect is restarted, the updated configuration is used.
Configuring a Node
This section describes how to configure a node (5) using the Node Configuration screen. Node configuration is a hardware view of your DCConnect network. It is a visual representation of how each terminal is connected to a node. DCConnect uses this layout to communicate with the the DCT. Each object in the Node Configuration View uses notebooks that contain important information. See Using the DCConnect Settings Notebooks (SeeUsing the DCConnect Settings Notebooks) for information on the settings notebooks of each object.
Each adapter and line has a [-] before it. Clicking the [-] causes that leg of the tree to compress so that no objects are displayed except for the object next to the [+] sign. For example, if you click the [-] next to a line, it will change to a [+] and all the terminals for that line would no longer be displayed.
If you click the [ next to an adapter, it will change to a [+] and all the lines and terminals for that adapter would no longer be displayed.
This feature is useful if you have multiple adapters or lines and do not want those terminals or lines displayed. Those terminals or lines are still configured. They just will not be displayed on the Node Configuration view.
If a [+] is displayed, clicking on it will change it to a [-] and display all hidden objects.
Adding an Adapter
For each adapter you have in your PC that will be used to connect your DCTs, you have to add an adapter to the node object.
To add an adapter (6), do the following:
The adapter is attached to the node. A line is automatically added.
Adding a Line
Because each adapter has at least one line, when you add an adapter, one line is added automatically.
This task is needed for ARTIC and Serial Port adapters where an additional line is required.
To add a line, do the following:
You now have a second line off either your ARTIC or Serial Port adapter.
Adding a Terminal
In order for a terminal to be able to send transaction data to DCConnect, its physical connection must be defined and configured through node configuration.
To define a terminal and its physical connection, do the following:
The Terminal is added to the line.
DCConnect allows full control over DCTs. The system administrator can enable or disable polling to DCTs, put them in or out of service, reset and download transaction programs to them individually.
DCConnect controls DOS or Windows terminals running Terminal Services for DOS and for Windows to put them in or out of service.
Controlling and managing your terminals can be accomplished by pointing to the terminal and double-clicking mouse button 2. When the pop-up menu appears, select the function that you want.
You can work with your terminals based on common functions they perform by creating a Function Group. A Function Group allows you to configure, update, or view terminals. For example, you can update a transaction program running on all the terminals in the Function Group by updating the Function Group you created. This is done once and saves doing each terminal separately.
Each function group has a [-] before it. Clicking the [-] causes that leg of the tree to compress so that no objects are displayed except for the object next to the [+] sign. For example, if you click the [-] next to a function group, it will change to a [+] and all the terminals for that function group would no longer be displayed.
This feature is useful if you have multiple function groups and do not want those terminals displayed. Those terminals are still configured. They just will not be displayed.
If a [+] is displayed, clicking on it will change it to a [-] and display all hidden objects.
Setting Up a Function Group
To set up a Function Group, do the following:
You can change the name of the 'Function Group' by changing the name in the Settings notebook.
When you assign a terminal to a function group, the terminal assumes all the characteristics (settings) of that function group. If you make a change in the Function Group Settings notebook, the change affects all the terminals in the group. Additionally, if you make a change in the Terminal Settings notebook of a terminal in the Function Group, all terminals in the group will be changed.
There are certain rules that apply to adding a terminal to a function group.
The first terminal added to a function group determines:
These rules remain in effect until all terminals under the function group and the function group itself gets deleted.
The following table shows the additional terminal types that can be
added to a function group whose characteristics have been determined
by the first terminal added to the function group.
| FIRST TERMINAL ADDED | ADDITIONAL TYPES ALLOWED |
|---|---|
| 7527 Model 1 | Other 7527 model 1s, 7527 Model 2, 7524/Client |
| 7527 Model 2 | Other 7527 model 2s, 7524/Client |
| 7525 | 7526 Model 100, 7526 Model 200 |
| 7526 Model 100 | Other 7526 Model 100s, 7526 Model 200 |
| 7526 Model 200 | None |
| 7524/Client | None |
You must tell DCConnect where you want transaction data to be stored until your MAPICS, TC, or user-written application retrieves it for final processing. Transaction data is stored in Mailboxes, and DCConnect allows you to logically group those terminals that send similar data to a Mailbox. This logical group of terminals (Routing Group) all share common transaction ID-to-Mailbox associations.
In DCC/2, a mailbox was called an export.
Each mailbox has a [-] before it. Clicking the [-] causes that leg of the tree to compress so that no objects are displayed except for the object next to the [+] sign. For example, if you click the [-] next to a mailbox, it will change to a [+] and all the transactions for that mailbox would no longer be displayed.
This feature is useful if you have multiple mailboxes and do not want those transactions displayed. Those mailboxes are still configured. They just will not be displayed on the Transaction/Mailbox Configuration view.
If a [+] is displayed, clicking on it will change it to a [-] and display all hidden objects.
You can send all your transactions for specified terminals to the same mailbox or you can send only selected transactions for specified terminals to a selected mailbox.
If terminal 5 performs shipping and receiving functions, you can set up a separate mailbox for each function (for example, Mailbox_Shipping and Mailbox_Receiving). Next, define a routing group for the shipping transaction ids (Routing_Shipping) and a second routing group for the receiving transaction ids (Routing_Receiving). Terminal 5 will now appear under both Routing Groups.
Adding a Mailbox
Adding a Routing Group
Adding a Terminal
A mailbox configured to be a master CANNOT have a master configured for itself.
A master mailbox cannot be opened for reading by an application. Master mailboxes only feed their transactions to their pool mailboxes.
There are 2 kinds of master mailboxes
The Basic Master will distribute transactions to its pool mailboxes in first-in/first-out (FIFO) sequence. Thus, it is suited to handling transactions which can be processed in parallel -- inquiries to a back-end system, or transactions where there is no particular sequence nor concern for collisions on accessing back-end objects.
If there are no transactions in the master mailbox and a pool mailbox is not working on a transaction then a transaction arriving from a client terminal will by-pass the master mailbox and will be posted directly to the pool mailbox.
Transactions may also be posted directly to a pool mailbox. This would be helpful if you wanted to distribute inquiries to the first available mailbox (via the master), while also wanting to direct specific work to specific mailbox-attached processes (direct to a pool mailbox).
If the Basic Master mailbox is hosted in a database table (see below), that table must NOT have SERIAL_KEY column. Presence of that column indicates that Serial Key mode is to be used.
The Serial Key Master allows setting of a serialization key text string, and a priority as the transaction is added via the DcxWriteTransactionEx2 API (e.g. from Transaction Connection's Write_Xact2 command). Because enforcement of the serialization must be performed, unlike the Basic Master, all transactions will be written to the master -- even if a pool mailbox is empty.
In order the run in Serial Mode mode, the mailbox MUST BE hosted in a Database (see below), and the master table must have a SERIAL_KEY column (i.e. it is configured via the DB schema detected).
If you have the SERIAL_KEY configured, then you may optionally add SERIAL_KEY_2. If you have SERIAL_KEY_2 then you can also add SERIAL_KEY_3. These additional serial keys may be used to further restrict parallel work on transactions from the master mailbox -- perhaps to prevent a cycle count of an item-location from posting in parallel with a pick from that location that was physically done slightly before the cycle count. Use the DcxWriteTransactionEx22 and ...23 API (e.g. from Transaction Connection's Write_Xact22 and ...23 command) to put data into the 2nd or 2nd and 3rd serial key fields.
When a read is done from pool mailbox, the server will provide, first, any transaction in the pool that is at status 1 (waiting in queue to be read). Such a record may be present because the application read it before but then closed the mailbox without releasing it. If there is no such record (all transactions in the pool have been read, cleared, or released) then the server will select the next transaction from the master and copy it to the pool mailbox table.
The next transaction is found based on:
If there is the additional SERIAL_KEY_2 or both SERIAL_KEY_2 and SERIAL_KEY_3 columns then a transaction with any of the 2-3 keys cannot be in progress in any pool mailbox. So, if you did transactions in this physical sequence:
Transactions should not be posted directly to a pool mailbox that as a Serial Key master.
Transactions may also be posted directly from a client terminal, but there is no way to specify the serial key nor priority, so they default to an empty string and zero, respectively
Use of a database for the mailboxes is REQUIRED if you want to use a master mailbox in serial keyed mode.
To enable the use of database tables for the mailbox data:
Refer to the DCConnect Technical Reference for details of the Transaction Record Format structure which this table is supporting.
Specifications for mailbox table instances are given in the table below. Note the required PRIMARY KEY on SEQ and the ascending non-unique indexes on DCCSEQ and STATUS.
| Column | DB2 | Oracle | SQL Server | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEQ (PRIMARY KEY) |
BIGINT | NUMBER(19,0) | BIGINT | This column's value uniquely indentifies the transaction in the table. The first value inserted by DCConnect runtime is -9,223,372,036,854,775,807, and each successive transaction recorded has the number increased by 1 to the maximum of 9,223,372,036,854,775,808. Thus over 18,400 trillion transactions can be recorded before the table needs to be purged of the oldest transactions. At 50 transactions per second (faster than you can practically accomplish to one mailbox), this range will last for 11 billion years... |
| MASTER_SEQ (POOL ONLY) |
BIGINT | NUMBER(19,0) | BIGINT | This column is required only if the mailbox is a member of a pool fed from master mailbox. It is populated with the SEQ value from the master as the transaction is transferred from the master into the pool mailbox. |
| SERIAL_KEY (MASTER IN SERIAL KEY MODE ONLY) |
VARCHAR(60) | VARCHAR(60) | VARCHAR(60) |
This column is required only if the mailbox is used as master in serial key mode. It is set by the DcxWriteTransactionEx2 API, or set to a default empty string if the
transaction is directly from a client terminal. It is used to cause serialized, chronological processing of all transctions with a common SERIAL_KEY value so that
there is only one pool mailbox with an active transaction for the value.
An empty string value indicates that there is no need to prevent parallel processing in multiple pool mailboxes. This would generally be the case for live inquries. |
| SERIAL_KEY_2 (MASTER IN SERIAL KEY MODE ONLY) |
VARCHAR(60) | VARCHAR(60) | VARCHAR(60) |
This column is optional when the mailbox is used as master in serial key mode (SERIAL_KEY must be present). It is set by the DcxWriteTransactionEx22/23 APIs, or set to a default empty string if the
transaction is directly from a client terminal. It is used to cause serialized, chronological processing of all transctions with a common
SERIAL_KEY/SERIAL_KEY_2/SERIAL_KEY_3 value so that
there is only one pool mailbox with an active transaction for the set of values.
An empty string value indicates that there is no need to prevent parallel processing in multiple pool mailboxes. This would generally be the case for live inquries. |
| SERIAL_KEY_3 (MASTER IN SERIAL KEY MODE ONLY) |
VARCHAR(60) | VARCHAR(60) | VARCHAR(60) |
This column is optional when the mailbox is used as master in serial key mode (SERIAL_KEY and SERIAL_KEY_2 must be present). It is set by the DcxWriteTransactionEx22/23 APIs, or set to a default empty string if the
transaction is directly from a client terminal. It is used to cause serialized, chronological processing of all transctions with a common
SERIAL_KEY/SERIAL_KEY_2/SERIAL_KEY_3 value so that
there is only one pool mailbox with an active transaction for the set of values.
An empty string value indicates that there is no need to prevent parallel processing in multiple pool mailboxes. This would generally be the case for live inquries. |
| PRIORITY (MASTER IN SERIAL KEY MODE ONLY) |
INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | This column is required only if the mailbox is used as master in serial key mode. It is set by the DcxWriteTransactionEx2 API, or set to a default of 0 if the transaction is directly from a client terminal. It is used to give preference to high-priority transactions (such as on-line inquries) in the dispatching to pool mailboxes. A lower value is a higher priority. |
| POOL_MB (MASTER ONLY) |
VARCHAR(32) | VARCHAR(32) | VARCHAR(32) | This column is required only if the mailbox is used as master. It is set with the mailbox name to which the transactions has been transferred (without schema and the DCXMB_ prefix). |
| POOL_SEQ (MASTER ONLY) |
BIGINT | NUMBER(19,0) | BIGINT | This column is required only if the mailbox is used as master. It is set with the SEQ value used to copy the transaction into the pool mailbox. |
| DCCSEQ (INDEXED ASCENDING) |
INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER |
The DCConnect sequence number assigned to the transaction. This is a 9-digit number, so eventually there may be more than 1 record in
the table with the same DCCSEQ number.
For a master/pool mailbox relationship, this value can be used to join the master and pool tables (with the caveat that, depending on how long you keep data, there may be more than one match). |
| LOC | VARCHAR(2) | VARCHAR(2) | VARCHAR(2) | The DCConnect communications port identifier |
| LINE | VARCHAR(2) | VARCHAR(2) | VARCHAR(2) | The DCConnect communications line identifier |
| ADDRESS | CHAR(1) | CHAR(1) | CHAR(1) | The DCConnect terminal address character |
| TERMNAME | VARCHAR(32) | VARCHAR(32) | VARCHAR(32) | The DCConnect terminal name |
| JOB | VARCHAR(2) | VARCHAR(2) | VARCHAR(2) | The DCConnect Job to which the terminal is assigned |
| TERMSEQ | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The 5-digit maximum sequence number assigned by the originating terminal client. |
| YEAR | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The year portion of the timestamp as sent per the terminal's clock |
| MONTH | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The month portion of the timestamp as sent per the terminal's clock |
| DAY | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The day portion of the timestamp as sent per the terminal's clock |
| HOUR | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The hour portion of the timestamp as sent per the terminal's clock |
| MINUTE | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The minute portion of the timestamp as sent per the terminal's clock |
| SECOND | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The second portion of the timestamp as sent per the terminal's clock |
| YEARADJ | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The year portion of the timestamp as sent per the terminal's clock, adjusted by the server per the timezone difference |
| MONTHADJ | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The month portion of the timestamp as sent per the terminal's clock, adjusted by the server per the timezone difference |
| DAYADJ | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The day portion of the timestamp as sent per the terminal's clock, adjusted by the server per the timezone difference |
| HOURADJ | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The hour portion of the timestamp as sent per the terminal's clock, adjusted by the server per the timezone difference |
| MINUTEADJ | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The minute portion of the timestamp as sent per the terminal's clock, adjusted by the server per the timezone difference |
| SECONDADJ | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The second portion of the timestamp as sent per the terminal's clock, adjusted by the server per the timezone difference |
| MODE | CHAR(1) | CHAR(1) | CHAR(1) | The operating mode of the terminal |
| TRANSID | VARCHAR(3) | VARCHAR(3) | VARCHAR(3) | The transaction ID sent by the terminal |
| TXNLEN | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The length of the transaction record data |
| TXNDATA | VARCHAR(750) | VARCHAR(750) | VARCHAR(750) | The transaction record sent by the terminal |
| STATUS (INDEXED ASC) |
INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER |
The status of the row:
|
| INSERT_TS | TIMESTAMP | TIMESTAMP | DATETIME | The local server time when the record was inserted (created) |
| READ_TS | TIMESTAMP | TIMESTAMP | DATETIME | The local server time when the record was read from the mailbox by an application |
| RELEASE_TS | TIMESTAMP | TIMESTAMP | DATETIME | The local server time when the record was released by the reading application, or cleared by an administrator. |
For example, a batch file to create a simple mailbox table in DB2 might look like this:
REM Create a mailbox table REM Provide parmeter [schema.]mailbox WHERE mailbox name must be: Prefix with DCXMB_ and followed by the export name DB2 CREATE TABLE %1 ( SEQ BIGINT NOT NULL, MASTER_SEQ BIGINT, DCCSEQ INTEGER, LOC VARCHAR(2), LINE VARCHAR(2), ADDRESS CHAR(1), TERMNAME VARCHAR(32), JOB VARCHAR(32), TERMSEQ INTEGER, YEAR INTEGER, MONTH INTEGER, DAY INTEGER, HOUR INTEGER, MINUTE INTEGER, SECOND INTEGER, YEARADJ INTEGER, MONTHADJ INTEGER, DAYADJ INTEGER, HOURADJ INTEGER, MINUTEADJ INTEGER, SECONDADJ INTEGER, MODE CHAR(1), TRANSID VARCHAR(3), TXNLEN INTEGER, TXNDATA VARCHAR(750), STATUS INTEGER WITH DEFAULT 1, INSERT_TS TIMESTAMP, READ_TS TIMESTAMP, RELEASE_TS TIMESTAMP, PRIMARY KEY( SEQ ) ) REM Indexes for finding specific DCC sequence numbers to release and which ones are REM candidates to provide to a reading application. DB2 CREATE INDEX %1_dccseq ON %1 (DCCSEQ ASC) DB2 CREATE INDEX %1_Status ON %1 (Status)For a master mailbox operating in Basic mode, replace the table creation statement with :
DB2 CREATE TABLE %1 ( SEQ BIGINT NOT NULL, POOL_MB VARCHAR(32), POOL_SEQ BIGINT, DCCSEQ INTEGER, LOC VARCHAR(2), LINE VARCHAR(2), ADDRESS CHAR(1), TERMNAME VARCHAR(32), JOB VARCHAR(32), TERMSEQ INTEGER, YEAR INTEGER, MONTH INTEGER, DAY INTEGER, HOUR INTEGER, MINUTE INTEGER, SECOND INTEGER, YEARADJ INTEGER, MONTHADJ INTEGER, DAYADJ INTEGER, HOURADJ INTEGER, MINUTEADJ INTEGER, SECONDADJ INTEGER, MODE CHAR(1), TRANSID VARCHAR(3), TXNLEN INTEGER, TXNDATA VARCHAR(750), STATUS INTEGER WITH DEFAULT 1, INSERT_TS TIMESTAMP, READ_TS TIMESTAMP, RELEASE_TS TIMESTAMP, PRIMARY KEY( SEQ ) )For a master mailbox operating in Serial Key mode, replace the table creation statement with :
DB2 CREATE TABLE %1 ( SEQ BIGINT NOT NULL, SERIAL_KEY VARCHAR(20), PRIORITY INTEGER, POOL_MB VARCHAR(32), POOL_SEQ BIGINT, DCCSEQ INTEGER, LOC VARCHAR(2), LINE VARCHAR(2), ADDRESS CHAR(1), TERMNAME VARCHAR(32), JOB VARCHAR(32), TERMSEQ INTEGER, YEAR INTEGER, MONTH INTEGER, DAY INTEGER, HOUR INTEGER, MINUTE INTEGER, SECOND INTEGER, YEARADJ INTEGER, MONTHADJ INTEGER, DAYADJ INTEGER, HOURADJ INTEGER, MINUTEADJ INTEGER, SECONDADJ INTEGER, MODE CHAR(1), TRANSID VARCHAR(3), TXNLEN INTEGER, TXNDATA VARCHAR(750), STATUS INTEGER WITH DEFAULT 1, INSERT_TS TIMESTAMP, READ_TS TIMESTAMP, RELEASE_TS TIMESTAMP, PRIMARY KEY( SEQ ) )
The DCConn\bin folder contains pre-build batch files for creating DB2 table:
call createMBTableDB2.bat dclib.DCXMB_owlater1F call createMBTableDB2.bat dclib.DCXMB_owlater5 call createMBTableDB2.bat dclib.DCXMB_owinqj1
DCConnect Sequence Number Table
There is a single-row table to track the DCConnect sequence number: [OPTIONAL SCHEMA NAME.]DCX_DCCSEQSpecifications for sequence number table instances are given in the table below. Note the PRIMARY KEY on THE_ROW.
The table must be initialized with a single row with values (1, 1).
| Column | DB2 | Oracle | SQL Server | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE_ROW (PRIMARY KEY) |
INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | This is a one-row table in practice. A primary key with the required value of 1 (one) is utilized to prevent some databases from issuing warnings regarding updating an entire table, and because some DB tools cannot handle a table that has no primary key. |
| DCCSEQ | INTEGER | INTEGER | INTEGER | The current DCConnect sequence number. Initialize this to 1 (one) in the single row you populate. |
For example, a batch file to create this for DB2 would look like this:
REM Create the DCCSeq table
REM We define a primary key mostly to keep some DB tools happy and prevent warnings about updating all rows.
REM Provide parmeter [schema.]:
DB2 CREATE TABLE %1DCX_DCCSEQ ( THE_ROW INTEGER NOT NULL, DCCSEQ INTEGER, PRIMARY KEY (THE_ROW) )
DB2 INSERT INTO %1DCX_DCCSEQ ( THE_ROW, DCCSEQ ) VALUES ( 1, 1 )
Replaying Transactions
If want to resurrect and replay one or more transactions that are in a table-based mailbox, you can:
The records reset to STATUS 1 can be from any time in the past, and multiple records can be set without need to be sequential.
The count of in-queue transactions and determination of the oldest transaction will be evaluated as the application connects to the mailbox. As each reset transaction is released the server will find that the expected next sequence (SEQ column) may not be a STATUS 1 so it will again re-establish which transaction is now the oldest (next to be read by the application).
When the old, reset transactions are all processed and released then any new transactions will be handled as usual.
The DCConnect Data Monitor displays communications data that is being transmitted between DCConnect and the DCTs that have been selected for monitoring.
This information is useful to debug problems. The data can be displayed as formatted or raw data depending on the option chosen. If you scroll right using the horizontal scroll bar of the data window, additional information that maps out each field of data is displayed.
When a terminal is being polled (not being downloaded), the monitor periodically shows blank data and characters that look like 'happy faces' going to and from the terminal. This is normal operation.
When the monitor window is closed, the data is not saved. Therefore if you open the monitor window again, the data from the previous window will not be available.
You can control the monitoring of data transactions and the actual displaying of the transactions. The Action pulldown contains a Filter selection that allows you to select what terminals that you want to monitor or view the status of. For example, if you select Enabled, all the responding terminals will be displayed in the Terminals window. When you select the Start button, the direction, terminals and data information is displayed for the responding terminals.
When the monitor is first started, it is in the Scrolling mode. This means that the latest monitor data is displayed at the bottom of the monitor when it is received. In this mode, the Stop push button is available to stop the automatic scrolling of data.
When the Stop button is pressed, individual items in the monitor data can be read. Use the mouse to move the scroll bar or use the PgDn and PgUp keys to scroll the data. Scroll to the right using the horizontal scroll bar on the data window to view additional details about the data in the list.
Use the Clear pushbutton to clear all data from the data window.
The monitor will hold up to 512 items in its list. If this maximum is reached, the earliest items are deleted as new items are added to the list. When the monitor is stopped, new messages are thrown away and lost. When you next start the monitor scrolling, new messages appear.
To end the monitor, press Alt-F4 or close the Data Monitor view.
The Data Monitor contains the following fields and windows:
Field | Explanation |
Start/Stop | Press to start or stop data monitoring. When you stop the screen, all new data is lost. When you start the screen, all new data will be displayed. |
Clear | Clears the entire data window. |
Data | The Data spin buttons allows you to choose the type of messages you want to appear on the Data Monitor. Select whether to monitor All (monitor all data) or Transactions (transaction data only). |
File name | Name of the file to store transaction data in the \DCCONN\DATA subdirectory. Use this field to save the monitored data to an ASCII file on disk. |
Limit | This field defines the maximum number of lines of data in the file used to hold monitored data. When the file is filled up to this defined limit, the file will wrap, over-writing the oldest data in the file. When you have stopped monitoring to the file, you can view the monitored data using your preferred editor. This option is useful for collecting data over a period of time. |
Data Window |
|
Terminal Window | A window that shows terminal status. It shows direction, terminals, and data. |
Direction | Indicates whether the information was sent to the terminal by DCConnect (==>) or the information came from the terminal to DCConnect (<==). All commands are sent to the terminal. All responses and transactions come from the terminal. |
Terminal | The name of the terminal this message is going to or coming from. The terminal name is the name that was set up in DCConnect Node Configuration view. |
Data | Gives a brief description of the type of data that was transmitted. More detailed information about one of the items in the list can be obtained by scrolling right using the horizontal scroll bar of the data window. For each command (CMD) that is sent out by DCConnect, there should be a corresponding response (RESP) from the terminal. Both the command and response will have the same or similar data descriptions. |
For all responses, a return code value will be given indicating the success of the corresponding command that was requested. A return code of 0 means the command was successful. A value of 2 is also sometimes returned when data was requested from the terminal and that data was returned. The meaning of all return codes is described in the DCConnect Technical Reference.
Depending on the type of the command, response, or transaction, one or more additional fields will be displayed. For example, the Set Buffering Mode command will indicate what the mode will be set to. However, some items, including most of the responses, do not not contain any additional information.
The Transactions that appear for this monitor are not in the same format as when you receive the transaction from a DcxReadTransaction or DccReadTransaction API (TRF structure). The transaction organization you see on the monitor is that of the transaction before it has been rearranged in the more generic format that is used by the APIs.
Select Data Details (SeeData Details) for details on the information you will see on the monitor.
The following is the information you will see on the monitor for a transaction:
For 7525 terminals and 7526 terminals running in 7525-compatible mode, the first two bytes are a combination of the mode and transaction ID. But if the first character is a '4', the transaction ID is actually three bytes. For 7526 terminals running in enhanced mode and for 7527 and 7524/Client terminals, the first byte indicates the mode and the next two bytes are the hex representation of the transaction ID.
The rest of the data ends up in the .txdata field of the TRF structure. The command and response descriptions shown on the monitor correspond to one (usually) or more of the more cryptic terminal commands such as CMD 1, CMD 9B or CMD G. Below is a list of the mappings between the two types of terminology.
The following list maps monitor command/response descriptions to the corresponding terminal-specific command. The list is alphabetized by the description of the command/response/transaction.
The DCConnect Toolkit provides a programming environment for creating and maintaining transaction programs. A transaction program is a sequence of one or more transaction program commands that will be executed by a terminal when associated with a terminal event such as a key being pressed.
Transaction programs are stored in the Transaction Programs Folder. This folder can be brought up using mouse button 2 in the white space of any of the configuration screens (Node, Function Group, Mailbox). The mouse button 2 menu that is displayed provides a Folders option which has several sub-options, including the Transaction Programs folder.
The same folder can be brought up from the Binding page (under the Associations tab) of any terminal notebook. From this page, clicking mouse button 2 will provided a menu that includes an option for the Transaction Programs folder.
To bring up the programming environment for a particular transaction program object, click mouse button 2 on the appropriate transaction program object in the folder and choose the Modify option from the resulting menu.
DCConnect allows you create and modify transaction programs for 7525, 7526, 7527 and 7524 (Batch and RF)DCTs and terminals that are running the DCConnect Client. The flash for a 7524 terminal and the DCConnect Client program use common source code which allows transaction programs for written for one to run on the other. For this reason the term '7524/Client' is used to show commands that are valid for either.
Note: The format of a DCConnect transaction program file is the same as that of the Data Collection Control/2 32-bit transaction program file which is different from Data Collection Control/2 16-bit transaction program files. Therefore if you have Data Collection Control/2 16-bit transaction program files, they should be migrated to the 32-bit format before they can be used or modified by DCConnect.
To create a transaction program, do the following in the Transaction Program folder:
The transaction program name must be unique amongst all other programs in the selected file. The program name may be up to 32 characters long and may contain spaces and other special characters. The program name is case sensitive.
The transaction program file name must conform to the 8.3 file naming convention and the extension must be .PGM. The file name may be entered in upper or lower case but it wil be converted to upper case by DCConnect. The drop down listbox for the transaction program file field lists all program files that cuurently exist. You may select one of these names or you may type in a new name. If a new name is specified, the new program file is created when the OK button is pressed from the program notebook.
Note: Once a transaction program has been created, its name, type and associated program file cannot be changed. However programs may be deleted and the clipboard can be used to copy commands between two programs. Sets of commands can even be copied between programs of different types provided the commands and all parameters of those commands are supported by both types.
A transaction program can be created for any one of the following terminal type categories:
An example of a transaction program command might be to display a message on the terminal or to read 10 characters from the sensor port. A transaction program could be created to execute these two transaction commands in sequence.
The transaction program must be given a name, for example, 'Read Badge'. Transaction programs are later assigned, or bound, to any terminal event. The Read Badge program could assigned to the event of pressing the F1 key ('A' key). After the program and the rest of the terminal files are downloaded to the terminal, pressing the F1 key ('A' key) at the terminal causes the terminal to accept a 10-character badge read from the sensor port.
DCConnect can now edit transaction programs created through DCConnect as well as programs in the 32-bit DCC/2 format. Any 32-bit DCC/2 program files can be migrated to DCConnect and, from that point on, can be maintained completely using the DCConnect Transaction Program editor.
The DCConnect Transaction Program Editor is started by choosing the Modify option from the mouse button 2 menu of any transaction program object. The main editor window provides two listboxes:
Commands | Lists all transaction program commands that are valid for the terminal type currently assigned to the transaction program. |
Transaction Program | Lists all steps that currently make up the transaction program. |
To select a command from the Commands listbox using a mouse, use the scroll bar until the command name is visible, then click once to highlight the command. The information area at the bottom of the editor window gives a brief description of the currently highlighted command. Double-clicking on a command causes it to be inserted into the program. See below for more details.
To select a single step in the Transaction Program listbox using a mouse, use the scroll bar until the step is visible and then click on the desired step.
To select a block of steps in the Transaction Program listbox using a mouse, position the mouse on the first step in the block and then click and hold mouse button 1 as you move the mouse pointer down to the last step that should be highlighted. Release mouse button 1 when the entire block is highlighted. If the block extends past the last step currently showing at the bottom of the listbox, move the mouse past the bottom of the listbox and this will cause the contents of the listbox to scroll.
You can also mark a block by starting at the last step and then moving upwards in the listbox.
Once a block of commands is selected, clicking anywhere within that block will not cause any of the highlighting to change. But clicking on a command outside of the block will cause the entire block to become unhighlighted and the command that was clicked on will become highlighted.
You can extend an already highlighted block in either direction by positioning the mouse anywhere inside the block and then clicking and holding mouse button 1 while moving the mouse to the proper step.
To shrink a block of steps starting from the command that was last highlighted in the block, position the mouse at the new last step, hold down the shift key and click mouse button 1.
To unhighlight all steps in the program, use the Deselect All Steps option of the mouse button 2 menu for the Transaction Program listbox.
The Tab key and Shift-Tab key sequence can be used to move between the listboxes and to move to the pushbuttons.
To select a command from the Commands listbox using the keyboard, first tab to the listbox and then use the arrow keys or PgDn, PgUp keys to move within the listbox. You can also press the key for the first letter of the desired command. If more than one command starts with the same letter, repeated pressing of that letter key will move to the next command starting with the same letter - wrapping back to the beginning after the last one. Pressing Enter in this listbox causes the currently selected command to be inserted into the program. See below for more details.
To select a single step in the Transaction Program listbox using the keyboard, use the arrow keys or PgDn, PgUp keys to move within the listbox. The Home and End keys also move to the first and last steps respectively. Pressing a letter key will move to the next step whose text starts with the letter pressed. If already at the last step which starts with that letter, the search will wrap back to the beginning of the listbox to the first step with text starting with that letter.
To select a block of steps in the Transaction Program listbox using the keyboard, position the cursor to the first or last step in the block, press and hold the shift key and then use the down or up arrow key to extend the block as far as necessary.
To shrink the block back in the opposite direction it expanded, press and hold the shift key and then use the appropriate arrow key to shrink the block.
If a block of commands is selected and an arrow key is pressed without holding the shift key, the entire block becomes unhighlighted and the step to which the cursor moved becomes the only highlighted step.
The right side of the top of the Transaction Program listbox shows the step number for the currently highlighted step in the transaction program along with the total number of steps currently in the program. If more than one step is currently highlighted, the indicated step number will be somewhere in that block of highlighted steps. If no steps are highlighted the step number will be at the same place as the list box cursor (indicated by a broken line box around one of the steps in the list).
At the bottom of the editor window are pushbuttons for the following actions:
Save & Close | Saves the transaction program to disk and closes the editor window. |
Save | Saves the transaction program to disk, but leaves the editor window open. |
Cancel | Closes the editor window. If changes have been made to the program since it was last saved, a confirmation popup will be displayed asking you whether or not those changes should be saved. |
Undo All | Restores the transaction program to the way it was at the last save. This is equivalent to cancelling without saving changes and then restarting the editor. |
Help | Brings up the transaction programming section of the DCConnect User's Guide. |
The menu bar across the top of the editor provides the following options:
Save | Same function as the Save pushbutton described above. |
Save & Close | Same function as the Save & Close pushbutton described above. |
Cancel | Same function as the Cancel pushbutton described above. Closing the editor window from the Window List or from the System menu also performs the same function as the Cancel pushbutton. |
Undo All | Same function as the Undo All pushbutton described above. The key sequence Cntrl-U can also be used to perform this function. |
Delete | Deletes the steps which are currently highlighted in the Transaction Program listbox. The Delete key can also be used to perform this function. |
Cut | Cuts to the clipboard the steps which are currently highlighted in the Transaction Program listbox. This is equivalent to the Copy operation followed by the Delete operation. The key sequence Shift-Delete can be used to perform this function. |
Copy | Copies to the clipboard the steps which are currently highlighted in the Transaction Program listbox. The key sequence Cntrl-Insert can be used to perform this function. |
Paste | Pastes transaction program commands from the clipboard prior to the step that is currently highlighted in the Transaction Program listbox. If more than one step is highlighted, the pasted commands go before the first highlighted step. Before the paste operation does anything, it verifies that the clipboard contains valid transaction program commands for the target terminal type. Commands may be pasted between programs of different terminal types provided all parameters and the commands themselves are supported in both terminal types. If any command or any parameter in any command is not valid for the target terminal type, the entire paste operation is disallowed. In this case an error is given indicating what was invalid. The key sequence Shift-Insert can be used to perform this function. |
Insert Selected Command | Used to insert a new command into the transaction program. The new command goes before the first step that is highlighted in the Transaction Program. At least one step must be highlighted in order to add a new command. To add a command to the end of the program, highlight the End-of-Program marker by itself. The group of commands which are highlighted does not change as commands are added. This allows a sequence of commands to be added to the program without having to select the insert point for each one. If the command to be added has parameters to be set, a pop-up for that command will be shown allowing its parameters to be set prior to inserting the command. If Cancel is pressed from that pop-up, the new command is not inserted into the program. Note: Each time OK is pressed from a command's pop-up window, the parameter settings from that window become the new default parameters for the next time that same command is added to the program. Pressing the Enter key from the Commands listbox is equivalent to choosing this menu function. |
Find | Used to find a string of text within the Transaction Program listbox. The search begins with the step indicated as the current step above the Transaction Program listbox on the right side (same as the currently highlighted line when only one line is highlighted). The search does not include the current step. A forward search or reverse search can be performed. The search can also be case sensitive or case insensitive. When this menu item is selected, a pop-up is provided on which you can enter the search text and can specify whether to do a reverse or case- sensitive search. The settings on this pop-up are preserved for the life of the editor or until changed via this pop-up. The settings are not preserved across different editor sessions. The key sequence Cntrl-F can also be used to perform this function. |
Find Next | Repeat the last find operation starting from the current step using all the same parameters as before. These parameters include the search text, the direction and the case sensitivity. The key sequence Cntrl-N can also be used to perform this function. |
Allows you to bring up various help menus as well as the DCConnect User's Guide or DCConnect Technical Reference.
Most of the operations on the Edit pull-down can also be selected from the mouse button 2 menu of the Transaction Program listbox. This menu can be shown by clicking the mouse button 2 once anywhere in the Transaction Program listbox.
The functions in this menu that have already been described include:
In addition the following two options are provided:
Modify Selected Step | Allows you to modify the parameters for the command at the currently selected step. In order to use this function, one and only one step can be selected in the Transaction Program listbox. When this function is selected, the pop-up for this command is displayed, filled in with the current parameter settings. You can change those settings and press OK. The changes will be reflected in the listbox entry for this command. If this function is selected for a command that has no parameters, nothing will happen. Pressing the Enter key from the Tranaction Program listbox is equivalent to choosing this menu function. |
Deselect All Steps | Causes all highlighted steps in the Transaction Program listbox to become unhighlited. When using a mouse and the entire program is highlighted, this option is the quickest way to unhighlight the entire program. |
Select All Steps | Causes all steps in the Transaction Program listbox to become highlited. The end of program marker is not highlighted. This is useful when you want to copy the entire program to another program or if you want to copy the entire program to the clipboard as text so that it can be printed. |
Copy To Clipboard As Text | Copies to the clipboard the steps which are currently highlighted in the Transaction Program listbox. However, unlike the standard Copy option, the steps are copied in the same text format that is displayed in the Transaction Program listbox. Once in the clipboard, the text can be pasted to a file for printing or for other purposes. |
The editor window is initially presented in the middle of your screen but not filling it up. The window can be resized as necessary. After any resizing, both the Commands and Transaction Program listboxes will adjust their height and width accordingly. The width of the Commands listbox is constant. The width of the Transaction Program listbox adjusts with the width of the editor window.
The minimum width of the Transaction Program listbox is dictated by the width that the pushbuttons take up. If the editor window is shrunk past this point, the pushbuttons and the Transaction Program listbox will be clipped.
The minimum height of the Commands and Transaction Program listboxes is approximately 4 lines. If the height of the editor window is shrunk below that, the information area and pushbuttons will begin to be clipped.
All pop-ups are shown just to the right and down from the upper left corner of the editor window, if possible. However, if the current position of the editor window would cause the pop-ups to fall off the end of the screen, the pop-up will be repositioned so that it fits entirely on the screen.
Note: If DCConnect is being run on OS/2 Warp Connect you may experience a problem where pop-ups for the editor show up behind the editor window rather than on top of it. This problem is in OS/2 itself and is fixed with the latest fix pack for OS/2 Warp Connect. When this problem occurs the editor window will lose focus and no other window will appear to have focus. The pop-up can be brought properly to the top by giving focus to any other application - even the Window List - and then clicking back on the editor window.
This section lists and describes the transaction program commands for the IBM 7524/Client, IBM 7525, IBM 7526, and IBM 7527 DCTs. When working with terminal User-Variables (not supported by the 7525), user-variable 0 contains the last data read from an input device such as the keyboard or wand port. Each new read overlays this data.
Note: The commands listed in this section are only the ones that can be edited using the Transaction Program editor in the DCConnect User Interface which covers commands that were available through around June 2004. Since then new commands have been created as well as new capabilities for existing commands but these new commands and capabilities are only available when in script files that are compiled by DCTPB or directly compiled by version 3.0.8f of the DCConnect Client or later. For information about the complete list of script-based commands, see the manual for the Data Collection Transaction Program Builder (dctpb32.htm).
At the start of the section for each command is an indicator to show which terminals support the subject command. If the command is supported, but is restricted for a particular device in any way, this restriction is noted in the text description.
For the syntax of a specific command, select from the following
list.
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7525, 7526, 7527
Command: | AK |
Description: | Read a fixed number of characters from the alpha-numeric keypad. AK positions the cursor on the terminal display prior to reading data. For 7527 DCTs a PF key or touch-sensitive screen region (7527 model 2 only) may also be pressed as a source of input. For the 7524/Client, 7527 and the 7526 DCTs, the value read becomes the value of the last read variable (UV 0) and becomes part of the transaction record, unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. For the 7525 DCTs, the value read is added to the transaction record. This command provides the option to have the input data validated before it is appended to the transaction buffer or stored in user variable 0. |
Parameters: |
Read Length The number of characters to be read from the alphanumeric keypad. Validation - Name The name of the validation file to use if the input data is to be validated. The drop down list box will show all validation files that have been created so far in DCConnect plus any others that have been referenced by the current program. You may also enter a name that is not in the list. When the program is saved, DCConnect will create validation objects for any new validation file names that you have referenced in the program. Validation - Type The action to be taken by the transaction program depending on the result of validating the input data. If Abort if found or Abort if not found is selected, and the data is not valid, the transaction program is terminated and a message appears on the terminal display indicating the validation failed. Otherwise the following step in the transaction program is performed. If Skip if found or Skip if not found is selected, the following step will either be performed or skipped based on the result of the validation. Note: The two skip options are not available for 7525 transaction programs. Formatting - Right justify / Start Column Indicates the column the input field is to start in. If Right justify is selected, the field is right justified based on a 40-column display. If Start column is selected, you must also use the spin button to choose which column the field should start in. The prompt is always shown on row 1 regardless of any parameter setting. Formatting - Autofill Lets you specify whether or not the input field should automatically be filled with trailing spaces if the input field is only partially filled when Enter is pressed on the DCT. |
Example: | Read 10 characters and abort transaction if data input is not in file TEST.VAL. Right-justify the input field. AK length 10, right justify, if not in TEST.VAL, abort |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | AKA |
Description: | Changes the transaction ID returned with the transaction when it is sent to the system unit. This command is not valid for 7525 terminals. The user may specify any transaction ID in the list - even if a transaction program cannot be bound to that transaction ID. This allows the transaction program to appear to the system unit to have been initiated by an event other than the one that actually did initiate it. This is particularly useful when using the 7526 Model 100 which has only four keys. Note: Prior to encountering an AKA command in a transaction program, the transaction program ID can be changed by a GOTO, ONKEY, or any other command that causes a branch to another transaction program. The transaction program ID becomes that of the target program. As soon as an AKA command is encountered all subsequent GOTO, ONKEY, or similiar commands no longer affect the transaction ID. |
Parameters: |
Transaction ID Select the number:name for the transaction ID that the current transaction should be assigned. Any item in the drop down list is valid regardless of the transaction program's terminal type. |
Example: | Set the transaction ID to that of function key 5. AKA 005: Function key 5 |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | APND |
Description: | This command enables the user to append a string to the end of a given user variable or to the end of the transaction buffer. In addition, for 7524/Client and 7527 terminals, a string can be appended to the end of a PF key string, shifted PF key string, or touch point string. On the 7527 or 7524/Client, as a special use of this command, it is possible to build up messages to send to the printer (7527 only) or to the RS-232 port. Also, on the 7527 and 7524/Client, this command may be used to redefine the macro strings attached to the PF keys, shifted PF keys or Touch points. If a PF key or Touch point string definition is changed during a transaction program, upon completion of the transaction program the string definition returns to the value it had prior to the start of the transaction program. Note: Even though the 7524/Client terminals do not have a touch screen or shifted PF keys, and even though the 7527 model 1 does not have a touch screen, the shifted PF key strings and touch point strings can be manipulated in these terminal types. They can be thought of as extra user variables that are set back to their initial values whenever a transaction program is started. If your transaction program type is 7524/Client and your 7524/Client terminals have a flash level later than 1.10, you have additional options to qualify which part of the source data should be appended. The source may be qualified as either a position and length or as a field number and delimiter character. |
Parameters: |
Target The target string to which data is to be appended. For the 7526, it may be any of the 998 user variables (UV 1-998) or the transaction buffer. For 7524/Client and 7527 terminals, it may be any of the 19** user variables (UV 1-19), the transaction buffer (TRANS), any of the 24 PF key strings (PF 1-12, SHIFT PF 1-12), or any of the 40 Touch point strings (TOUCH 1-40 ). **Terminals running the DCConnect Client and 7524 terminals with flash level later than 1.10 have a maximum user variable of 99 instead of 19. For the 7526, the target string may grow to a maximum length of 999 characters if it is a user variable or 120 for the transaction buffer. For the 7524/Client or 7527, the target string may grow to a maximum length of 128 characters if it is a user variable, 121 for the transaction buffer, or to 40 characters for a PF or Touch point string. User variable 0 cannot be the target of the append. On the 7526 terminal user variable 100 is not accessible by this command. Source The source of the data to be appended. For the 7526, the data may come from a message in the message file, from the last data read (UV 0), any of the 998 user variables (UV 1-998), or the transaction buffer. For 7524/Client and 7527 terminals, the data may come from a message in the message file, from the last data read (UV 0), any of the 19** user variables (UV 1-19), the transaction buffer (TRANS), any of the 24 current PF strings (PF 1-12, SHIFT PF 1-12), or any of the 40 current Touch point strings (TOUCH 1-40). **Terminals running the DCConnect Client and 7524 terminals with flash level later than 1.10 have a maximum user variable of 99 instead of 19. If the source is to be a message, you may use the drop-down box to select any message that you have specified for any other command in this program or other programs in the same program file. If you are modifying an existing command and need to change the message text, you have the option to make the same change to the current text for all other commands that are currently using the same text string. This is done by making the change to the text, checking the box marked Replace all occurrences of old text with new text and pressing the OK button. Because all programs with a given transaction program file share the same set of messages, if the text is changed for more than one command, it can affect other programs as well. Note: If there is more than one copy of the same message in the set of messages, you will not be able to change all occurrences at once. It is best to avoid creating duplicate messages. Normally, if you leave the check box unchecked, and type or choose an existing message, the existing message will be used and you will not get a duplicate. You can only get a duplicate if you check the Replace check box and then choose or type in text that matches an existing message. Source Qualifier Further defines which part of the source should be appended. By default all data starting at position 1 is appended. However, you may choose to append starting at a certain position for a certain length. Or you may specify a field number and a delimiter character to use when determining where fields begin and end in the data. If you want to append starting at a specific place in the data, select the radio button marked Fixed. Then use the Position spin button to select the starting position. If you want to append all data regardless of its length, then select the radio button marked Rest of Data. Otherwise click the other radio button and use the spin button to choose a specific length from 1 to 128. Note: The terminal considers it an error when the length of the data actually in the source at the time this command is issued is shorter than the position and length combined. It is also an error if the starting point indicated is past the end of the data. It is not an error if position 1 is specified and there is no data in the source. If you want to append from the source as a delimited field you must first select the Delimited radio button. Then use the spin button to indicate the field number. In order for the terminal to know where fields begin and end, you must also pick a delimiter character. The delimiter character must appear in the source following each field - including the last field in the data. If you want to use a semicolon as the delimiter character then select the radio button marked Semicolon. Otherwise select the ASCII 0-255 radio button and then use the spin button to specify the ASCII value of the delimiter character you want to use. Be sure the delimiter character is not going to appear any where as part of the actual data you want to append. Note: It is an error if a field number is specified and the source does not contain that number of fields. It is not an error to specify a field that is empty - as long as the delimiter character follows it; this would be the case where two delimiters are encountered in a row. When a delimited field is to be appended, the delimiter character is not part of the data that is appended. |
Examples: | Append the text message "unidentified error" to the transaction record. APND to TRANS from "unidentified error" append the contents of user variable 3 to user variable 2 APND to UV 2 from UV 3 Append to User variable 98 from User variable 44 starting at position 10 to the end of the data. APND to UV 98 from UV 44, position 10 for rest of data |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | APNDSTR |
Description: | Append a fixed, inline text string to a terminal user variable. |
Parameters: |
User Variable The terminal user variable to be appended to. On the 7526 it may be one of the 998 user variables. For 7524 terminals with flash level earlier than 1.10 and 7527 terminals, it may be any of the 19 user variables. Terminals running the DCConnect Client and 7524 terminals with flash level later than 1.10 have a maximum user variable of 99 instead of 19. User variable 0 cannot be the target of the append. String The character string to be appended to the user variable. |
Example: | Append the text string "unknown error" to user variable 1. APNDSTR to UV 1 from "unknown error" |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | AUTO |
Description: | This command permits the user to take control of the transaction building function. If this command is not specified, the data returned by every read operation in the transaction program is automatically appended to the transaction buffer, and when the transaction completes, the transaction buffer is sent to the transaction queue where it can be polled by the host. When AUTO is set OFF, data read is not automatically appended to the transaction buffer. If it is required as part of the transaction then you append it yourself. On the 7524/Client, 7526, and 7527, this is a useful feature if, for example, it is desirable to read data from a sensor device and print it without ever having it sent to the system unit, or to perform a formatting operation on the data before placing it in the transaction. For additional information refer to the FRMT (SeeFormat (FRMT)) command. At the conclusion of the transaction processing, a setting of OFF causes no transaction to be written to the system unit. The SEND command allows sending the transaction to the system unit. This provides the option of having processing remain purely local to the terminal. The last setting of AUTO remains in effect until the transaction ends or another AUTO command is encountered that changes it. To summarize: When AUTO is on, the terminal appends the data returned by every read operation to the transaction buffer. When the transaction completes, the transaction buffer is sent to the transaction queue where it can be sent to the host. When AUTO is off, the transaction program must explicitly APND the data to the transaction buffer and SEND it, unless AUTO is turned on again before the end of the transaction program. Otherwise, no transaction is saved when the transaction program completes. |
Parameters: |
Automatically Append Input Data to Transaction Buffer? A setting of Yes is means automatic transaction appending will be ON. A setting of No means automatic transaction appending will be turned OFF. If the transaction program does not include an AUTO statement, the terminal defaults to having automatic transaction appending ON. |
Example: | Turn off automatic transaction building. AUTO off |
Supported by: 7527
Command: | BOX |
Description: | Draw a box on the 7527 model 2 screen. Enables framing certain regions of the screen for clarity. The box parameters are defined in pixel coordinates. The dimensions of the 7527 model 2 screen in pixels is 200 rows by 320 columns. The origin (1,1) is located in the upper left corner of the screen. |
Parameters: |
Origin The origin may be at the current position on the screen or you may pick a specific row and column for the upper left corner of the box. Row 1, column 1 is the upper left corner of the screen. Height The height of the box expressed in pixels. The row plus height must not exceed 201. Width The width of the box expressed in pixel rows. The total of column plus width must not exceed 321. |
Example: | Draw a box which frames the screen with a 4 pixel border on all sides BOX width 310 height 190 at row 5, col 5 |
Supported by: 7526
Command: | BRAUV |
Description: | Compare two user variables, then branch to a program label based on the results of the comparison. If the comparison is true, control branches to the label. Otherwise, the step after the BRAUV command is executed. This command cannot be used in conjunction with a RETURN command; you cannot return from a BRAUV statement. |
Parameters: |
Source User variable The first user variable that is compared. Choose from 0-998. Operator The comparison operator for comparing two user variables. Operators are defined as follows:
Target user variable The second user variable used for comparison Branch - Program Defines the transaction program to which execution will transfer. This may be the same program defined or a different one. Choose one of the items in the drop down list box. If the branch is to a program other than the current one, be sure you have bound a transaction program to the proper transaction ID for that program. This command can also be used to abort the transaction program if the comparison is True. If the abort option is selected, whatever data is in the transaction buffer is put into the transaction queue so that it can be sent to the host - unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. If Abort Program is selected for the program, the label/step value is irrelevant. Branch - Label Defines the step within the specified transaction program to which execution should be transferred. The label name can be up to 30 characters long - although the first 15 characters of all labels in a transaction program must be unique. The label is not tied to a step number and is independent of command insertion/deletion. The label name cannot contain colons, semicolons or any characters with an ASCII value less than 0x30 except for spaces. Label names are case sensitive. The drop down list box lists all labels that exist in the current program or which have been referenced as being in the current program. This list will not show any references to labels in other transaction programs. Branch - Step Because this command is not yet supported by the 7527 or 7524/Client terminal, the step parameter is never used. |
Example: | Compare the contents of UV1 with UV2. If UV2 is greater than UV1, branch to the Next_Issue label in the program assigned to F3 (program number 3). BRAUV if UV 1 > UV 2, then 003: Function Key 3 (Next_Issue) |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | CCFR |
Description: | Provides a method to call a Custom Function Routine (CFR) that has been downloaded to the terminal. This command is not valid for 7525 terminals. A CFR is an executable program written in the C language that has an interface to the transaction program. A CFR can be used to perform functions that the transaction programming command set does not provide. For example, you may want to create your own validation routines that can then be called by this transaction program command. The name of the .EXE file for CFRs should be defined for the terminal type and the version to be downloaded must be specified in the Terminal Settings notebook. See the IBM 7526 Programming Technical Reference that contains information about writing CFRs for the 7526. The IBM 7527 Extended Terminal Services Technical Reference contains information about writing CFRs for the 7527. The 7524 Extended Terminal Services / DCConnect Client Technical Reference contains information about writing CFR's for the 7524 terminals and terminals running the DCConnect Client. |
Parameters: |
Function number Specifies which function the CFR is to execute when it is called. The number must be in the range 0-9. Parameters String The parameter string, if any, needed by the CFR function being called (maximum 99 characters). The parameter string allows you to specify additional information to the CFR function that will be executed. It can also be used to subdivide the options that your CFR provides for a given function number. |
Example: | Call the CFR with function number 7 and the parameter string "SUB". CCFR 3, "SUB" |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | CLRD |
Description: | On the 7526, this command clears the contents of a user variable or the transaction buffer. For 7524/Client or 7527 terminals, this command clears the contents of a user variable, the transaction buffer, a PF key string, or a Touch point string. This provides the ability to re-use data variables when desired. For 7524/Client or 7527 terminals, if a PF key string or Touch point string is cleared during a transaction program, upon completion of the transaction program the string definition returns to the value it had before the transaction program started. Note: Even though the 7524 and terminals running the DCConnect Client do not have a touch screen or shifted PF keys, and even though the 7527 model 1 does not have a touch screen, the shifted PF key strings and touch point strings can be manipulated in these terminal types. They can be thought of as extra user variables that are set back to their initial values whenever a transaction program is started. |
Parameters: |
Target The target string to be cleared. For the 7526, it may be any of the 998 user variables (UV 1-998) or the transaction buffer. For 7524/Client and 7527 terminals, it may be any of the 19** user variables (UV 1-19), the transaction buffer (TRANS), any of the 24 PF key strings (PF 1-12, SHIFT PF 1-12), or any of the 40 Touch point strings (TOUCH 1-40 ). **Terminals running the DCConnect Client and 7524 terminals with flash level later than 1.10 have a maximum user variable of 99 instead of 19. User variable 0 cannot be cleared by this command. On the 7526 terminal user variable 100 is not accessible by this command. |
Example: | Clear user variable 3. CLRD UV 3 |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | CLRS |
Description: | Clear the entire screen and place the cursor in the upper left hand corner. For 7524/Client and 7527 terminals, this command can also be used to clear all or part of one row of the screen rather than the entire screen. Since the 7526 does not support a partial screen clear, no pop-up is displayed before this command is added to a 7526 transaction program. |
Parameters: |
Clear entire screen When selected, the entire screen will be cleared. Clear partial screen When selected, part of the screen will be cleared as dictated by the rest of the parameters. Current row / specific row For a partial screen clear, indicates in what row the clearing should take place. Check the Current rowcheck box if the row the cursor is currently in is correct. Otherwise make sure the box is unchecked and instead use the spinner to select the proper row. Current column / specific column For a partial screen clear, indicates what column the clearing should take place in. Check the Current columncheck box if the column the cursor is currently in is correct. Otherwise make sure the box is unchecked and instead use the spinner to select the proper column. Clear to end of line / clear specific length For a partial screen clear, how much following the selected row and column should be cleared. Check the Clear to end of line box if the row should be cleared to the rightmost side of the screen. Otherwise make sure the box is unchecked and instead use the spinner to select the number of columns that should be cleared in the specified row. Note: If the length specified added to the starting column would go past column 40, the clearing continues at the start of the next row. |
Examples: | Clear the entire display screen. CLRS Clear the current row, starting at column 15, going to the end CLRS at current row, col 15, with length to end of line |
Supported by: 7526
Command: | CMPUV |
Description: | Compare two user variables. If the result of the comparison is true, the next command in the transaction program is skipped. If false, the next command is executed. |
Parameters: |
Source User variable The first user variable that is compared. Choose from 0-998. Operator The comparison operator for comparing two user variables. Operators are defined as follows:
Target user variable The second user variable used for comparison |
Example: | Compare the contents of UV3 and UV 4. If they are equal, the next command is skipped. If not, the next command is executed. CMPUV if UV 3 == UV 4 skip next step |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7525, 7526, 7527
Command: | COMMENT |
Description: | Enter comments in the program for clarity |
Parameters: |
Text Enter the text for the comment in this field. |
Example: | Add a comment to state who the author of the program is. COMMENT This program was written by Dean on 4/31/97. |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | CURS |
Description: | Position the cursor at a particular row and column of the terminal screen. |
Parameters: |
Position - Row The row where the cursor should be placed. The valid range for the row number depends on the terminal type and the display size selected for the terminal. The 7526 Model 100 has one row; the 7526 Model 200 has two rows; the 7527 Model 001 terminal has two rows; the 7527 Model 002 terminal has either 14 or 20 rows. All models of the 7524 and all terminals running the DCConnect Client can use 20 rows. However, depending on the physical screen size not all 20 rows may be visible at the same time. In this case, the arrow keys may be used to scroll the screen in order to see some of the rows. If the terminal on which the transaction program is executed cannot accommodate the row specified, an error will be given at the terminal when the command is executed. Position - Column The column position where the cursor should be placed. The valid range for the column number depends on the terminal type and the display size selected for the terminal. The 7526 Model 100 has 16 column; the 7526 Model 200 has 40 column; the 7527 Model 001 terminal has 40 columns; the 7527 Model 002 terminal has either 32 or 40 columns. All models of the 7524 and all terminals running the DCConnect Client can use 40 columns. However, depending on the physical screen size, not all 40 columns may be visible at the same time. In this case, the arrow keys may be used to scroll the screen in order to see some of the columns. If the terminal on which the transaction program is executed cannot accommodate the column specified, an error will be given at the terminal when the command is executed. |
Example: | Position the cursor at row 2, column 10. CURS to row 2 col 10 |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7525, 7526, 7527
Command: | DB |
Description: | Read a variable number of characters from a sensor device and display the characters read on the display screen. The input field for this command is always on row 1 and is right-justified on a 40-column display. The Enter key must be pressed to complete the command. Note: This command exists only to be compatible with the original 7525 terminal. It is better to use the more generic READ command instead of the DB command if using a terminal other than the 7525 terminal. If the read is from a magnetic device and the first byte of data is a secure head indicator (hex 10), then the badge content is not displayed when read and instead an asterisk (*) is displayed (7525, 7526, and 7527) for each input character. For 7524/Client, 7526, and 7527 DCTs, the value excluding the secure head character, becomes the value of the last read variable (UV 0) and becomes part of the transaction buffer unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. For 7525 DCTs, the value read is added to the transaction buffer. |
Parameters: |
Length The maximum number of characters to read from a sensor device. The length specified must be in the range 1-40. When the input is added to the transaction buffer, it is padded with blanks to reach this maximum length. |
Example: | Read and display a maximum of three characters from a sensor device. DB length 3 |
Supported by: 7527
Command: | DBI |
Description: | Provides the ability to display a bit map image on the 7527 Model 2 screen. Used to display graphic images, such as icons, on the display screen. See the 7527 Extended Terminal Services Technical Reference for information on creating a graphics file and a description of bit image file/record format. For any terminal that will use a program containing the DBI command, a graphics file must be associated with the terminal either directly in its Terminal Settings notebook or in the Settings notebook for the function group being used by the terminal. The TIFTOETS.EXE file on the 7527 Extended Terminal Services (ETS) diskette converts non-compacted tagged image format (TIF) files to 7527 ETS format. This may be used to append images to a multi-record file. Refer to the 7527 Extended Terminal Services Technical Reference for more information on using this utility. An explanation of the TIF command is available be typing TIFTOETS at the a: prompt with the ETS diskette in drive a:. The dimensions of the 7527 model 2 screen in pixels is 200 rows by 320 columns. The origin (1,1) is located in the upper left corner of the screen. |
Parameters: |
Origin The origin may be at the current position on the screen or you may pick a specific row and column for the upper left corner of the image. Row 1, column 1 is the upper left corner of the screen. Record Number The record number of the bit image. Record 0 is the first image in the file. Either use the spinner or type in the record number. Invert Image Check this box if the image should be shown inverted (in reverse video). |
Example: | Display bit image record number 200 at row 20, column 30, with normal attributes. DBI record 200 at row 20, col 30 with no inversion |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | DLAY |
Description: | Delay the execution of the transaction program for a given amount of time. This command is necessary to display several screens of information to a user, and can be used to pause between screens so that a reader can finish reading. It may be used whenever a pause in the action is required. |
Parameters: |
Seconds The number of seconds to delay execution. It must be in the range 1-99. |
Example: | Pause 5 seconds to allow the you to read a message. DLAY 5 second(s) |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7525, 7526, 7527
Command: | FB |
Description: | Read a fixed number of characters from a sensor device. The input field for this command is always on row 1 and is right-justified on a 40-column display. Note: This command exists only to be compatible with the original 7525 terminal. It is better to use the more generic READ command instead of the FB command if using a terminal other than the 7525 terminal. If the read is from a magnetic device and the first byte of data is a secure head indicator (hex 10), then the badge content is not displayed when read and instead an asterisk (*) is displayed (7525, 7526 and 7527) for each input character. For 7524/Client, 7526 and 7527 DCTs, the value read excluding the secure head character, becomes the value of the last read variable (UV 0) and becomes part of the transaction buffer unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. For 7525 DCTs, the value read is added to the transaction buffer. This command provides the option to have the input data validated before it is appended to the transaction buffer or stored in user variable 0. |
Parameters: |
Length The number of characters to read from a sensor device. The length specified must be in the range 1-40. Validation - Name The name of the validation file to use if the input data is to be validated. The drop down list box will show all validation files that have been created so far in DCConnect plus any others that have been referenced by the current program. You may also enter a name that is not in the list. When the program is saved, DCConnect will create validation objects for any new validation file names that you have referenced in the program. Validation - Type The action to be taken by the transaction program depending on the result of validating the input data. If Abort if found or Abort if not found is selected, and the data is not valid, the transaction program is terminated and a message appears on the terminal display indicating the validation failed. Otherwise the following step in the transaction program is performed. If Skip if found or Skip if not found is selected, the following step will either be performed or skipped based on the result of the validation. Note: The two skip options are not available for 7525 transaction programs. |
Example: | Read eight characters and verify that they do not exist in file BADGES.VAL. FB length 8, if in BADGES.VAL, abort |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | FRMT |
Description: | This command provides the capability to format a user variable in several ways. The variable may have leading or trailing characters removed, it may be truncated to a given length, or filled with a specified character to achieve the given length. This command is typically used to format a data item prior to printing. It allows column alignment to be done in a printed report. It is used in conjunction with verifying or sending data items to an RS-232 port or preparing them for appending to the transaction record. When a FRMT is performed the following actions are performed in the order listed:
|
Parameters: |
User Variable The user variable that is to be formatted. For the 7526, it may be any of the 998 user variables (UV 1-998). For 7524 terminals with flash level earlier than 1.10 or the 7527 terminal, it may be any of the 19 user variables. For terminals running the DCConnect Client and 7524 terminals with flash level later than 1.10 have a maximum user variable of 99 instead of 19. User variable 0 cannot be the target of the append. Start Strip Operations If a particular character must be stripped from the left side of the user variable, check the box labeled Strip left character and then use the spinner to select the ASCII value of the character to strip from the left side. If a particular character must be stripped from the right side of the user variable, check the box labeled Strip right character and then use the spinner to select the decimal ASCII value of the character to strip from the right side. Note: Special radio buttons are provided for the most common strip characters - a space and a zero. The space character has the decimal ASCII value of 32. The zero character has the decimal ASCII value of 48. Final Length The number of characters in the formatted user variable. If Variable is selected, the final length will be that of the user variable after the left and right strip operations have been performed; no filling or truncating is peformed in this case. If a Fixed length is specified (in the range 1-128), then either a fill or truncate operation is performed after the left and right strip operations have been performed. After the fill or truncate operation is performed, the user variable will have the specified fixed length. Fill/Truncate Operations Specifies how filling or truncating should be performed after the strip operations are performed. If the final length is specified to be Variable, the fill/truncate operations are not performed. Choose either Left or Right to specify which side of the user variable the fill or truncate operation is to be performed. If filling will be needed, specify the decimal ASCII value of the character to pad the user variable out to the specified fixed length. Note: Special radio buttons are provided for the most common strip characters - a space and a zero. The space character has the decimal ASCII value of 32. The zero character has the decimal ASCII value of 48. |
Example: | Format user variable 1 into a 5 character string, stripping off leading blanks, and zero filling the result on the left. This is used after reading a number from the RS-232 port, so that the number can be made part of a transaction that requires a five digit, zero-filled numeric value. FRMT UV 1 to fixed length 5, strip (L <blank>), fill/trunc (L <zero>) |
Supported by: 7526
Note: Although the 7524/Client supports the GOSUB, ONSUB and RETURN commands, the DCConnect Transaction Program Editor does not yet support these commands for the 7524/Client terminal type.
Command: | GOSUB |
Description: | Allows transaction programs to transfer control to a specified subroutine in the current program or another program, and then return back to the original program step via the RETURN (return from subroutine) Command. The subroutine is specified by a user defined label. The GOSUB command may be used to map several common transaction program functions to the same transaction program. For example, a GOSUB command could map transaction programs 1-4 to execute the transaction program associated with program 10. This requires less terminal memory usage than what is required to store five copies of the same transaction program commands. |
Parameters: |
Branch - Program Defines the transaction program to which execution will transfer. This may be the same program defined or a different one. Choose one of the items in the drop down list box. If the branch is to a program other than the current one, be sure you have bound a transaction program to the proper transaction ID for that program. This command can also be used to abort the transaction program. If the abort option is selected, whatever data is in the transaction buffer is put into the transaction queue so that it can be sent to the host - unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. If Abort Program is selected for the program, the label/step value is irrelevant. Branch - Label Defines the step within the specified transaction program to which execution should be transferred. The label name can be up to 30 characters long - although the first 15 characters of all labels in a transaction program must be unique. The label is not tied to a step number and is independent of command insertion/deletion. The label name cannot contain colons, semicolons or any characters with an ASCII value less than 0x30 except for spaces. Label names are case sensitive. The drop down list box lists all labels that exist in the current program or which have been referenced as being in the current program. This list will not show any references to labels in other transaction programs. Branch - Step Because this command is not yet supported by 7527 and 7524/Client terminals, the step parameter is never used. |
Example: | Go to subroutine in this program starting at label 'Test_label'. GOSUB Current Program (Test_label) |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | GOTO |
Description | Allows transaction programs to transfer control to a specified step in the current program or another program. The step is specified by the step number for 7524/Client and 7527 terminals and by a label on the 7526 terminal. The GOTO command may be used to map several triggering events such as Touch point areas on the 7527, to the same transaction program. For example, on the 7527, a GOTO command could map Touch points 39, 35, and 34 to execute the transaction program associated to touch point 40. This provides a large Touch point target without the memory usage required if you had four complete copies of the program configured for the terminal. |
Parameters: |
Branch - Program Defines the transaction program to which execution will transfer. This may be the same program defined or a different one. Choose one of the items in the drop down list box. If the branch is to a program other than the current one, be sure you have bound a transaction program to the proper transaction ID for that program. This command can also be used to abort the transaction program. If the abort option is selected, whatever data is in the transaction buffer is put into the transaction queue so that it can be sent to the host - unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. If Abort Program is selected for the program, the label/step value is irrelevant. Branch - Label Defines the step within the specified transaction program to which execution should be transferred. The label name can be up to 30 characters long - although the first 15 characters of all labels in a transaction program must be unique. The label is not tied to a step number and is independent of command insertion/deletion. The label name cannot contain colons, semicolons or any characters with an ASCII value less than 0x30 except for spaces. Label names are case sensitive. The drop down list box lists all labels that exist in the current program or which have been referenced as being in the current program. This list will not show any references to labels in other transaction programs. Labels are only supported by 7526 terminals. Branch - Step The 7527 and 7524/Client terminals do not support labels. Instead a step number within the specified program must be given. The current step number is shown on the top right side of the transaction program listbox. When only one step in the program is highlighted, the number at the top of the listbox will indicate what step number that highlighted step is. Once a GOTO command has been added to the program, if it is a branch somewhere in the current program, the step number within the command is automatically adjusted, as necessary, every time a step is added or removed from the program. When a step is deleted, any GOTO command that references a step later than the one deleted, has its step value decremented by 1. When a step is added, any GOTO command that references the step number at which the new step was added or any step later will have its step value incremented by 1. These adjustments are only made for GOTO commands whose Program parameter is Current Program Note: Because every command must be checked any time a command is added or deleted, pasting of a large block of commands or deleting of a large block of commands may be time consuming. The following are the restrictions as to where a GOTO may branch:
|
Example: | GOTO to current transaction step 27. GOTO Current Program (27) |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7525, 7526, 7527
Command: | HF |
Description: | Using this command as the first and only step in a transaction program specifies that this program is to be used as a 'hot key'. It can be used to verify that the terminal is actually in communication with the system unit and that it can send a transaction to the system unit. Pressing the hot key causes the terminal to send the system unit a transaction that consists of a program identifier, date/time stamp, and terminal sequence number. This must be the first and only command in a transaction program. |
Parameters: |
None |
Example: | Specify that this program is to be used as a hot key. HF |
Supported by: 7527
Command: | INAV |
Description: | Pause for input in a screen navigation region. This command is valid only when placed between the starting and ending NAVZONE commands for a given navigation zone. See the NAVZONE (SeeBegin/End Navigation Zone (NAVZONE)) for additional information on screen navigation and the use of the INAV command. |
Parameters: |
None |
Example: | Pause for input within a navigation region. INAV |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7525, 7526, 7527
Command: | KB |
Description: | Read a fixed number of characters from a sensor device or from the alpha-numeric keypad. The input field for this command is always on row 1 and is right-justified on a 40-column display. Note: This command exists only to be compatible with the original 7525 terminal. It is better to use the more generic READ command instead of the KB command if using a terminal other than the 7525 terminal. If the read is from a magnetic device and the first byte of data is a secure head indicator (hex 10), then the badge content is not displayed when read and instead an asterisk (*) is displayed (7525, 7526 and 7527) for each input character. For 7524/Client, 7526 and 7527 DCTs, the value read excluding the secure head character, becomes the value of the last read variable (UV 0) and becomes part of the transaction buffer unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. For 7525 DCTs, the value read is added to the transaction buffer. This command provides the option to have the input data validated before it is appended to the transaction buffer or stored in user variable 0. |
Parameters: |
Length The number of characters to read from the keyboard or sensor device. The length specified must be in the range 1-40. Validation - Name The name of the validation file to use if the input data is to be validated. The drop down list box will show all validation files that have been created so far in DCConnect plus any others that have been referenced by the current program. You may also enter a name that is not in the list. When the program is saved, DCConnect will create validation objects for any new validation file names that you have referenced in the program. Validation - Type The action to be taken by the transaction program depending on the result of validating the input data. If Abort if found or Abort if not found is selected, and the data is not valid, the transaction program is terminated and a message appears on the terminal display indicating the validation failed. Otherwise the following step in the transaction program is performed. If Skip if found or Skip if not found is selected, the following step will either be performed or skipped based on the result of the validation. Note: The two skip options are not available for 7525 transaction programs. |
Example: | Read eight characters and verify that they do not exist in file BADGES.VAL. KB length 8, if in BADGES.VAL, abort |
Supported by: 7526
Note: If you have used the DCConnect Transaction Program Builder, you probably know that it supports the use of labels for 7524/Client and 7527 terminals. However, during the compile of the .COD source file(s) these labels are converted to step numbers before they are stored in the .PGM file; therefore the .PGM file does not contain labels for these terminal types. Because the DCConnect Transaction Program Editor uses the .PGM file as the source file, it is not able to use labels for these terminal types.
Command: | LABEL |
Description: | Allows the user to define a textual name to be associated with a step in a transaction program. The LABEL command does not actually do anything when it is processed, but is used by other commands to reference transaction program steps by name. The LABEL command is used in conjunction with other commands that cause control to be transferred to a step within the current transaction program, or to another program. The commands that use labels to reference program steps are GOTO, GOSUB, ONKEY, ONSUB and BRAUV. Labels must be unique within a single transaction program. Different programs may use the same label name. Label names can be up to 30 characters long - although the first 15 characters of all labels in a transaction program must be unique. The label name cannot contain colons, semicolons or any characters with an ASCII value less than 0x30 except for spaces. Label names are case sensitive. The drop down list box lists all label names that have not yet been created but which have been referenced by GOTO, GOSUB ONKEY, ONSUB and BRAUV commands in the current program. Those references also specify the branch is within the current program; labels used in branches to other transaction programs are not included in the list. Labels are only supported by 7526 terminals. |
Parameters: |
Label Name Up to 30 character name for the label. See above for restrictions on the label name. |
Example: | Specify this line as label CONTINUE LABEL (CONTINUE) |
Supported by: 7526, 7527
Command: | LED |
Description: | Turn on the indicated LED for up to 1.98 seconds. The panel LEDs, or the LEDs on either of the two sensor ports may be turned on. It is assumed that a magnetic device is connected to a port whose LED is to be activated. This command makes it possible for the user to light a LED on a magnetic device to indicate a good read. Note: The transaction program continues to execute during the time the LED is activated (asynchronous). |
Parameters: |
Location Select the appropriate radio button for the LED that should be turned on. On the 7526, the choices include the green or yellow panel LEDs, one of three possible LEDs on a magnetic device attached to either sensor Port 1 or Port 2 or the beeper. On the 7527, the choices include the Green LED on the panel or one of the three possible LEDs on a magnetic device attached to either sensor Port 1 or Port 2. Duration The number of 20 millisecond time intervals to light the specified LED. It is expressed in multiples of 20 milliseconds. Select the Number of Seconds radio button and then use the spinner to choose the proper value in hundreds of a second. Alternatively, you may select the Forever radio button to indicate the LED should be lit indefinitely.
|
Example: | Turn on the yellow LED for 500 milliseconds. LED Yellow LED for 0.50 seconds |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7525, 7526, 7527
Command: | LF |
Description: | This command, called the latch function, instructs the terminal to repeat the transaction instructions until the CANCEL key is pressed, sending a transaction after each complete routine. This feature can be used for repetitive data entry routines. This command can only be used as the first command in a transaction program. This command exists for backwards compatibility with the original 7525 terminal. This command should never be needed for 7524/Client, 7526, or 7527 terminals; a GOTO command accomplishes the same thing. Note: If the transaction program using the LF command does not contain any commands that read input, pressing cancel does not stop the latching function. In this case, the terminal must be turned off, then back on. |
Parameters: |
None |
Example: | Specify that this transaction program is to be latched. LF |
Supported by: 7527
Command: | LINE |
Description: | Used to draw a line on the 7527 model 2 terminal display. This command is not valid for any other terminal models. The line parameters are defined in pixel coordinates. The dimensions of the 7527 model 2 screen in pixels is 200 rows by 320 columns. The origin (1,1) is located in the upper left corner of the screen. |
Parameters: |
Origin The origin may be at the current position on the screen or you may pick a specific row and column for the start of the line. Row 1, column 1 is the upper left corner of the screen. Destination - Absolute Use this option to specify a specific pixel row and pixel column for the end of the line. The starting point of the line is defined by the Origin parameters. Choose a pixel row from 1-200 and a pixel column from 1-320. Note: If an absolute end is selected, the origin must also specify a specific starting point rather than Current Position. Destination - Relative Use this option to specify how long the line should extend and in which direction. The length and direction specified are relative to the Origin parameters. First specify whether the line will extend up or down from the origin. Then specify the number of rows it will extend up or down. Use 0 if the line will be horizontal. The value selected for Rows combined with the row value of the origin should not go past the top or bottom of the screen. Lastly, specify whether the line will extend left or right from the origin. Then specify the number of columns it will extend left or right. Use 0 if the line will be vertical. The value selected for Columns combined with the column value of the origin should not go past the left or right sides of the screen. |
Example: | Draw a line from row 40, column 1 to row 40 column 20 LINE from row 40, col 1 to row 40, col 20 absolute |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7527
Command: | MODE |
Description: | Change the mode (interactive or buffered) of the current transaction. After the transaction program completes, the mode reverts back to what it was prior to the start of the transaction program. For a 7524/Client terminal, this command cannot be used if the terminal is configured to be in interactive/ buffered mode. If used, this command must be the first in the transaction program. |
Parameters: |
Choose the buffering mode Select interactive if an application on the system unit will be replying to the transaction with an interactive response. Select buffered if no response is expected for the transaction. |
Example: | Set the mode for this transaction to be buffered MODE buffered |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7525, 7526, 7527
Command: | MSG |
Description: | Display a message at row 1 column 1 of the terminal display. The SHOW command, supported by all terminal types except for the 7525, provides greater flexibility for displaying messages. |
Parameters: |
Message Text The text of the message you wish to show. You can use the drop-down box to select any message that you have specified for any other command in this program or other programs in the same program file. If you are modifying an existing command and need to change the message text, you have the option to make the same change to the current text for all other commands that are currently using the same text string. This is done by making the change to the text, checking the box marked Replace all occurrences of old text with new text and pressing the OK button. Because all programs with a given transaction program file share the same set of messages, if the text is changed for more than one command, it can affect other programs as well. Note: If there is more than one copy of the same message in the set of messages, you will not be able to change all occurrences at once. It is best to avoid creating duplicate messages. Normally, if you leave the check box unchecked, and type or choose an existing message, the existing message will be used and you will not get a duplicate. You can only get a duplicate if you check the Replace check box and then choose or type in text that matches an existing message. |
Example: | Display the message "Enter your ID" on the terminal display. MSG "Enter your ID" |
Supported by: 7527
Command: | NAV |
Description: | The point in the navigation screen region where input is to take place. See NAVZONE (SeeBegin/End Navigation Zone (NAVZONE)) for more information on screen navigation. |
Parameters: |
Row The row position on the 7527 at which input takes place. Row 1 is the top row of a screen. Column The column position on the 7527 at which input takes place. Column 1 is the left most column of a screen. |
Example: | Define a navigation input position at row 3, column 14. NAV at row 3, col 14 |
Supported by: 7527
Command: | NAVZONE | ||||||||
Description: | This command is used to indicate the beginning or the end of a screen navigation zone which is made up of one or more navigation regions. The set of steps that make up the navigation zone must start with and end with the NAVZONE command. The NAVZONE command replaces the BNAV and ENAV commands that existed in other incarnations of transaction program editors. Three commands specify field navigation regions within a transaction program; NAVZONE, NAV, and INAV. These commands are used in conjunction with the READ command. Each command in this group cannot be used without the other commands. A group of navigation regions always begins with the NAVZONE command and ends with the NAVZONE command. Up to 10 regions may be defined within the navigation zone. In addition, multiple zones of field navigation commands may be contained within a single transaction program. The following keys can be used to move between navigation regions defined on a 7527 terminal:
| ||||||||
Parameters: |
none | ||||||||
Example: | Start a navigation region. NAVZONE End a navigation region. NAVZONE |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7525, 7526, 7527
Command: | NK |
Description: | Read a fixed number of characters from the numeric keypad. For 7527 DCTs a PF key or touch-sensitive screen region (7527 model 2 only) may also be pressed as a source of input. For the 7524/Client, 7526, and 7527 DCTs, the value read becomes the value of the last read variable (UV 0) and becomes part of the transaction record, unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. For the 7525 DCTs, the value read is added to the transaction record. Note: All the characters on the numeric keypad are accepted as input for the command. On the 7527 DCTs, acceptable input includes decimal points ".", commas ",", and hyphens "-". On the 7525 and 7526 DCTs, acceptable input includes spaces and the characters + . - # $ % / & * . On the 7524/Client, acceptable input includes spaces and the characters "." and "-". This command provides the option to have the input data validated before it is appended to the transaction buffer or stored in user variable 0. |
Parameters: |
Read Length The number of characters to be read from the numeric keypad. Validation - Name The name of the validation file to use if the input data is to be validated. The drop down list box will show all validation files that have been created so far in DCConnect plus any others that have been referenced by the current program. You may also enter a name that is not in the list. When the program is saved, DCConnect will create validation objects for any new validation file names that you have referenced in the program. Validation - Type The action to be taken by the transaction program depending on the result of validating the input data. If Abort if found or Abort if not found is selected, and the data is not valid, the transaction program is terminated and a message appears on the terminal display indicating the validation failed. Otherwise the following step in the transaction program is performed. If Skip if found or Skip if not found is selected, the following step will either be performed or skipped based on the result of the validation. Note: The two skip options are not available for 7525 transaction programs. Formatting - Right justify / Start Column Indicates the column the input field is to start in. If Right justify is selected, the field is right justified based on a 40-column display. If Start column is selected, you must also use the spin button to choose which column the field should start in. The prompt is always shown on row 1 regardless of any parameter setting. Formatting - Autofill Lets you specify whether or not the input field should automatically be filled with leading zeros if the input field is only partially filled when Enter is pressed on the DCT. |
Example: | Read 10 characters starting at column 30 and verify them for presence in file PIN.VAL. NK length 10, column 30, if not in PIN.VAL, abort |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | ONKEY |
Description: | Used to wait for a period of time for one or more specific keys to be pressed. When one of those keys is pressed, the transaction program branches to a step in the current program or another program based on which key was pressed. Each key can be set up to branch to different points or more than one could be set up to branch to the same point. If a timeout occurs the transaction program is aborted. This command is useful for creating multi-tiered menus that, for example, re-use the same PF keys on your terminals. For the 7526, you can define branch points for any combination of the 28 function keys as well as the 10 numeric keys. For 7524/Client terminals, you can define branch points for any of the 28 function keys as well as the 12 PF keys. For the 7527 model 1, you can define branch points for the same set of keys as 7524/Client terminals as well as for the 12 shifted PF keys. For the 7527 model 2, you can define branch points for the same set of keys as the 7527 model 1 as well as for the 40 touch points. The branch point is defined as a label or step in the current program or another transaction program. Labels are used in 7526 programs; step numbers are used in 7524/Client and 7527 program. A branch point may also be set up to abort the transaction program. This command is not valid for 7525 terminals. |
Parameters: |
Key -> Branch Assignments This list box shows the current branch assignments for all possible keys. There is one entry in the list box for each key that is valid for the current terminal type. See the Description above for that information. To clear the assignment for a particular key, highlight that key and then press the Clear Key Assignment pushbutton. This will cause the text to the right of that key in the list box to read '<No branch>'. To change or create a branch assignment for a particular key, highlight that key, fill in the branch information (as described under the branch related parameters below) and then press the Assign Branch to Key pushbutton. This will cause the text to the right of that key in the list box to show the branch information you selected. As you move to different keys in the listbox, the branch parameters will reflect the branch that is assigned to the current key. However, if no branch is assigned to the currently highlighted key, the branch parameters will not be changed. Branch - Program Defines the transaction program to which execution will transfer for a particular key press. This may be the same program defined or a different one. Choose one of the items in the drop down list box. If the branch is to a program other than the current one, be sure you have bound a transaction program to the proper transaction ID for that program. This command can also be used to abort the transaction program for if a particular key is pressed. If the abort option is selected, whatever data is in the transaction buffer is put into the transaction queue so that it can be sent to the host - unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. If Abort Program is selected for the program, the label/step value is irrelevant. Branch - Label Defines the step within the specified transaction program to which execution should be transferred. The label name can be up to 30 characters long - although the first 15 characters of all labels in a transaction program must be unique. The label is not tied to a step number and is independent of command insertion/deletion. The label name cannot contain colons, semicolons or any characters with an ASCII value less than 0x30 except for spaces. Label names are case sensitive. The drop down list box lists all labels that exist in the current program or which have been referenced as being in the current program. This list will not show any references to labels in other transaction programs. Labels are only supported by 7526 terminals. Branch - Step The 7527 and 7524/Client terminals do not support labels. Instead a step number within the specified program must be given. The current step number is shown on the top right side of the transaction program listbox. When only one step in the program is highlighted, the number at the top of the listbox will indicate what step number that highlighted step is. Once an ONKEY command has been added to the program, if it is a branch somewhere in the current program, the step number within the command is automatically adjusted, as necessary, every time a step is added or removed from the program. When a step is deleted, any ONKEY command that references a step later than the one deleted, has its step value decremented by 1. When a step is added, any ONKEY command that references the step number at which the new step was added or any step later will have its step value incremented by 1. These adjustments are only made for ONKEY commands which have one or more branches to a step in the Current Program Note: Because every command must be checked any time a command is added or deleted, pasting of a large block of commands or deleting of a large block of commands may be time consuming. The following are the restrictions as to where an ONKEY may branch:
Timeout Indicates how long the terminal waits for any of the specified keys to be pressed. Select either Wait Forever or select to wait for the Input Prompt Duration that is defined for this terminal in its Terminal Settings notebook. |
Example: | Wait for input prompt duration for F1 ('A' key) to be pressed, then go to step 12 of the same program. ONKEY wait prompt duration for Function key 1 -> Current Program (12) |
Supported by: 7526
Note: Although the 7524/Client supports the GOSUB, ONSUB and RETURN commands, the DCConnect Transaction Program Editor does not yet support these commands for the 7524/Client terminal type.
Command: | ONSUB |
Description: | Used to wait for a period of time for one or more specific keys to be pressed. When one of those keys is pressed, the transaction program branches to a subroutine in the current program or another program based on which key was pressed. At the completion of the subroutine, control returns back to the step following the ONSUB command. The subroutine must use the RETURN command to cause this to happen. Each key can be set up to branch to different subroutines or more than one could be set up to branch to the same subroutine. If a timeout occurs the transaction program is aborted. This command is useful for creating multi-tiered menus that, for example, re-use the same PF keys on your terminals. This command is valid only for 7526 terminals. You can define branches to subroutines for any combination of the 28 function keys as well as the 10 numeric keys. The branch point is defined as a label in the current program or another transaction program. A branch point may also be set up to abort the transaction program. |
Parameters: |
Key -> Branch Assignments This list box shows the current branch assignments for all possible keys. There is one entry in the list box for each key that is valid for the current terminal type. See the Description above for that information. To clear the assignment for a particular key, highlight that key and then press the Clear Key Assignment pushbutton. This will cause the text to the right of that key in the list box to read '<No branch>'. To change or create a branch assignment for a particular key, highlight that key, fill in the branch information (as described under the branch related parameters below) and then press the Assign Branch to Key pushbutton. This will cause the text to the right of that key in the list box to show the branch information you selected. As you move to different keys in the listbox, the branch parameters will reflect the branch that is assigned to the current key. However, if no branch is assigned to the currently highlighted key, the branch parameters will not be changed. Branch - Program Defines the transaction program to which execution will transfer for a particular key press. This may be the same program defined or a different one. Choose one of the items in the drop down list box. If the branch is to a program other than the current one, be sure you have bound a transaction program to the proper transaction ID for that program. This command can also be used to abort the transaction program for if a particular key is pressed. If the abort option is selected, whatever data is in the transaction buffer is put into the transaction queue so that it can be sent to the host - unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. If Abort Program is selected for the program, the label/step value is irrelevant. Branch - Label Defines the step within the specified transaction program to which execution should be transferred. The label name can be up to 30 characters long - although the first 15 characters of all labels in a transaction program must be unique. The label is not tied to a step number and is independent of command insertion/deletion. The label name cannot contain colons, semicolons or any characters with an ASCII value less than 0x30 except for spaces. Label names are case sensitive. The drop down list box lists all labels that exist in the current program or which have been referenced as being in the current program. This list will not show any references to labels in other transaction programs. Branch - Step Because this command is not yet supported by 7527 and 7524/Client terminals, the step parameter is never used. Timeout Indicates how long the terminal waits for any of the specified keys to be pressed. Select either Wait Forever or select to wait for the Input Prompt Duration that is defined for this terminal in its Terminal Settings notebook. |
Example: | Wait forever for F1 ('A' key) to be pressed, then go to the subroutine at label 'test_label' in this transaction program. ONSUB wait forever for Function key 1 -> Current Program (test_label) |
Supported by: 7526, 7527
Command: | RDDI |
Description: | Read the value of a given DI/DO point. Both digital input and digital output points may be read although this command is intended for reading digital input. The value read, in the form of an ASCII 0 or 1, becomes the value of the last read variable (UV 0) and becomes part of the transaction buffer unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. Note: On a 7527 terminal, if the parallel port is set for printer rather than DI/DO at the time this command is executed, an error occurs at the terminal. |
Parameters: |
DI/DO Point The point whose value is to be read. It must be in the range 0-7. |
Example: | Read digital input point 3. RDDI point 3 |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | READ |
Description: | This command provides a general purpose read capability for 7524/Client, 7526, and 7527 terminals. You may choose to read either fixed or variable length data from one or more of the following input devices:
Note: Reading from the RS-232 port is supported only on 7527 terminals. Reading a PF key string is supported only on 7527 and 7524/Client terminals. Reading a Touch Screen string is supported only on 7527 model 2 terminals. This command provides the option to have the input data validated before it is appended to the transaction buffer or stored in user variable 0. The input data, excluding any secure head character (hex 10) that might be present on a magnetic read, becomes the value of the last read variable (UV 0) and becomes part of the transaction buffer unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. On the 7527, when using RS-232 communications, a read is performed for the number of characters specified in the length, or until the termination sequence, as specified in the RS-232 configuration parameters, is reached. If neither the proper number of characters nor the termination sequence is received by the timeout default indicated as part of the terminal configuration, the transaction is aborted. When reading from a sensor port, the transaction is aborted if there is no response before the input prompt duration in the terminal configuration expires. Any keyboard read that is not satisfied is aborted after the timeout for the input prompt duration expires. For keyboard input, the input prompt duration is used as the maximum time allowed between keystrokes - not for the entire field to be completed. The input prompt duration is configured in the Terminal or Function Group Settings notebook of DCConnect. On 7524/Client and 7527 terminals, if the Keyboard is selected as an input device in conjunction with the PF Key string or Touch Point string, pressing of a PF key or Touch Point will cause the associated alias string to be entered into the input field as if all the characters making up that alias string were typed in separately. For keyboard input of any kind, be sure the cursor is positioned so that the input field does not go past the end of the row. The CURS command can be used to do this. The terminal will give an error and abort the transaction if it is not able to fit the input field on the current row starting at the current column position. |
Parameters: |
Read Length For fixed length reads, use the spinner to specify that fixed length and then select Fixed for the Type. For variable length reads, use the spinner to specify the maximum length allowed and then select Variable for the Type. Validation - Name The name of the validation file to use if the input data is to be validated. The drop down list box will show all validation files that have been created so far in DCConnect plus any others that have been referenced by the current program. You may also enter a name that is not in the list. When the program is saved, DCConnect will create validation objects for any new validation file names that you have referenced in the program. Validation - Type The action to be taken by the transaction program depending on the result of validating the input data. If Abort if found or Abort if not found is selected, and the data is not valid, the transaction program is terminated and a message appears on the terminal display indicating the validation failed. Otherwise the following step in the transaction program is performed. If Skip if found or Skip if not found is selected, the following step will either be performed or skipped based on the result of the validation. Note: The two skip options are not available for 7525 transaction programs. Input Devices Check the boxes next to the device(s) that the terminal user should be allowed to use to satisfy the read. If keyboard, sensor or RS-232 are selected as input devices, you must also specify whether or not the input is restricted to numeric data. Note: On the 7527 DCTs, numeric data includes decimal points ".", commas ",", and hyphens "-". On the 7525 and 7526 DCTs, numeric data includes spaces and the characters + . - # $ % / & * . On 7524/Client terminals, numeric data includes spaces and the characters "." and "-". Echo Input to Display If this box is checked then any input received from the keyboard, PF Keys (7524/Client or 7527 only), Touch Points (7527 Model 002, only), or sensor ports is displayed on the screen as it is received. The input is displayed at the current cursor location. If the read is from a magnetic device and the first byte of data is a secure head indicator (hex 10), then the badge content is not displayed when read. Instead, an asterisk (*) is displayed for each input character. Input from the RS-232 port for the 7527 is never echoed to the screen regardless of this parameter setting. Timeout Indicates how long the terminal waits for the read to be satisfied. Select either Wait Forever or select to wait for the Input Prompt Duration that is defined for this terminal in its Terminal Settings notebook. |
Example: | Read exactly six bytes of alpha-numeric data from the sensor ports or the alpha-numeric keypad and verify the input is in the file BADGES.VAL. Abort if it is not there. Echo the input to the screen. Wait forever for the input. READ fixed length 6 from (KA SA) echo on, wait forever, if not in BADGES.VAL, abort |
Supported by: 7526
Note: Although the 7524/Client supports the GOSUB, ONSUB and RETURN commands, the DCConnect Transaction Program Editor does not yet support these commands for the 7524/Client terminal type.
Command: | RETURN |
Description: | Return from a subroutine. Control returns to the step after the GOSUB command or ONSUB command which caused the subroutine to be called. This command is available only for 7526 terminals. |
Parameters: |
None |
Example: | End the subroutine and return to the step following the call to the subroutine. RETURN |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | SEND |
Description: | This command provides a general purpose Write facility for the 7524/Client, 7526 and 7527 terminals. If the data is to be sent to the Host Port, a time stamp and sequence number is automatically appended to the transaction. Writing to the Host Port is used when the AUTO feature is turned off and the user is controlling all transaction building and transmission himself. This enables him to send a transaction record to the host before the end of the transaction program and possibly finish up the transaction program with some printing or other processing that does not generate data needed by the system unit. Multiple transactions may be sent from a single transaction program. When using the RS-232 port as the target, the messages that is sent has 'header' and 'trailer' strings added to it as defined by the RS-232 settings in the terminal. These settings can be found on the RS-232 page(s) of the Devices tab of the Terminal Settings notebook. The default header string is no string at all. The default trailer string is a single carriage return character. Up to 8 characters can be defined for both strings. On the 7527, if the printer is the selected target device, and the 7527 parallel port switch is set to DI/DO rather than the printer at the time this command is executed, an error will occur at the 7527 terminal. Note: To send a null character (ASCII 0) to the printer or RS-232 port, you must code it in the message string as <<000, where the < is an escape character input by pressing and holding the ALT key while typing 27 on the numeric keypad. To send an escape character itself (ASCII 027), code it in the message string as <<027. Other control characters require no special treatment. Note: If the 7527 terminal has been set up to use RS-232C as the network port, the use of the host port and general purpose port in the SEND command are reversed. In this case, the host port will be the RS-232 port on the terminal, and the general purpose port will be the RS-422 port on the terminal. Note: If the printer is the selected target device, and the 7527 switch is set to DI/DO rather than the parallel port at the time this command is executed, an error will occur at the 7527 terminal. Note: In most cases, the transaction ID that is returned in the transaction data is for the program that initiated the transaction. However, when using the GOTO and ONKEY transaction commands, there is an exception. If the execution branches to another program and that program (or any other) issues a SEND command to the Host Port, the program number that is returned in the transaction data will be that of the program that issued the SEND. However, over and above all of this, if an AKA command is encountered anywhere in the transaction program, any subsequent branches or SENDs will not change the transaction ID. |
Parameters: |
Target Device Select the radio button for the target device to which the source data is to be written. For the 7526, the target device can only be the host port or printer. If it is necessary to send data to the 7526 RS-232 port, a CFR must be used. For the 7527, the target device may be the RS-232 port, the printer port or the host RS422 port. For 7524/Client terminals the target may be the host port or the RS-232 port. Source The source of the data to be send. For the 7526, the data may come from a message in the message file, from the last data read (UV 0), any of the 998 user variables (UV 1-998), or the transaction buffer. For 7524/Client and 7527 terminals, the data may come from a message in the message file, from the last data read (UV 0), any of the 19** user variables (UV 1-19), the transaction buffer (TRANS), any of the 24 current PF strings (PF 1-12, SHIFT PF 1-12), or any of the 40 current Touch point strings (TOUCH 1-40). **For terminals running the DCConnect Client and 7524 terminals with flash level later than 1.10 have a maximum user variable of 99 instead of 19. Note: Even though 7524/Client terminals do not have a touch screen or shifted PF keys, and even though the 7527 model 1 does not have a touch screen, the shifted PF key strings and touch point strings can be manipulated in these terminal types. They can be thought of as extra user variables that are set back to their initial values whenever a transaction program is started. If the source is to be a message, you may use the drop-down box to select any message that you have specified for any other command in this program or other programs in the same program file. If you are modifying an existing command and need to change the message text, you have the option to make the same change to the current text for all other commands that are currently using the same text string. This is done by making the change to the text, checking the box marked Replace all occurrences of old text with new text and pressing the OK button. Because all programs with a given transaction program file share the same set of messages, if the text is changed for more than one command, it can affect other programs as well. Note: If there is more than one copy of the same message in the set of messages, you will not be able to change all occurrences at once. It is best to avoid creating duplicate messages. Normally, if you leave the check box unchecked, and type or choose an existing message, the existing message will be used and you will not get a duplicate. You can only get a duplicate if you check the Replace check box and then choose or type in text that matches an existing message. |
Examples: | Send the contents of user variable 1 to the host port. SEND to HOST from UV 1 Send the message "End of file" to the printer SEND to PRINTER from "End of file" |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7525, 7526, 7527
Command: | SF |
Description: | This command is used to combine the input from two different transaction programs to form a single transaction. When the final data input for the first transaction program has been completed, the standard link prompt (message 9) from the message file is displayed. After the second transaction program is initiated, all input that is added to the transaction buffer from the second program is appended after the data from the first program. In addition the program number of the second program is put in the transaction buffer after the data from the first program and before the data from the second program. When the second program completes, a single transaction is sent from the terminal containing the data from both transaction programs. The SF command must be the first command in a transaction program. The linked transaction program cannot itself contain an SF command (it can contain an LF command). This feature is particularly useful for the 7525 terminal that has a limited number of commands in each transaction program. The 7525 and 7526 terminals do not allow any data verification to be done in any transaction program command in the linked second transaction program. These restrictions do not apply to any of the other terminal types. The transaction data buffer may still only contain 128 bytes (including date/time stamp and address). This command exists for backward compatibility with the original 7525 terminal. This command should never be needed in a 7524/Client, 7526, and 7527 terminal because transaction programs can grow quite large for these terminal types. |
Parameters: |
None |
Example: | Link to a second function transaction program at the end of this one. SF |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | SHOW |
Description: | This command causes data from a selected source to be written to the terminal display. The data is written at the row and column specified, and is written with the data attributes specified. The data attribute, which is not used by the 7526, only applies to the current SHOW command. |
Parameters: |
Source The source of the data to show. For the 7526, the data may come from a message in the message file, from the last data read (UV 0), any of the 998 user variables (UV 1-998), or the transaction buffer. For 7524/Client and 7527 terminals, the data may come from a message in the message file, from the last data read (UV 0), any of the 19** user variables (UV 1-19), the transaction buffer (TRANS), any of the 24 current PF strings (PF 1-12, SHIFT PF 1-12), or any of the 40 current Touch point strings (TOUCH 1-40). **Terminals running the DCConnect Client and 7524 terminals with flash level later than 1.10 have a maximum user variable of 99 instead of 19. Note: Even though 7524/Client terminals do not have a touch screen or shifted PF keys, and even though the 7527 model 1 does not have a touch screen, the shifted PF key strings and touch point strings can be manipulated in these terminal types. They can be thought of as extra user variables that are set back to their initial values whenever a transaction program is started. If the source is to be a message, you may use the drop-down box to select any message that you have specified for any other command in this program or other programs in the same program file. If you are modifying an existing command and need to change the message text, you have the option to make the same change to the current text for all other commands that are currently using the same text string. This is done by making the change to the text, checking the box marked Replace all occurrences of old text with new text and pressing the OK button. Because all programs with a given transaction program file share the same set of messages, if the text is changed for more than one command, it can affect other programs as well. Note: If there is more than one copy of the same message in the set of messages, you will not be able to change all occurrences at once. It is best to avoid creating duplicate messages. Normally, if you leave the check box unchecked, and type or choose an existing message, the existing message will be used and you will not get a duplicate. You can only get a duplicate if you check the Replace check box and then choose or type in text that matches an existing message. Position - Current Position Select this radio button if the cursor does not have to be repositioned before the data is shown. Position - Specific Position Select this radio button to position the cursor before the data is shown. Then select the appropriate row and column values using the spinners. The valid ranges for the row and column numbers depend on the terminal type display size selected for the terminal.
If the terminal on which the transaction program is executed cannot accommodate the row or column specified, an error will be given at the terminal when the command is executed. Attributes The display attribute(s) to use for the current SHOW command only. Check one or more of the boxes, or leave them all unchecked. This parameter is not used on the 7526 terminals. The possible display attributes include all combinations of blinking, reverse video and underlining. If no attribute is specified, the data is displayed with no blinking, normal video and no underlining; this is considered to be "normal" attributes. |
Example: | Display message "scan your badge" at row 4, column 5 in normal attribute mode. SHOW "scan your badge" at row 4, col 5, with attribute NORMAL |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7527
Command: | TERM |
Description: | End the transaction program and send what is currently in the transaction buffer. The transaction mode byte for such a transaction is "U" if the terminal is currently in buffered mode (rather than "B") or it is a "T" if the terminal is currently in interactive mode (rather than "I"). |
Parameters: |
None |
Example: | Terminate this transaction program TERM |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | TEST |
Description: | For 7524/Client, 7526, and 7527 terminals, this command is used to test a single user variable for the presence or absence of data. Based on the results of the TEST Command, the next command can be skipped or program execution can be transferred to another step in the current program or another program. If the user variable contains data, then the next command is skipped otherwise, the next command is executed. |
Parameters: |
User Variable The number of the user variable to be tested. This can be UV 0-19 for 7524 terminals with flash level earlier than 1.10 or 7527 terminals. For 7526 terminals use UV 0-998. For terminals running the DCConnect Client and 7524 terminals with flash level later than 1.10 have a maximum user variable of 99 instead of 19. |
Example: | Test User Variable 11 for the presence of data TEST UV 11 |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7525, 7526, 7527
Command: | VB |
Description: | Read a variable number of characters from a sensor device but, unlike DB, do not display the characters read on the display screen. Note: This command exists only to be compatible with the original 7525 terminal. It is better to use the more generic READ command instead of the VB command if using a terminal other than the 7525 terminal. If the read is from a magnetic device and the first byte of data is a secure head indicator (hex 10), then the badge content is not displayed when read and instead an asterisk (*) is displayed (7525, 7526, and 7527) for each input character. For 7524/Client, 7526, and 7527 DCTs, the value excluding the secure head character, becomes the value of the last read variable (UV 0) and becomes part of the transaction buffer unless automatic transaction building has been turned off. For 7525 DCTs, the value read is added to the transaction buffer. |
Parameters: |
Length The maximum number of characters to read from a sensor device. The length specified must be in the range 1-40. When the input is added to the transaction buffer, it is padded with blanks to reach this maximum length. |
Example: | Read and display a maximum of five characters from a sensor device. VB length 5 |
Supported by: 7524/Client, 7526, 7527
Command: | VRFY |
Description: | Verify that a user variable contains valid data by comparing it against the contents of a validation file. Though most validations are done on the read operation, it is possible to need to format the data, using the FRMT or APND command, before validation can be done. The VRFY command makes it possible to validate whenever convenient in the application. |
Parameters: |
User Variable The number of the user variable to be validated. On the 7526, it is possible to perform validation on one of the user variables (UV 1-998) or on the last data read (UV 0), although the latter sort of validation is best done directly in the read operation, if possible. On 7524/Client and 7527 terminals, it is possible to perform validation on one of the user variables (UV 1-19**) or on the last data read (UV 0), although the latter sort of validation is best done directly in the read operation. **Terminals running the DCConnect Client and 7524 terminals with flash level later than 1.10 have a maximum user variable of 99 instead of 19. Validation - Name The name of the validation file to use if the input data is to be validated. The drop down list box will show all validation files that have been created so far in DCConnect plus any others that have been referenced by the current program. You may also enter a name that is not in the list. When the program is saved, DCConnect will create validation objects for any new validation file names that you have referenced in the program. Validation - Type The action to be taken by the transaction program depending on the result of validating the input data. If Abort if found or Abort if not found is selected, and the data is not valid, the transaction program is terminated and a message appears on the terminal display indicating the validation failed. Otherwise the following step in the transaction program is performed. If Skip if found or Skip if not found is selected, the following step will either be performed or skipped based on the result of the validation. |
Example: | Verify that the data in user variable 1 is found in file pin.val VRFY UV 1, if not in PIN.VAL, abort |
Supported by: 7526, 7527
Command: | WRDO |
Description: | Write a value to a given DO point. It is not necessary to select a particular value for the DO point to take; you may select to toggle the current value of the point, making it the opposite of what it is currently. Instead of having the new value for the DO point be permanent, the chosen setting may be held for a given time; after which time it returns to its original setting. This feature makes it possible to pulse a point for a time which is useful in such applications as opening a door latch for a few seconds after a valid employee badge has been read. If the 7527 parallel port switch is set to printer rather than DI/DO at the time this command is executed, an error occurs at the 7527 terminal. Note: On the 7527, if two consecutive WRDO commands are issued, the second one is not performed until the duration from the first WRDO command expires. On the 7526, an extra parameter allows you to specify whether the write will be synchronous or asynchronous. |
Parameters: |
Point The point whose value is to be written. It must be in the range 0-7. The specified point should be configured as a DO point in the parallel port configuration of the terminal. In DCConnect, the parallel port configuration can be changed in the Terminal Settings notebook or the appropriate Function Group Settings notebook. Value The value that the point is to take. It is possible to set the point on (high), to clear it (low), or to change its state from on to off, or off to on, by selecting to toggle the point. Note: The meaning of "high" and "low" to the external device may vary. Experiment to determine the true effect of the values sent from a WRDO command on the external device. The default state of all DO points on the 7526 and the 7527 terminals is "high", that means that all devices attached to the terminal should be "active-low". Writing a DO high on the 7527 opens the circuit. However, writing a DO high on the 7526 closes the circuit. Duration The amount of time to hold the DO point at its new setting. Select the radio button for Hold new value if the selected value is to be permanent. Otherwise select the radio button for Number of seconds and use the spinner to specify how many seconds the DO point should be switched to the new value before it reverts back to its previous setting. Mode This defines the mode of execution for this command in the transaction program. This parameter is valid only for the 7526 terminal. Select Asynchronous if the next command in the transaction program should be performed immediately after the value is written - rather than waiting for the number of seconds specified in the Duration parameter. Select Synchronous if the transaction program should wait before moving to the next command. In the case that the Duration parameter is set to Hold new value and the Mode is set to Synchronous, the terminal moves immediately to the next command after setting the DO point to the new value. |
Example: | Toggle the value of DO point 0 for 5 seconds on a 7527 terminal. WRDO point 0, to value TOGGLED, for 5 second(s) |
Supported by: 7526, 7527
Command: | WTDI |
Description: | Cause the transaction program to suspend execution and wait for a digital input point to achieve a given state. If the point does not reach the correct value within the time limit, the transaction is aborted. If the point is already in the correct state when the command is executed, no wait will be done. |
Parameters: |
Point The point to be monitored until its value reaches the required state. It must be in the range 0-7. Wait value The transaction waits until the point reaches this value. It is possible to wait for the point to be cleared (low) or to be set (high). Timeout The amount of time in seconds to wait for the point to achieve the required state. The timeout must be in the range 1 to 99 seconds or you may choose to Wait forever. |
Example: | Wait for DI point 3 to go high with a timeout of two seconds. WTDI point 3, to have value HIGH, timeout 2 second(s) |
Command/Key Relationships
The following table shows the relationships between the transaction program commands for data input, the display of data on the DCT, and the meaning of some of the special keys during the command operation.
Information is displayed in the chart for the following keys and operations:
This tells whether the input in response to the command is displayed on the terminal screen as it is entered. Although the chart may say yes to the display of input, if the input is from a magnetic device, and the first byte is the secure header indicator (a hex 10), the input is shown as a series of asterisks (*) to the length of the input data.
This column indicates the effect, if any, of pressing the Fill Key on the keyboard. A no indicates that the key has no effect. In some input operations, pressing the Fill key before the completion of the input causes the field to be filled with leading zeros or trailing blanks out to the length specified. The fill key has no effect on varying length input operations.
In some keyboard input operations, if the Enter key is pressed before the full amount of input has been entered, the field is automatically filled to its maximum length. This column shows for which commands this takes place.
This column defines which input operations require the Enter key to indicate that input is complete. The Enter key is required for all keyboard input operations and for sensor input using the DB and KB commands that display input on the screen.
Command/Key Relationships
| Command |
| Fill Key | Autofill | Enter Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AK fixed alpha- numeric keypad | Yes | Trailing blanks | Trailing blanks | Required |
DB variable sensor | Yes | No |
Trailing blanks | Required |
FB fixed sensor | No | No | No | Not used |
KB fixed sensor or alpha- numeric keypad |
Keypad - yes Sensor - yes |
Keypad - trailing blanks Sensor - no |
Keypad - no Sensor - no |
Keypad - required Sensor - required |
NK fixed numeric keypad | Yes | No | Leading zeroes | Required |
VB variable sensor | No | No | Trailing blanks | Not used |
READ general purpose read |
Echo = on K - yes K - yes SA - yes SN - yes Echo = off KA - no KN - no SA - no SN - no |
Variable - no Fixed KA - trailing blanks KN - leading zeroes SA - no SN - no |
Variable - no Fixed KA - trailing blanks KN - leading zeroes SA - no SN - no |
KA - required KN - required SA - not used SN - not used |
When a transaction program is tied to a specific key on the keyboard, it is called program binding.
Transaction program binding serves two important functions:
Programming Environment
Point to the Transaction Program Folder icon on the Navigational Toolbar and click mouse button 1 or click mouse button 2 on any white space on the screen then select Folders and select Transaction Program from the pop-up menu.
To view or modify a transaction program, click on the transaction program with mouse button 2 and click on modify.
This section discusses validation. Select from the following list a topic of interest.
Validation is the checking of terminal generated data to see if is correct. Typically this involves comparing terminal input data with a set of values to determine if that data matches any of the values in the set. More involved validation can be performed by using program validation, that is, a user-written program checks the data in whatever way is necessary.
Using validation, transaction programs in the terminal are able to take different paths based on the successful or unsuccessful completion of validation. For example, in a simple program that starts by reading a badge, that badge can be checked against a list valid badge numbers. If the badge is found to be valid, the program can continue with the next step that might be to activate a DO point that will unlock a door for a few seconds. If the badge is invalid, the program could instead generate a transaction that indicates an attempt was made to use an invalid badge to gain access to the locked door.
DCConnect and the data collection terminals provide two different methods of validation:
More than one application may do program validation. Each application can be set up to handle different validation requests or several applications can inform DCConnect that they want to handle the same requests. When an application receives a request, it has the option to reply unknown to DCConnect, rather than pass or fail. In this situation, DCConnect will pass the request to the next application that is waiting for it. As soon as any application in the chain determines the data should pass or fail, that response is sent to the DCT. If all applications reply unknown, the DCT is informed that the validation failed. This is supported by all terminals except for 7526 terminals with microcode version prior to 2.0 and 7525 terminals.
You can use a combination of these techniques to fit local requirements.
Advantages of doing validation in the DCT are:
Disadvantages of doing validation in the DCT are:
The main advantages of using validation records that are located on the computer system are:
Disadvantages are:
Using user-written applications for program validation provides the ability to do complex comparisons or searches to assess validity of the data. Requests could also be made by the application to remote databases or processes to make the appropriate decision. In addition, when a validation application receives a validation request, it is able to send other information to the requesting terminal before (or after) the application replies to that validation request.
DCConnect uses a validation object to hold the information needed for terminal and program validation. These objects are collected and maintained in the Validation Folder. For program validation, you need to create a validation object that will exist in the Validation Folder. The program validation object will not contain validation records because the application program will perform validation. For terminal validation, the validation object will contain all the validation records. All validation objects needed by a terminal are listed in the Terminal Settings notebook. All validation objects to be downloaded must be highlighted or selected.
Using terminal validation, data gathered by a transaction program at the DCT may be validated against a set of records or information to see if one of the records matches the input data. The validation records used in this case may be located in the DCT or on the computer system. You can see them in the Validation Folder of DCConnect and the Terminal Settings notebook showing validation objects. Validation objects that are to reside in the terminal must be selected or highlighted in the Terminal Settings notebook's page showing validation objects.
Data Connection Terminal Validation
If the validation records are to be located in the DCT, they must be downloaded to the DCT using DCConnect just as other terminal information is.
There are two methods by that DCConnect can be instructed to download validation objects that are assigned to DCTs. One is to explicitly issue the download from the terminal's object mouse button 2 selection. The other method is to submit the validation records to DCConnect by using the "submit" option found as a validation object's mouse button 2 selection.
A validation object submitted to DCConnect can be deleted using the API DcxDeleteValidationFile. However, this API deletes only the set of validation records from DCConnect; the records are not deleted from any terminal. Likewise, the mouse button 2 "Delete" option on a validation object is used to delete a validation object from DCConnect.
In order to delete a set of validation records from a terminal, all references to the validation object must be deselected from the Terminal notebook's page showing validation objects and then the entire terminal must be downloaded again.
Note: Data Collection Terminal validation at the DCT is the only method of validation that can be used by 7525 DCTs.
System Unit Validation
All supported terminals except for 7526 terminals with microcode version prior to 2.0 and 7525 terminals have the ability to send a validation request to DCConnect for validation against a validation object that resides on the computer system rather than in the DCTs. DCConnect searches for requested data in the specified validation object and sends the result of that search to the waiting DCT. Although this method is slower than local validation, it does allow for a much larger set of validation records to be used. In order for a validation request to be sent to DCConnect (that is, become a system unit validation request), a transaction program must request validation of some data against a validation object that has not been downloaded to the terminal.
Use the mouse button 2 "Submit" option on a validation object to update DCConnect's copy of a validation object. Likewise, the mouse button 2 "Delete" option on a validation object is used to delete a validation object from DCConnect. Once a validation object is deleted from DCConnect, it cannot be recovered.
In order for program validation to take place for a specific validation request received by DCConnect, there must be at least one application that has informed DCConnect that it wants to perform validation for the validation object specified in the request and that validation object must exist in the terminal object's setting notebook list of validation objects and in DCConnect's validation folder.
For information on the validation Application Program Interface, see the DCConnect Technical Reference. Select it from the HELP pull-down on the Menu Bar.
When creating a transaction program, any of the following transaction program commands can be used to specify validation against a particular validation file:
In addition a CFR can perform validation against a set of records. Each of the transaction program commands listed specifies only the validation object name. The method of validation is determined by whether or not the object exists and, if it exists, whether it is located in the DCT or in the system unit. A terminal's settings notebook lists all validation objects for this terminal. The highlighted or selected validation objects are the validation objects that should be downloaded to that terminal.
If a CFR references a validation object and the validation object needs to be downloaded to the terminal, that validation object must be highlighted in the Terminal Settings notebook. This indicates that it gets downloaded to that terminal.
If program validation is what is desired for requests against a particular validation object, a validation object with that name cannot exist in the DCT or in the \DCCONN\VAL subdirectory. Instead, a validation application that makes use of the validation APIs should be running and should have issued a call to DcxOpenValidation specifying that validation object name. For program validation, the validation object (record type Phantom) will show up in the Terminal Settings notebook validation object list. It must not be highlighted.
A validation object can also be specified for use against fast-clocking badge data. The name of this object is specified on the Fast-clocking notebook page of the Terminal Settings notebook. If the validation object used by fast clocking is downloaded to the terminal, it must be highlighted in the Terminal Setting notebook's validation objects list.
This section discusses the proper format for submitted validation objects. Most submitted validation objects contain flat ASCII text that can be created using the Validation Object editor. These are text validation objects. A binary file can also be a validation object (record type is binary). A validation object must exist for either binary or text validation.
Creating a Validation Object
To create a validation object in the validation folder, do the following:
Binary Validation Objects
DCConnect allows binary information to be submitted as validation objects. This capability is provided so that CFRs can use validation information without having DCConnect convert it in any way.
Although DCConnect does not provide a mechanism to create binary validation objects, it allows you to indicate through the validation object's Settings notebook that a validation object has an associated binary file that you have created. In addition to selecting the binary radio button for the type, the source file name must end with the extension .bin - in upper or lower case.
Note: 7527 ETS may make modifications to binary validation objects after they have been downloaded to the terminal.
To specify that a binary validation object is to be downloaded to a terminal, highlight or select this validation object from the terminal's Settings notebook list of validation objects, as you would with any other validation object to be downloaded.
See Custom Function Routines (SeeCustom Function Routine (CFR) Configuration) for information on how to configure a CFR to use as a validation object.
Text Validation Objects
If the submitted validation object consists of text only (no binary information), DCConnect will determine the record length and type based on the data. If all records are the same length and type, DCConnect sets the record length and record type for you from the validation object Setting's notebook field.
If you want to specifically state what the record length and record type are, the first record in the set of records in the validation object must be set up to specify those parameters in the following manner:
RECORD_TYPE = A RECORD_LENGTH = 7
The RECORD_TYPE can be either A to indicate the records contain alphanumeric data, or it can be N to indicate the records contain numeric data only. Numeric data consists of the digits '0' through '9' and space characters.
The RECORD_LENGTH must be in the range 1 to 128 or it can be 0 to indicate the records are of variable length.
Note: These parameters can be switched on the first record. If DCConnect finds either of these two keywords in the first record then it will expect to find both and expect them to be valid. However, if neither keyword is found, the first record is treated like just another validation record.
The record type is used to make sure no records contain invalid data. Also, for 7525 and 7526 terminals, validation objects that are defined to be numeric are compacted when stored in the terminal and take up half as much space in the terminal.
If the record length is variable, all trailing blanks are removed from the record before being stored. If the record length is a fixed size and the record type is alphanumeric, the data is padded to the right out to that size with blanks. If the record length is a fixed size and the record type is numeric, the data is padded to the left with zeros out to that size.
An optional third parameter can also be included in the first record. It specifies the amount of space to reserve in the terminal for the set of validation records. This parameter has the format:
LOAD_SIZE = 50000
The size is in bytes. This parameter is provided specifically for 7526 terminals that cannot accept a download of validation information by itself if the amount of space the validation records occupy is larger than the previous time they were downloaded. Using this parameter, you can specify a size that will accommodate the largest anticipated size. In this way, the validation object can continue to be submitted even as the actual amount of validation object data grows.
If the size specified is smaller than the actual amount required, a message will be logged and the actual size will be used. On single validation object downloads, if DCConnect receives an error trying to reserve space, it automatically tries a complete download for the terminal to determine if that resolves the problem.
The LOAD_SIZE keyword can be used only if the other two keywords are used.
The 7525 terminal has special restrictions with regard to the way validation records should be created. Consider the following:
The 7526 terminal has some restrictions that you must consider when planning to use validation.
Even though 7526 transaction programs can reference up to 58 different validation objects, a maximum of six can be downloaded to the terminal at a time. Keep this in mind both when generating transaction programs and highlighting the validation objects in a 7526 terminal Settings notebook.
7526 terminals are able to accept downloads of individual validation objects either by submitting the object or using the Validation Data option from the Terminal objects mouse button 2 pop-up menu "Download" selection.
However, when individual validation objects are loaded to a 7526, the terminal will not allow the download if the new object size is larger than the old object size. DCConnect will attempt to detect this problem during individual downloads and if the load fails due to insufficient space, DCConnect will automatically issue a complete download to the terminal to see if it solves the problem.
As an alternative, when the validation object is submitted to DCConnect, the first record can specify the LOAD_SIZE parameter to indicate to reserve more space in the terminal than actually needed. That way more records can loaded successfully.
To edit a validation object, select the validation object in the validation folder. Click mouse button 2 and select Modify.
The User folder contains all the users defined to this node. Access the User folder by clicking mouse button 2 on any white space on a configuration screen, select Folders, and select User from the pop-up menu.
Add a New User
A new user object will appear in the User folder.
Passwords
Specifying passwords adds security to the product.
A password is not needed to initially start DCConnect. When DCConnect is installed, security is disabled.
A password is not needed to log off the system once it has been logged on to.
Passwords are case sensitive which means a password must be entered in the same case in which it was created or it will not be recognized.
Password Rules
To enable security:
Security is now enabled.
DCConnect will then prompt for a user-id and password every time it is started up, and the current session will not permit any further acitvity until a Logon operation is done.
In order to Logon to the system, press the Logon icon in the horizontal tool bar of the configuration screens, and enter the user-id and password in the popup window that appears.
Once you have logged on, you will notice that the Logon icon in the toolbar is now grayed out, while the Logoff icon is available. If you wish to leave the system unattended for a period of time, you should press the Logoff icon. At this point the Logon icon will become available for you to use when you return. No activity will be permitted on the DCConnect screens while a logoff is in effect.
DCConnect is installed with one user-id and password ("admin" for both user-id and password). If you enable security, change the password from "admin" to something else. Only users who are permitted full access to the DCConnect user interface screens should have a user-id and password. This ensures the security of the system.
The CFR configuration view is used to modify a CFR object and also to specify that a certain CFR needs a validation object. This is important so that any validation objects used by this CFR are included in the list of validation files needed by each terminal. If you have any CFRs in your \DCCONN\CFR directory, a CFR object is automatically created on start-up. If none of your CFRs require validation files, you do not have to use the CFRs configuration view.
Adding a Validation Object
For a CFR to use a validation object, it must be linked to it. To create the link, do the following:
DCConnect uses notebooks to organize the topics that are associated with setting up and operating the DCConnect system. All of the objects in DCConnect have settings. Settings are properties or characteristics of the object that determine the way it runs and looks. You can view or change these settings using the Settings notebook for the object.
To view the settings for an object, do the following:
The Settings notebook appears.
These notebooks present tabs that represent the topics. Selecting a tab presents the chosen topic. A tab can be selected or the mouse (press mouse button 1 once when the mouse pointer is on the desired tab.) This causes the notebook to open to the notebook page that relates to the topic. Additional pages may also be available within this topic. The top of the page indicates how many pages there are within the topic.
Use the tabs in the notebook for quick movement between the pages that are available for that notebook. The only pull downs in these notebooks are for getting Help, exiting the product, and for performing Save operations.
Each notebook has push buttons on the bottom of the page. They represent the following:
| Push Button | Explanation |
| OK | Save the notebook settings and exit. |
| Cancel | Ignore the changes and quit the notebook. |
| Undo All | Undo all the changes made since opening the notebook. |
| Help | Get help on the selected field. |
For an explanation of the fields in an object's Settings notebook, select from the following list:
The Adapter Settings notebook consists of one page that contains fields that define the adapter. This section explains the fields of this settings notebook.
The General tab contains one page.
General - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
Adapter Name | A unique name of the adapter (maximum of 32 characters). |
Adapter Type | A read-only field that shows the specific adapter type. |
Maximum Lines | The maximum lines available for this adapter type. Set this field based on the capabilities of the adapter. For example, if your ARTIC adapter supports two lines, change this field to two. DCConnect ensures that only two lines are configured for this adapter. For a Serial_Port, the default maximum is 4 to cover using COM1-COM4 but this maximum can be increased to 8. If you are using only COM1, change the maximum to one and only one serial line will be allowed. |
Lines in use | A read-only field that shows the number of lines in use for this adapter. |
Adapter Number | A read-only field that is the number of this adapter. If this is your first ARTIC adapter, this field would be zero. If this is your third ARTIC adapter, this field would be two. The ARTIC adapters are numbered starting at zero. For Serial Port, TCP/IP 75xx and TCP/IP DWTS, this field will be zero. |
This notebook is used to configure DCConnect applications. They can be user-written programs, instances of TC script file programs, or a MAPICS TC script file program.
The Application settings notebook consists of tabs (General, Configure, TC Series, and MAPICS). Each tab has a page or pages that contain fields that define the application. The following sections explain the pages and fields of this settings notebook.
The General tab contains one page.
General - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation | ||||||||||||
Application Name | A unique name (maximum of 32 characters) of this application. | ||||||||||||
Application Path | The fully qualified path and executable name of the application program. | ||||||||||||
File list... | Select this button to change the Script File field. A pop-up dialog to choose the path appears. | ||||||||||||
Application Parameters | Enter any parameters that should be passed to the application when it is started. Enter them as you would enter them on the command line. | ||||||||||||
Type | The type associated with the application. Selections are:
| ||||||||||||
Autostart | Check the box if you want the application to start when the DCConnect runtime is started. Any application that is automatically started by the DCConnect runtime is automatically shut down by DCConnect runtime when it shuts down. |
The Configure tab contains one page.
Configure - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
Configuration Program | The fully qualified path and executable name of the configuration program. |
File list... | Select this button to change the Configuration Program field. A pop-up dialog to choose the path appears. |
Configuration Parameters | Enter any parameters that should be passed to the configuration program when it is started. Enter them as you would enter them on the command line. |
The TC Series tab contains three pages.
AHISS Parameters - Page 1 of 3
Field | Explanation |
Script File: | Path to the script file to be used. |
File list... | Select this button to change the Script File field. A pop-up dialog to choose the path appears. |
Controller ID | Use the spin button to select a single character to use as an arbitrary controller identification (ID). Each instance of AHISS should be started with a unique controller ID. This character is used in the name of the error log file and the transaction log file associated with this instance. It may be sent to the host screen to tell the host that controller is using the session. |
Mode | A session (instance) of any of the programs can be run in one of four modes: Transaction, Remote Validation, Data Request, or Other mode. In any mode, you can perform host screen manipulations using the data from the DCT. Transaction Mode In transaction mode, the AHISS requests data transactions from a DCConnect mailbox, processes the data as you have specified in your script command file, and finally releases the transaction from the DCConnect mailbox. When transaction mode is specified, you must also specify the name of the DCConnect mailbox from which AHISS will get transactions. If more than one AHISS application will be running in transaction mode at the same time, each must specify a different mailbox. Validation Mode In Validation mode, AHISS informs DCConnect of a list of validation file names that it will be handling. The list is generated from all the StartVal commands found in the script by AHISS. You do not list the validation files anywhere in the notebook. Each time a DCT sends a remote validation request to DCConnect that matches one of these validation file names, DCConnect routes the validation request to this instance of the program for validation and response. The validation file name in the request does not refer to an actual file, but the name is used as the identification of the validation required for the incoming data. Because of this, all validation files that will be processed by a AHISS script must be configured to be phantom files in DCConnect. Data Request Mode In Data Request Mode, AHISS informs DCConnect that it is handling data requests for a particular application name. The application name is specified on the notebook page. However, if an application () command is found in the script file, the notebook setting will be overridden. Data requests can be made in a several different ways:
An instance of a TC application could be set up as a kind of server for other TC applications to allow them to communicate with each other indirectly. The server TC application would set itself up in data request mode to allow all the other TC applications to communicate with it, regardless of what mode they are running in. If more than one DBITS, AHISS, or TC application will be running in data request mode at the same time, each must specify a different application name. Other Mode It is possible to have AHISS scripts which do not process transactions, validation requests, or data requests. If your AHISS script is of this type, select Other for the mode. An example of this type of script is one that is used to download validation files from a host and submit them to DCConnect at certain times during the day. |
Trace | With Trace Mode On checked, various trace data are logged to the AHISTRCn.LOG file, where 'n' is the controller ID character assigned to the session). Trace Mode On defaults to unchecked (inactive). Note: Turning on Trace automatically selects Display Mode Verbose. |
Display | With Display Mode Verbose checked, each step of your script is displayed as it is compiled or executed. With Display Mode Verbose unchecked, only compile errors and execution timing data is displayed. Once a script has been completed and debugged, running with Display Mode Verbose unchecked provides faster compile and transaction processing times. |
Session | Use the spin button to select the Short Session name of the CM/2 session that this AHISS program will use. |
Mailbox | Select from the list of DCConnect mailboxes, the DCConnect Mailbox that this instance of this program should use when connecting to DCConnect. The mailbox name can only be specified when Transaction mode is selected. |
DBITS Parameters - Page 2 of 3
Field | Explanation |
Script File: | Path to the script file to be used. |
File list... | Select this button to change the Script File field. A pop-up dialog to choose the path appears. |
Controller ID | Use the spin button to select a single character to use as an arbitrary controller identification (ID). Each instance of DBITS should be started with a unique controller ID. This character is used in the name of the error log file and the transaction log file associated with this instance. |
Mode | A session (instance) of any of the programs can be run in one of four modes: Transaction, Remote Validation, Data Request, or Other mode. In any mode, you can perform database inserts, updates, and queries using the data from the DCT. Transaction Mode In transaction mode, DBITS requests data transactions from a DCConnect mailbox, processes the data as you have specified in your script command file, and finally releases the transaction from the DCConnect mailbox. When transaction mode is specified, you must also specify the name of the DCConnect mailbox from which DBITS will get transactions. If more than one DBITS, AHISS, or TC application will be running in transaction mode at the same time, each must specify a different mailbox. Validation Mode In Validation mode, DBITS informs DCConnect of a list of validation file names that it will be handling. The list is generated from all the StartVal commands found in the script by DBITS. You do not list the validation files anywhere in the notebook. Each time a DCT sends a remote validation request to DCConnect that matches one of these validation file names, DCConnect routes the validation request to this instance of the program for validation and response. The validation file name in the request does not refer to an actual file, but the name is used as the identification of the validation required for the incoming data. Because of this, all validation files that will be processed by a DBITS script must be configured to be phantom files in DCConnect. Data Request Mode In Data Request Mode, DBITS informs DCConnect that it is handling data requests for a particular application name. The application name is specified on the notebook page. However, if an application () command is found in the script file, the notebook setting will be overridden. Data requests can be made in a several different ways:
An instance of a TC application could be set up as a kind of server for other TC applications to allow them to communicate with each other indirectly. The server TC application would set itself up in data request mode to allow all the other TC applications to communicate with it, regardless of what mode they are running in. If more than one DBITS, AHISS, or TC application will be running in data request mode at the same time, each must specify a different application name. Other Mode It is possible to have DBITS scripts which do not process transactions, validation requests, or data requests. If your DBITS script is of this type, select Other for the mode. An example of this type of script is one that is used to download validation files from a host and submit them to DCConnect at certain times during the day. |
Trace | With Trace Mode On checked, various trace data are logged to the DBITTRCn.LOG file (where 'n' is the controller ID character assigned to the session). Trace Mode On defaults to unchecked (inactive). Note: Turning on Trace automatically selects Display. |
Display | With Display Mode Verbose checked, each step of your script is displayed as it is compiled or executed. With Display mode Verbose unchecked, only compile errors and execution timing data is displayed. Once a script has been completed and debugged, running with Display Mode Verbose unchecked provides faster compile and transaction processing times. Note: Turning off Display automatically turns off Trace. |
Database | The (maximum eight character) name of the database that this DBITS program will use. |
Mailbox | Select from the list of DCConnect Mailboxes, the DCConnect Mailbox that this instance of this program should use when connecting to DCConnect. The mailbox name can only be specified when Transaction mode is selected. |
TC Parameters - Page 3 of 3
Field | Explanation |
Script File: | Path to the script file to be used. |
File list... | Select this button to change the Script File field. A pop-up dialog to choose the path appears. |
Controller ID | Use the spin button to select a single character to use as an arbitrary controller identification (ID). Each instance of TC should be started with a unique controller ID. This character is used in the name of the error log file and the transaction log file associated with this instance. It may be sent to the host screen to tell the host that controller is using the session. |
Mode | A session (instance) of any of the programs can be run in one of four modes: Transaction, Remote Validation, Data Request, or Other mode. In any mode, you can perform host screen manipulations using the data from the DCT. Transaction Mode In transaction mode, the TC requests data transactions from a DCConnect mailbox, processes the data as you have specified in your script command file, and finally releases the transaction from the DCConnect mailbox. When transaction mode is specified, you must also specify the name of the DCConnect mailbox from which TC will get transactions. If more than one TC application will be running in transaction mode at the same time, each must specify a different mailbox. Validation Mode In Validation mode, TC informs DCConnect of a list of validation file names that it will be handling. The list is generated from all the StartVal commands found in the script by TC. You do not list the validation files anywhere in the notebook. Each time a DCT sends a remote validation request to DCConnect that matches one of these validation file names, DCConnect routes the validation request to this instance of the program for validation and response. The validation file name in the request does not refer to an actual file, but the name is used as the identification of the validation required for the incoming data. Because of this, all validation files that will be processed by a TC script must be configured to be phantom files in DCConnect. Data Request Mode In Data Request Mode, TC informs DCConnect that it is handling data requests for a particular application name. The application name is specified on the notebook page. However, if an application () command is found in the script file, the notebook setting will be overridden. Data requests can be made in a several different ways:
An instance of a TC application could be set up as a kind of server for other TC applications to allow them to communicate with each other indirectly. The server TC application would set itself up in data request mode to allow all the other TC applications to communicate with it, regardless of what mode they are running in. If more than one DBITS, AHISS, or TC application will be running in data request mode at the same time, each must specify a different application name. Other Mode It is possible to have TC scripts which do not process transactions, validation requests, or data requests. If your TC script is of this type, select Other for the mode. An example of this type of script is one that is used to download validation files from a host and submit them to DCConnect at certain times during the day. |
Trace | With Trace Mode On checked, various trace data are logged to the TC2TRCn.LOG file, where 'n' is the controller ID character assigned to the session). Trace Mode On defaults to unchecked (inactive). Note: Turning on Trace automatically selects Display Mode Verbose. |
Display | With Display Mode Verbose checked, each step of your script is displayed as it is compiled or executed. With Display Mode Verbose unchecked, only compile errors and execution timing data is displayed. Once a script has been completed and debugged, running with Display Mode Verbose unchecked provides faster compile and transaction processing times. |
Session | Use the spin button to select the Short Session name of the CM/2 session that this TC program will use. |
Database | The (maximum eight character) name of the database that this TC program will use. |
Mailbox | Select from the list of DCConnect mailboxes, the DCConnect Mailbox that this instance of this program should use when connecting to DCConnect. The mailbox name can only be specified when Transaction mode is selected. |
MAPICS Parameters - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
User ID: | The assigned ID of the user who is signing on to the host to start the MAPICS application (maximum 10 characters). |
Password: | The assigned password of the user who is signing on to the host to start the MAPICS application (maximum 10 characters). |
Procedure: | Defines the name of the host procedure that initiates the MAPICS application on the host. |
Library: | The name of the library where the procedure is located. |
Sign On Rate: | Use the spin button to specify, in minutes, how frequently to retry the sign on if the first attempt fails. The entry must be a number from 0 through 10 (a value of 0 specifies that MAPICS continue to sign on indefinitely). |
Before any terminals are attached to a function group, the Function Group settings notebook consists of one tab that has one page that contains fields that define a Function Group object. This section explains the fields of this settings notebook. After one or more terminals are attached, the function group notebook has terminal notebook tabs. You can now change the function group notebook and have any changes you make effect all the terminals under the function group.
The General tab contains one page.
General - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
Function Group | The unique name of the function group (maximum of 32 characters). |
The CFR settings notebook consists of one tab that has one page that contains fields that define the CFR. This section explains the fields of this settings notebook. If you have CFRs in your \DCCONN\CFR directory, a CFR object is automatically created on startup.
The General tab contains one page.
General - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
CFR Name | A unique name of the CFR (maximum of 32 characters). |
File Name | Name of the CFR executable located in the \DCCONN\CFR subdirectory. |
Allocation | Use the spin button to specify how much space in KB should be allocated in the terminal for the CFR. This option is available only for 7526 CFRs. See "use exact size" option for details. |
Exact Size of Data | Checking this box will allocate the exact space needed for the CFR in the terminal. |
Specify Size | This option is available only for 7526 CFRs. Unlike other terminals, the 7526 terminal will not accept a download of a CFR if the new size is larger than the previously allocated size. During development and testing of a CFR, its size may fluctuate. Downloading all information to the terminal each time the CFR needs to be tested is not always desirable. To avoid this, the allocation size can be set to a value that is larger than the CFR is expected to grow. When the CFR testing is complete, use the "Exact Size of Data" option to minimize the space occupied by the CFR in the terminal. |
The Terminal Personality settings notebook consists of one tab that has one page that contains fields that define Terminal Personality. 7527 terminals use terminal personalities. If you have ETS 7527 installed, a terminal personality object for the 7527 is automatically created on startup. This section explains the fields of this settings notebook.
The General tab contains one page.
General - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
Terminal Personality Name | A unique name of the Terminal Personality (maximum of 32 characters). This is a read-only field. |
File Name | Name of the file containing the Terminal Personality. For a 7527, the terminal personality name is ETS7527.EXE. This is a read-only field. |
The Graphic settings notebook consists of one tab that has one page that contains fields that define a Graphic object. Only 7527 model 2 terminals use graphics objects. If you have graphic files in your \DCCONN\GRAPH directory a graphics object is automatically created on startup. This section explains the fields of this settings notebook.
The General tab contains one page.
General - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
Graphic Name | A unique name of the Graphic object (maximum of 32 characters). This is a read-only field. |
File Name | Name of the file containing the graphic images. This file exists in the DCCONN\GRAPH subdirectory. This is a read-only field. |
The Line settings notebook contains three tabs: Protocol, Polling, and UHF/SST. This section explains the fields of each tab and associated pages.
For details of the tab fields in the Line's Settings notebook, select the tab name from the following list:
Protocol Values - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
Line Name | Name of line (32 character limit). |
Line Number | Used by ARTIC for the specific line used off the ARTIC 2, 4, or 8 port adapter. For the Serial Port adapter, this line number represents the COMx Port number you want to use. If the line number is two, COM2 is used. For TCP/IP 75xx and TCP/IP DWTS adapters, the line number is ignored. The value is 0-7. |
Baud Rate | Choose the baud rate that matches the speed chosen for all the terminals that will be attached to this line. Choose a speed that is the highest rate supported by all terminals on that line and that will produce few or no transmission errors.
The default Baud Rate is 9600. |
Parity | Three Parity values are available: None, Odd, and Even. The Parity value specified for this line must be the same as the value selected on each terminal that will be attached to this line. Note: If eight (8) is selected for data bits, the parity must be set to None. The default for Parity is None. |
Data Bits | Two Data Bit values are available: 7 and 8. If 8 is selected, you must specify None for parity; 7 allows parity to be set to Odd, Even, or None. The Data Bits selected for this line must be the same as the value selected on each terminal that will be attached to this line. The default for Data Bits is 8. |
Stop Bits | Two Stop Bits values are available: 1 and 2. The Stop Bits value specified for this line must be the same as the value selected on each terminal that will be attached to this line. The default for Stop Bits is 1. |
Activate on system start | Check this field if you want this line and its terminals started automatically when the system is started. Note: If you want to set up a sample configuration where the real adapters, lines, and terminals are not set up, do not check this field. Then when the system is started, the lines that are not activated will not be started. The default for 'Activate on system start' is "checked". |
Polling Rates - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
Poll Timeout | The length of time that DCConnect will wait for a response from a terminal for any command sent to it. The Poll Timeout value is specified in tenths of a second and may be a value from 0.1 to 25.5 seconds. If you are experiencing communications errors, a larger Poll Timeout value should be specified. However, a Poll Timeout value that is too large will slow down system performance when there are terminals that are defined and being polled by DCConnect but are malfunctioning or not attached properly. DCConnect will increase the poll timeout parameter to a minimum acceptable value when it starts up if it finds the value is too small for the configured baud rate of the line. |
Poll Cycle | Indicates the amount of time that DCConnect will take to poll all terminals on a given communications line. The value is in seconds. The default is .4 seconds. For the default of one second, if one terminal is configured on the line, it will be polled once a second. If two terminals are on the line, polls will alternate between the terminals with a half second delay between each terminal. If three terminals are on the line, the delay will be 1/3 of a second between a poll of one terminal and the poll of the next terminal in the list. In the case of RF Serial lines and the TCP/IP 75xx line where there isn't actually any explicit polling of terminals, this rate governs how often the RF interface or TCP/IP socket is checked for messages from any terminal. |
Slow Poll Rate | Indicates the number of seconds that DCConnect waits between slow polls. Terminals that are 'not responding' or are in the 'bad terminal' state are polled at the interval specified by this parameter to check whether they are now responding and behaving properly. The value ranges from 1 second up to 15300 seconds (255 minutes). While the granularity is in seconds, the spinner does not provide every possible value between 1 and 15300. Instead it goes from 1-10 in 1 second jumps, from 10-30 by 2 second jumps, from 30-60 by 5 second jumps, from 60-180 by 10 second jumps, from 180 to 600 by 30 second jumps and from 600-15300 by 60 second jumps. On an RF communications line, no slow polls are ever done. However on both RF communications lines and TCP/IP 75xx lines, this value is used for the 'query interval'. Every query interval, a command is sent out to all terminals that should be responding to see if they still are responding. This is used to keep the terminal status accurate. Query polls are not issued to a terminal if it is not supposed to be polled, if it is already known to not be responding, or if any communications have come from that terminal since the last query poll. |
Max Busy Terminals | Is used on RF and TCP/IP 75xx lines to limit the number of terminals that are busy with outstanding commands simultaneously. Normally on these types of lines, DCConnect can simultaneously send up to one waiting command to every terminal on the line. This allows maximum throughput of traffic. However, in some situations where the network infrastructure is slow, it may be necessary to restrict how many commands are active at the same time so that the performance of the network is not degraded. One example of this is an installation of 7524 terminals (Intermec/Norand 11xx, 17xx, 59xx) using UHF radios. The UHF environment is relatively slow and the network gets bogged down if too many terminals are trying to communicate at the same time. To help this situation, the Max Busy Terminals parameter can be set to a value such as 3 or 5 to limit how many terminals DCConnect will send commands to at once. The only way to determine the best value is to play with various settings and see how the network handles the traffic. In most cases, the 'No Limit' check box should be left checked - indicating that DCConnect should not restrict how many terminals it talks to at once for that line. If you need to change this value, use the spinner to select how many terminals DCConnect can communicate with at once. You can choose a number from 1 to 256. |
These parameters are only valid for serial lines that are attached to a 7524 controller (or Intermec/Norand equivalent - e.g. 3250) for use in communicating to 7524 RF terminals (Intermec/Norand 11xx, 17xx, 59xx). If you are not using 7524 RF terminals ignore this tab.
Field | Explanation |
Enable line for RF communications | Check this field if 7524 RF terminals (Intermec/Norand 11xx, 17xx, 59xx) will be attached to this line and communicating via radio. In this case the PC's serial port will be attached to a 7524 controller (or Intermec/Norand controller) instead of directly to terminals. The 7524 RF terminals communicate via a radio to one or more access points that are attached to the 7524 controller. The default for this field is "not checked". If 7524 terminals will be communicating with the DCConnect Server serially (either directly or via a docking station) this box should remain unchecked. 7524 terminals used in this way are often referred to as "7524 Batch" terminals. |
Transmission Frequency Type | Determines whether the RF terminal network will be using UHF or SST frequencies for communications. The default is SST. If you choose UHF, you may need to set the UHF Call Sign parameter as well. This option can be used only if "7524 Interface Support for OS/2 and Windows/NT" is installed, and "Enable line for RF Communications" is checked. |
UHF Call Sign | The FCC call sign for the radio frequency. This option can be used only if "7524 Interface Support for OS/2 and Windows/NT" is installed, and "UHF" is checked. |
The Mailbox settings notebook consists of one tab that has one page that contains fields that define the Mailbox object. This section explains the fields of this settings notebook.
The General tab contains one page.
General - Page 1 of 1
|
Field |
Explanation |
|
Mailbox Name |
A unique name of the Mailbox object (maximum of 32 characters). |
|
Mailbox Capacity |
The capacity of the Mailbox, specified as a number of bytes can hold. The range of values is 100,000 to 25,000,000 bytes. |
|
Master Mailbox |
The optional name of a master mailbox. If a master mailbox name is input, that makes this mailbox a member of the master's pool. |
The Node settings notebook contains three tabs (General, Time, Options). This section explains the fields of each tab and associated pages.
For details of the tab fields in the Node's Settings notebook, select the tab name from the following list:
The General tab contains one page.
General - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
Node Name | A unique name for the node within the network. This case sensitive name will also be the DAE node name in a DAE network. This field is read-only. |
System Error Messages Capacity | This entry field indicates how many messages the system error message log can hold at any one time. Once the system error message log fills up the first time, new messages will overwrite existing messages, starting with the oldest one in the file. |
Simultaneous Downloads |
|
Maximum Allowed | The number of downloads that can occur at one time. This is used to limit the communication traffic. The range is 1-255 and the default is 16. |
The Time tab contains two pages.
Automatic Synchronization Page 1 of 2
Field | Explanation |
Terminal Synchronization Times | The list of times when all terminal clocks will be resynchronized with the system unit clock. New values can be added to this list using the Add push button. Values can be deleted using the Delete push button. There is a maximum of twelve (12) synchronization times. |
Add | Use the Add push button to add a new synchronization time to the list of Terminal Synchronization Times. Any time in the 24-hour day (00:00 - 23:59) can be entered. |
Delete | Use the Delete push button to remove time currently highlighted in the Terminal Synchronization Times list. |
Set Date and Time - Page 2 of 2
Field | Explanation |
Date | Use the spin buttons to set the Year, Month, and Day. |
Time | Use the spin buttons to set the Hour, Minute, and Second. |
Set Node | Use the Set Node push button to update the system clock on the node to the date and time specified above. |
Set Node & Terminals | Use the Set Node push button to synchronize the terminals with the node's system unit clock date and time, after first updating the node's system unit clock date and time. |
Node Communications - Page 1 of 2
Field | Explanation |
TCP/IP | Enter the Port Number that is to be used for communicating with the TCP/IP-attached terminals (7526 or terminals running the DCConnect Client). The TCP/IP port value applies only to the TCP/IP 75xx line. This value tells the TCP/IP 75xx support what 'well-known' port number DCConnect will use to communicate with terminals on the TCP/IP Network. The choices for this port number are 2000-9999. The default is 7500. Every application running on your system that is using the TCP/IP 75xx line will have to be using a unique (within the device) 'well-known' port number. Most likely you will not have to change the default, which is 7500. If is already used as a 'well-known' port, you will need to change DCConnect's TCP/IP port number to something else. This field is used only for TCP/IP-attached 7526 Ethernet terminals and terminals running the DCConnect Client that use TCP/IP (over RF or hard- wired) to communicate with the DCConect server. |
System Options - Page 2 of 2
Enable Splash Screen | Check the box to cause the DCConnect splash screen, containing the release level, to appear every time DCConnect is started. Note that the splash screen must then be manually cleared by pressing Ok before startup will complete. |
Enable System Security | Check the box to enable system security and require users to logon to the system in order to perform any actions in configuring or running DCConnect. |
Note: With version 3.0.9 of DCConnect and the DCConnect Client, all of the terminal-resident settings can now be configured in the script files that are read and processed directly by the DCConnect Client. See the Settings Source for more information.
The Terminal settings notebook contains four tabs (General, Time, Devices, Associations). This section explains the fields of each tab and associated pages.
For details of the tab fields in the Terminal's Settings notebook, select the tab name from the following list:
General Terminal Information
Transactions and Buffering
Field | Explanation | ||||||||
Transaction Buffering Mode | Defines how DCConnect and the DCT interact. Choose Interactive, Buffered, or Both.
| ||||||||
Error Transaction Generation | Choose Enabled and Length errors or Bad reads. | ||||||||
Buffer Size | For 7525, 7526 and 7527 terminals, this determines how many kilobytes of memory are reserved to store transactions in the terminal. The maximum transaction size is 129 bytes but is usually much smaller, depending on what has been appended to the transaction buffer during the running of a transaction buffer. If the terminal is communicating properly with the DCConnect Server, transactions will be sent to the DCConnect Server as soon as they are generated; in this case they will not accumulate in the terminal's transaction buffer. But if there is a problem with communications or the DCConnect Server has been stopped or if Polling for this terminal has been turned off, any transactions generated by the terminal will be put into the terminal's transaction buffer (provided the terminal's Transaction Buffering Mode is either 'Buffered' or 'Interactive/Buffered'). If the transaction buffer fills up, the terminal is automatically put out of service until transactions can be sent to the DCConnect Server. For 7525/7526/7526 terminals you have the option to specify how many kilobytes of space should be used for storing buffered transactions. The amount specified is taken from the total memory available in the terminal for all files that are downloaded. So when choosing this value take care to make sure it is not so large that the files to be downloaded to the terminal do not fit. As of October 2004, this feature was also added for terminals running the DCConnect Client as long as the version of the Client is 2.1.0c or later. On 7525 and 7526 terminals you can choose the 'Use remaining' option to tell the terminal to use whatever space is left after all other files are downloaded. This option is not available on 7527 terminals. For 7524 terminals (Norand 11xx, 17xx, 59xx) and terminals running version 2.10b and earlier of the DCConnect Client, the size of the transaction buffer is determined a different way. For 7524 terminals, there is a fixed maximum of 736 transactions that can be buffered - regardless of their size. For the terminals running the DCConnect Client, the default is 368 transactions but this value can be overridden using the MAX_TRANSACTIONS parameter in the EMULATOR.INI file. Refer to the DCConnect Client documentation for more details. For terminals running version 2.10c and later of the DCConnect Client, the transaction logfile capacity is specified as a number of bytes. And as of October 2004, the DCConnect Client's transaction buffer can now be set from the Buffer Size values in this terminal note book. To do this, first choose the 'Size (Kbytes):' radio button and then pick a value from 1K - 64K. | ||||||||
Start-up State | Affects the initial startup state of this terminal. After system startup, this terminal can be put into a different state by using the mouse button 2, change terminal state option or using the API DcxChangeTerminalState. State changes made either of these ways are not preserved after DCConnect Server is shut down and restarted. On start up, the Server will read the initial startup state from the saved configuration - which is affected by the values defined on this page of the settings notebook. When DCConnect is started each terminal can be either in or out of service and it can be either polled or not polled. The state specified here is the 'desired' state. The desired state is the one into that DCConnect will always be attempting to put the terminal. Therefore, even when the terminal is downloading or not responding, the desired service state and polling state do not change.
Note: Terminals that are configured on the TCP/IP 75xx line and 7524 terminals (Intermec/Norand 11xx, 17xx, 59xx) that are configured on a serial line that has been 'Enabled for RF Communications' are not actually continuously polled. Instead a 'Polled' terminal on one of these lines is one that has been told it is allowed to send transactions to the DCConnect Server and a terminal on one of these lines that is 'Not Polled' is one that has been told it is not allowed to send transactions. In addition, a terminal that is 'Not polled' cannot send a download or time request to the Server and it is not checked for status changes. Therefore it is possible for a terminal that is 'Not polled' to show that it is 'In Service' even if it is no longer communicating; terminals that have 'Polling' set are queried for their status at an interval determined by the Slow Poll Rate on the Polling tab of the Line Settings notebook. |
Other Objects
Field | Explanation |
CFR Name | Select one CFR from list. The 7524/Client, 7526, and 7527 DCTs allow you to write C programs Custom Function Routines (CFRs) that can be used to enhance the DCConnect transaction program command set. Some examples of CFRs include a command that compares the contents of two user variables or one that displays a digital input counter. A CFR may be written to perform a range check for a particular piece of data that is collected. These commands created by your CFR may return to the transaction program a SKIP (skip next statement), NOSKIP (execute next statement), or ABORT transaction program. Because of the underlying differences in hardware, a CFR is built specifically for a certain terminal type; CFRs built for one terminal type will not run on other terminal types. Here is a breakdown of the restrictions:
The list of CFRs shown is taken from the list of all files with a .EXE or .DLL extension that are located in the \DCCONN\CFR directory. CFRs built for 7526, 7527, 7524 and DOS-based terminals running the DCConnect Client will have a .EXE extension. All 32-bit Windows and Windows CE CFRs will be .DLL files. When building a CFR it is best to specify a name that identifies the type of terminal/operating system/processor it will run on. However, long names are not currently supported for CFR names; so you have 8 characters to use in addition to the .EXE or .DLL extension. |
Terminal Personality Name | Select one Terminal Personality from the list of Terminal Personalities defined in the Terminal Personalities Folder. This option is valid for 7527 types of terminals. |
Validation at Terminal | Select one or multiple Validation objects from list. Validation objects contain information used to validate input gathered at the terminal. |
User Variable
This page is only available for 7526 terminals. 7525 terminals do not have user variables. 7527 terminals have 20 user variables (0-19) of which the last 10 are 'global' user variables. 7524 terminals and terminals running the DCConnect Client have 100 user variables (0-99) of which the last 90 are 'global' user variables. Global user variables are ones that can be set by the DCConnect Server using the APIs DcxSetTermUserVariable or DcxSetNTermUserVariables. Global variables are also not cleared at the start of a transaction program.
Field | Explanation |
Number of User Variables | Use the spin button to select the number of user variables to be used in the terminal. The 7526 terminal permits up to 999 user variables. All but user variable 0 are global user variables. |
Length of User Variables | Use the spin button to select the length for your terminal user variables In the 7526 terminal, user variables 0 through 4 are always 256 characters in length, and variables 5 through 998 may be specified with any length from 1 to 999 bytes. This setting chooses the length for user variables 5 through 999. There is a maximum of 65,535 bytes available for user variables in the terminal, and this must include two bytes of overhead associated with every user variable that is defined. |
Timeouts
Field | Explanation |
Communication Timeout | The number of seconds that the DCConnect system unit must poll the DCT, process the transaction, and send an acknowledgment. Select Infinite timeout or use spin button and set timeout in seconds. If the system unit does not complete these tasks within the specified time period, the terminal times out and displays the timeout prompt. If the terminal should wait indefinitely, select the 'Infinite timeout' check box instead (not available for 7525 terminals). |
Non-prompt Message Display Time | The number of seconds to display a non-prompt message on the DCT before replacing it with the normal idle prompt. An example would be the "Transaction Accepted" message or "Time is Up" message. Use the spin button to set the time in 0.5 seconds increments. Either checking the 'Disable' check box or selecting a value of 0 disables the displaying of the "Transaction Accepted" message and tells the terminal to use a value of 3 seconds for all error messages that are shown. |
Input Prompt Duration | The number of seconds the user has between keystrokes to enter input data at a prompt. Select Infinite timeout or use the spin button and set the timeout value in seconds. If the user does not press a key or scan a badge (if allowed) within the given time period, the transaction is cancelled and the timeout message is displayed. When entering data on the keyboard, the input prompt duration is used as the maximum allowed time between keystrokes before the transaction is cancelled. Choosing a value of 0 is the same as checking the 'Infinite timeout' checkbox. Note: Prompts that are displayed indefinitely are cleared if the user presses the clear key at the terminal, if a program is started at the terminal that displays a message, if a message is sent to the terminal from DCConnect or if the terminal receives a time synch command from DCConnect. |
Remote Validation Timeout | For 7527 and 7524/Client terminals, this is the number of seconds the terminal will wait for a reply to a remote validation request generated by a transaction program. For 7526 terminals, a separate remote validation timeout cannot be configured; instead the Communication Timeout is used during remote validation. 7525 terminals do not support remote validation. If a response to a remote validation request is not received before the timeout expires, the validation is considered to have failed and the transaction program will either abort or take the failure path - depending on the parameters of the transaction program command being executed. Select Infinite timeout or use spin button and set the timeout value in seconds. |
Time Formats
The 7525 terminal does not support the settings for 'Date format' or 'Separators'. The 7524 terminal (Intermec/Norand 11xx, 17xx, 59xx) do not support any of the parameters on this page because it does not show the date/time on the terminal in order to maximize battery life.
Terminals running the DCConnect Client support the parameters on this page if the keyword SHOW_IDLE_TIME is used in EMULATOR.INI and the value set is Y or YES. If that keyword is set to a specific format, the specific format will override the settings in the DCConnect terminal configuration. Use of the keywords DATE_SEPARATOR and TIME_SEPARATOR will also override the corresponding settings on this page.
Field | Explanation |
Idle Prompt | Determines what is shown on the status row of the screen when the terminal is in idle mode. The Idle Prompt is always shown left-justified. The date and/or time is shown right justified as specified by this setting. Select Show Date, Show Time, or Show Both. |
Idle Time | Determines how the time is displayed on the terminal when the 'Idle Prompt' is set to either 'Show Time' or 'Show Both'. Select 12 Hour or 24 Hour. |
Date format | Determines how the date is displayed on the terminal when the 'Idle Prompt' is set to either 'Show Date' or 'Show Both'. Use the spin button to select the date format. |
Separators | Determines what separator is used between the parts of the time or date if either is shown as part of the Idle Prompt. Use the spin buttons to select the separators for Time, Date, or Numeric. The Numeric separator is only used on 7526 and 7527 terminals. |
Time Zone
This page applies to all terminal types. Use it when one or more terminals are in a different time zone from the DCConnect Server. The Server will adjust 'set time' commands to terminals based on the settings on this page. That is the only time adjustment that is made by the Server; transactions received from the terminal retain the time from the time zone in which they were generated.
Note: If the terminal is running the DCConnect Client in an environment, such as Citrix, where the application does not have permission to set the time as received from the DCConnect Server, use the TIMEZONE_ADJUST parameter in EMULATOR.INI to tell the DCConnect Client to adjust the time as needed.
Field | Explanation |
What is the terminal's Time Zone relative to the Server? | Select one of the 3 radio buttons to specify whether the terminal is in a time zone that is earlier, later or the same as the Server. |
Number of Hours | If the 'earlier' or 'later' radio button is selected, use the spinner to specify the number of hours earlier or later that the terminal is relative to the Server. |
Fast Clocking
Field | Explanation Fast Clocking Interval |
Add | Use the Add push button to add a new start and stop interval time. Any time in the 24-hour day (00:00-23:59) can be entered. |
Delete | Use the Delete push button to remove the time currently highlighted. |
Clear | Use the Clear push button to remove all times from the list. |
Sensor Badge Length
Field | Explanation During Fast Clocking Interval |
Badge Length | Use the spin button to choose the length of the badge that will be accepted by the terminal when fast clocking is active. |
Validation | Select Validation objects from the list of validation objects in the Validation Folder. |
Abort | Select either If present (badge matches validation record) or If absent (badge does not match validation record). Outside Fast Clocking Interval |
Badge Length | Select Fixed, Variable, or Same as Fast Clocking. |
Multi-Select Bar Code
Field | Explanation |
Multi-Select Bar Code | The list of Bar code protocols. Use the Add push button to add new values to this list. Use the Delete push button to delete values from this list. |
Add | Use the Add push button and the spin button to add a new Bar code protocol selected using the code, check digit, and minimum and maximum spin buttons to the list. |
Delete | Use the Delete push button to remove the Bar code protocol currently highlighted in the list. |
Single Select Bar Code
Field | Explanation |
Single Select Bar Code | Use the spin button to select a Bar code protocol. This field cannot be set to NONE if the Magnetic Stripe Allowed field is not checked. The default is Code 39. |
Magnetic Stripe Allowed | Indicates if the terminal user is able to hook up a magnetic slot reader. The box must be checked if the Single Select Bar Code is set to NONE. |
Sound Device
Field | Explanation |
Beeps | Use the spin buttons to set the Number and Length fields for Good Transaction and Bad Transaction. The Good Transaction and Bad Transaction Beeps parameters specify how many beeps the terminal should give at the completion of each transaction. The Length parameter corresponding to each of the Beeps parameters indicates how long each beep should be in quarter second increments. |
Other Good/Bad Indicators | Specifies that combination of indicators should be activated in conjunction with the beeps that the terminal generates for good and bad transactions. Select Green/Yellow LEDs and/or DO points 6/7. The beeper is always activated. If Green/Yellow LEDs is selected, the Green LED is activated for good transactions and the Yellow LED is activated for bad transactions. If Digital Outputs is selected, DO point 6 is activated for good transactions and DO point 7 is activated for bad transactions. |
Parallel Devices
Field | Explanation |
Parallel Port Settings | Use the spin buttons to select the configuration for the parallel port that is required for the device(s) that will be attached. Note: When the port is set to 4 Bits DI/4 Bits DO, points 0 - 3 are the DI points and points 4 - 7 are the DO points. |
DI Point Initiated Transactions | Determines when the transaction programs for DI points 0 - 7 will be initiated. When a DI point toggles to the level indicated on this window, the corresponding transaction program will be initiated. For example, if the DI Active Level for point 3 is set to High, the transaction program bound to the transaction ID 'DI point 3' will be initiated at the terminal whenever 'DI point 3' switches from Low to High. If no program is bound to transaction ID 'DI point 3', then nothing happens. If the parallel port is configured for 4 bits DI/4 bits DO, use points 0 - 3 here. Points 4 - 7 will be ignored. The settings of the DI Active Levels are ignored if the parallel port is set as 8 bits DO. |
RS232 Devices
Field | Explanation |
Baud Rate | Use the spin buttons to select the Baud Rate (110 to 19200). This rate must be set to match the communications speed of the attached device. |
Parity | Three Parity values are available: None, Odd, and Even. The Parity value specified for this terminal must be the same as the value selected on each line that will be attached to this terminal. Note: If eight (8) is selected for data bits, the parity must be set to None. Use the spin buttons to select the Parity (none, odd, even). |
XON/XOFF | Use the spin buttons to Enable or Disable. |
Retries | The number of times to retry a failed read/write operation on the RS-232 port before the transaction is cancelled. Use the spin buttons to select number of Retries (0 to 9). |
Timeout | The length of time to wait for input on the RS-232 port before the next retry is attempted. Use the spin buttons to select number of tenths of a second before Timeout (0 to 99). |
Data Bits | Two Data Bit values are available: 7 and 8. If 8 is selected, you must specify None for parity; 7 allows parity to be set to Odd, Even, or None. The Data Bits selected for this terminal must be the same as the value selected on each line that will be attached to this terminal. Use the spin buttons to select number of Data Bits (7 or 8). |
Stop Bits | Two Stop Bits values are available: 1 and 2. The Stop Bits value specified for this terminal must be the same as the value selected on each line that will be attached to this terminal. Use the spin buttons to select number of Stop Bits (1 or 2). |
Front Strip Length | The number of characters to remove from the front of an incoming message. Use the spin buttons to select length (0 to 8). |
Back Strip Length | The number of characters to remove from the back of an incoming message. Use the spin buttons to select length (0 to 8). |
I/O Message Header String | Character(s) to be added to the front of all outgoing messages on the RS-232 port and expected at the front of incoming messages. This string is stripped from the front of incoming messages before they are received by a transaction program. The ASCII value for each character must be entered in this window. There are eight possible message elements; the value of each is restricted to the range 0 to 255. "000" indicates the end of the message string. Further, if any element is set to "000" then each of the following message elements is considered to be "000" regardless of the value entered. |
I/O Message Trailer String | Character(s) to be appended to all outgoing messages on the RS-232 port and expected at the end of all incoming messages. This string is stripped from the end of incoming messages before they are received by a transaction program. The ASCII value for each character must be entered in this window. There are eight possible message elements; the value of each is restricted to the range 0 to 255. "000" indicates the end of the message. Further, if any element is set to "000" then each of the following message elements is considered to be "000" regardless of the value entered. |
Touch Screen Device
Field | Explanation |
Touch Screen Matrix | Defines the matrix configuration and sense trigger for the 7527 model 2 terminal touch-sensitive screen. Select 5x4 cells or 5x8 cells. |
Sense Trigger | Determines when a touch-sensitive screen region is considered to be active. A region can be active either when it is pressed or when it is released. Note: Be sure that the Touch Screen setting at the DCT has been enabled. This is done at the DCT using the Shift-Keylock sequence to get to the terminal setup parameters. |
Screen Size | Select 20x40 or 14x32. |
Graphics Name | Select an available graphics object from the list of graphics objects for this node. |
Program Binding
Field | Explanation |
Transaction Id | Lists all events that can be bound to a transaction program. Each entry in the Transaction ID list is followed by the name of the transaction program, if any, currently bound to it. Any event name that is preceded by an asterisk is an event that can't be generated on the terminal directly. However, programs can still be bound to these IDs; these programs can be run by a GOTO or GOSUB branch to this ID or using the API DcxInitiateTermEvent. |
Program | Each entry in the Transaction ID list is followed by the name of the transaction program, if any, currently bound to it. In order to bind a transaction program to a particular ID on OS/2, you must drag the transaction program icon from the Transaction Program folder and drop it on the line next to the appropriate transaction ID on the Program Binding page of the Terminal Settings notebook. In order to bind a transaction program to a particular ID on Windows NT/2000/XP/7/Server, you must first use mouse button 2 to click on the appropriate transaction program icon in the Transaction Program folder and select the 'Link' option. Then use mouse button 1 to click on the appropriate transaction ID on the Program Binding page of the Terminal Settings notebook. |
Idle Menu
Field | Explanation |
Idle Menu Text | Displays the current settings of the Idle Menu Text. These messages are displayed on the data collection terminal when the terminal is in an idle or inactive state. The Line Numbers identify where the message is displayed. The message text column displays the actual text string that is displayed. The number of Idle Menu Prompts that can be defined is dependent upon the number of rows the target 7524/Client, 7526, or 7527 DCT has available. The prompt display is static, and only one message can be defined for each row on the terminal display. On the 7524/Client and 7527 terminals, the bottom row for all terminal types will always display the Normal Idle prompt or Fast Clocking prompt, (Defined under the System Messages option), and the date/time. The 7527 Model 1 can use only Idle menu prompt 1. The 7527 model 2 and 7524/Client terminals can use up to Idle menu prompt 19. The 7527 model 2 is restricted to use up to Idle menu prompt 13 if the terminal display is configured to be 14x32. Certain 7524/Client terminals may physically show less than 20 rows at a time, but the down arrow key can be used to scroll the screen so that the rest of the 20 rows can be viewed. On the 7526 model 200 terminal, the Normal Idle/Fast Clocking prompt and date/time always appear on line 1 while the single Idle Menu prompt appears on line 2 of the display. To alter the contents of the Idle Menu Text, select the line to be changed then type over the text to be changed. When you have completed making any modifications to the Idle Menu Text, select the OK push button. If you want to discard your changes select the Cancel push button. |
Clear All | Clears all entries from the Idle Menu Text window. Note: Messages that are displayed indefinitely are cleared if you press the clear key at the terminal, if a program is started at the terminal that displays a message, if a message is sent to the terminal from DCConnect, or if the terminal receives a time synch command from DCConnect. |
Keyboard Remap
Field | Explanation |
Key | These are read-only representations of the keys on the terminal. |
ASCII | These fields are the ASCII representation of what will be displayed when the key is pressed. |
Display | These fields show what will be displayed when the key is pressed. |
Defaults | Pressing the Defaults push button maps the keyboard with default ASCII characters. |
Alias String
Alias strings can be defined on 7527 and 7524/Client terminals. These are strings that can be assigned to any of the PF Key strings (shifted or unshifted) or the Touch Screen regions for use when an input field is being displayed. It allows the user to press a single key to fill the input field with one of a set of predefined values. For example, if a particular prompt was set up to ask for a color, PF strings PF1 through PF7 could be set up with the strings "RED", "ORANGE", "YELLOW", "GREEN", "BLUE", "INDIGO" and "VIOLET" respectively. This allows the user to fill in the input field with the appropriate color name by simply pressing one of the keys PF1 through PF7 on a 752x terminal (which are F1 through F7 on a DOS-based device).
For any input field to operate this way, the READ command must be used and the Input Devices parameter must be set up to include PF Key Strings.
Although the 7527 model 2 is the only supported terminal that has a touch screen, strings can still be assigned to the touch screen regions for 7527 model 1 terminals and 7524/Client terminals.
The alias strings assigned in this way can be used in the same way that messages can be used; they can be used as the source of an APND, SEND or SHOW command. At the same time the PF Key and Touch Screen strings can be changed in the same way as user variable can; they can be used as the target of the APND and CLRD commands.
Even if a transaction program change the values of alias strings, the next time any transaction program is started, all of the PF Key strings (shifted and unshifted) and the Touch Screen strings revert back to the values that are defined on this Alias Strings page.
Field | Explanation |
Transaction Id | The PF key/Touch screen region to which you can assign an Alias String. |
Alias String | Defines values for the alias/autofill text string assigned to function keys and touch-sensitive screen regions. |
To change any Alias String, move the mouse to the Alias String column for the Transaction ID that should be changed then press and hold either Alt key, click mouse button 1 once and then release the Alt key. An entry field will appear containing the current text of the Alias String.
Change the string as needed - up to 128 characters in length. When you are done DO NOT HIT THE ENTER KEY. Instead click the mouse button 1 anywhere in the list except for the entry field. This should close the entry field and change the string in the Alias String column.
Note: If you click the OK button while the entry field is still showing, the changes to the string in the entry field will be lost.
Select the OK push button to accept your modifications to this and every page of the notebook and to close the notebook. If you want to discard your changes to this and every page of the notebook select Cancel or Undo All. Selecting Cancel will also close the notebook.
System Messages
This page displays the current text for System Messages that might be shown on the terminal and allows you to modify them.
The Description column identifies the condition that triggers the associated message. The System Message column identifies the message text that will be shown on the terminal's status row when the trigger condition occurs. The trigger conditions listed are predefined and cannot be modified.
To change any System Message, move the mouse to the System Message column for the message that should be changed then press and hold either Alt key, click mouse button 1 once and then release the Alt key. An entry field will appear containing the current text of the System Message.
Change the string as needed - up to 40 characters in length. When you are done DO NOT HIT THE ENTER KEY. Instead click the mouse button 1 anywhere in the list except for the entry field. This should close the entry field and change the string in the System Message column.
Note: If you click the OK button while the entry field is still showing, the changes to the text in the entry field will be lost.
Select the OK push button to accept your modifications to this and every page of the notebook and to close the notebook. If you want to discard your changes to this and every page of the notebook select Cancel or Undo All. Selecting Cancel will also close the notebook.
If you want the text of all System Messages to revert back to their default values, select the Defaults push button.
Set to Default Messages | Resets all messages to system default messages |
This page allows the keys of 7526 or 7527 terminals to be remapped to characters other than the This is the default Keyboard Remap input file. It assigns the same ASCII values to the keys as the 7527 terminal defaults. The keys on the 7527 terminal that are available for re-mapping are the following:
Alphabetic keypad Numeric keypad
A B C D E F
G H I J K L 1 2 3
M N O P Q R 4 5 6
S T U V W X 7 8 9
Y Z / * Spc - 0 .
Both the shifted and unshifted values for these keys can be re-mapped.
Note that the Fill key on the Alphabetic keypad cannot be re-mapped.
On the 7526 terminal, the keys A-Z and 0-9 can be remapped in both the shifted and unshifted state.
This page shows three columns for each key that can be remapped:
Field | Explanation |
Key | The name of the key to be remapped, specifying the shifted or unshifted state. Separate entries are in the list for the unshifted and shifted states of each key. |
ASCII | The ASCII value of the character currently assigned to the key. This is the value that you can change. The value can be set to any number from 0-255. |
Display | Shows what the character looks like for the selected ASCII value. |
To change any ASCII value, move the mouse to the ASCII column for the key that should be changed then press and hold either Alt key, click mouse button 1 once and then release the Alt key. A small entry field will appear containing the current ASCII value for the field.
Use the backspace key to delete the current value and then enter a value from 0-255. When you are done DO NOT HIT THE ENTER KEY. Instead click mouse button 1 anywhere in the list except for the entry field. This should close the entry field and change the value in the ASCII column.
Note: If you click the OK button while the entry field is still showing, the changes to the value in the entry field will be lost.
The Display column does not immediately change when the ASCII value is changed. In order to see the updated Display value for newly changed ASCII values, you must click OK to accept the changes and then open the Settings notebook again.
Select the OK push button to accept your modifications to this and every page of the notebook and to close the notebook. If you want to discard your changes to this and every page of the notebook select Cancel or Undo All. Selecting Cancel will also close the notebook.
The Routing Group settings notebook consists of two tabs (General and Transactions). Each tab has one page that contains fields that define the object. The following sections explain the pages and fields of this settings notebook.
The General tab contains one page.
General - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
Routing Group Name | A unique name (maximum of 32 characters) for the routing group. |
The Transactions tab contains one page.
Valid Transactions - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
Active Transaction IDs | Select all the transaction IDs that will be used in this routing group. |
All | Selects or highlights all transaction IDs in the list. If you do not want all the highlighted Transactions IDs, single-click mouse button 1 to unhighlight (deselect) them. |
None | Deselects or unhighlights all transaction IDs in the list. Choose the Transactions IDs by single-clicking mouse button 1 on the transaction IDs in the list. |
The User Settings notebook consists of two tabs that each have one page that contains fields that define the User.
For details of the tab fields in the User Settings notebook, select the tab name from the following list:
The General tab contains one page.
Passwords - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
User Name | A unique name for the user (maximum of 32 characters). User names are case sensitive. The user name should not begin with the characters "user". |
Old Password | If this is the first time you have entered the settings notebook for the user object you just created then type in the default password "user" here. Passwords are case sensitive, so "user" is not the same as "User" or "USER". If you have entered the settings notebook for the purpose of changing the password, you must first type in your old password before typing in your new password in the next fields. |
New Password | Type in the new password you wish to assign to this user. Password Rules
|
New Password (For verification) | For confirmation purposes, type in the new password again. |
The Capabilities tab contains one page.
User Capabilities - Page 1 of 1
This page shows the default capabilities set for all users. No changes are possible on this page; it is for information only. All defined users have the authority to perform all functions in DCConnect.
The Validation Object settings notebook consists of pages that contain fields that define the validation object. This section explains the fields of this settings notebook.
The General tab contains one page.
General - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
Validation Object Name | Name of the object that contains the validation information. |
Record Type | Select record format of information (Numeric, Alphanumeric, Binary, or Phantom). |
Record Length | Select either Fixed or Variable. For Fixed, specify the fixed record length using the spin button. |
The Files tab contains one page.
Files - Page 1 of 1
Field | Explanation |
Submitted File Name | The name of the file containing the validation records after they have been submitted. The file resides in the \DCCONN\VAL subdirectory and has an extension of .VAL. It must be uppercase. |
Allocation | The amount of space needed to download the validation object. |
Exact Size of Data | Checking this box will allocate the exact space needed for the validation object in the terminal. |
Specify Size | This option is useful only for 7526 DCTs. Unlike other terminals, the 7526 terminal will not accept a download of a validation object if the new size is larger than the previously allocated size. During development and testing of a validation object, its size may fluctuate. Downloading all information to the terminal each time the validation object needs to be tested is not always desirable. To avoid this, the allocation size can be set to a value that is larger than the validation object is expected to grow. When the validation object testing is complete, use the "Exact Size of Data" option to minimize the space occupied by the validation object in the terminal. Valid values are 1-124KB. |
File Name | The fully qualified path and file name of the source text or binary file containing the validation records before submission. Use the Files... push button to specify the path and file name. |
For a discussion of DCConnect messages, errors and return codes, please refer to the sections entitled Error Situations and System Messages in the DCConnect Technical Reference.
This appendix discusses several tools and utility programs provided with DCConnect. These tools can be used to perform the following kinds of tasks:
The DCConnect Backup and Restore Utility allows you to back up all the files that make up a DCConnect configuration for a DCConnect system. You can back up the configuration either to a set of diskettes or to a hard disk directory location. The hard disk is ideal for short-term backups while you make changes to the DCConnect configuration. For long-term backups, it is recommended that you use the diskette option. The backup diskettes can then be stored for safe keeping or they can be used to restore to other DCConnect systems, if you need to replicate a DCConnect environment.
Note: Backups from the DCC/2 32-bit Runtime can be restored using this utility.
The following types of files make up a DCConnect configuration and are copied to and from the backup location during the backup and restore process.
| DCConnect configuration files | dcconn\data\dcx2.ini dcconn\data\dc*.dat dcconn\data\messages.dat |
| Extra configuration file | dcconn\data\extra.cfg |
| Job files/Transction programs | dcconn\job\*.* |
| Graphics files | dcconn\graph\*.* |
| CFR files | dcconn\cfr\*.* |
| Validation files | dcconn\val\*.* |
| Artic Configuration | dcconn\bin\icaparm.prm |
| CS2 (DAE) Configuration | \cs2\sys\cfscbf0*.cfs |
The DCConnect Toolkit and Server product must be shut down before you start either a Backup or a Restore operation.
Start the DCConnect Backup and Restore Utility by opening the DCConnect folder located on the Desktop and double-clicking on the DCConnect Backup and Restore Utility icon. On Windows/NT this selection can be made from the Start button:
Start -> Programs -> DC Connect -> DC Connect Backup and Restore Utility
You can select the operation to be performed by clicking on either the Backup or Restore radio buttons. The Backup/Restore drive is selected by clicking a drive spin button. If the selected drive is a nondiskette drive, you will be required to enter the complete Backup/Restore directory path location. During a Backup operation, if the directory name entered does not currently exist, the Backup and Restore utility creates it.
During the diskette backup process, you are prompted to insert blank diskettes in the selected diskette drive. However, you will be able to format each diskette before files are copied to it.
The diskette backup process also creates the file dcxstart.bak on the first backup diskette and creates the file dcxend.bak on the last diskette in the set. These files indicate how many diskettes were used for the restore process. Do not delete these files from the backup diskettes if you intend to restore from them.
The diskette restore process prompts you to insert each diskette and copies the files on the diskettes to the appropriate DCConnect directories.
Attention During the restore process, the current DCConnect environment is overwritten if a file with the same name is being restored.
If you attempt to restore a backup from one computer onto a different computer or attempt to restore a backup from one operating system to another operating system, the Backup and Restore Utility will give you instructions on how to complete the migration of the configuration.
The DCConnect Configuration utility is called during the installation process. The utility is made up of three entry fields: the DCConnect node name, the TCP/IP node address, and a "well known port" number. The node name field information is required and must be entered, whereas the other two TCP/IP information fields are optional.
The node name you provide must be from one to eight characters in length. This name is used to identify this Data Collection Connection node.
The TCP/IP node address and "well known port" number information is required only if you will be using the Terminal Services for DOS and for Windows product. During the configuration of a Terminal Services for DOS and for Windows PC, this information is needed to make a TCP/IP connection to the DCConnect node.
The TCP/IP node address refers to the local DCConnect Server TCP/IP node address. The "well known port" number is preloaded with a default number. This number can be changed if it conflicts with another port in your TCP/IP network.
If in the future you need to change or add to any of the configuration information you entered during installation, you can start the utility as follows:
Start -> Programs -> DC Connect
| Note: | Changes to any of the fields require that each of the Terminal Services for DOS and for Windows PC terminals be reconfigured with the new information. Refer to the Terminal Services for DOS and for Windows User's Guide for information about updating the configuration for these terminals. |
The utility LINETRAC.EXE can be used to trace the communications for a particular line. Multiple instances of this program can be run at a time to trace more than one line simultaneously. This program is located in the \DCCONN\BIN directory and thus should be able to be run from any directory. The program can be run by typing its name and one of the following parameters indicating which line to trace:
The parameter may be entered in upper or lower case. If the line to trace is one of the COMx lines, the following additional parameter may be specified:
SHOW_POLLS
It too may be in any case. Including this parameter tells the trace utility to show all polls - even those that return no data. By default, polls that return no data are not shown in order to eliminate extra output.
Additional parameters are available if you want the trace data to be written to a series of cycling logfiles. In order for any logging to be done, the F= parameter must be used. The new parameters are all case-insensitive:
F=filename | where 'filename' is the base filename WITHOUT ANY extension. A path can be specified as part of the file name - such as: f=c:\trace or f=..\trace or f=c:trace LINETRAC.EXE will use the base name and append to it unique extensions in the range 000-999 for the various log files it creates. If this parameter is not specified, no logging to file is done. |
C=capacity | where 'capacity' specifies the maximum number of bytes each logfile can hold. Valid values are in the range 10000 through 10000000. If this parameter is not specified, the default capacity is 1000000. |
#=number | where 'number' specifies the maximum number of old logfiles that will exist at one time. When a new file is created (because the previous one filled up to the specified capacity), if more logfiles than 'number' already exist, the oldest one is deleted. This 'number' does not include the file that is currently being written to. So in the case #=1 one old logfile will exist while a new one is being filled up. When that new one fills up, the old one is deleted and the next one is created. Valid values are 1 through 999. If this parameter is not specified, a value of 10 is used. |
NOT_TO_SCREEN | specify this parameter if the trace data should not be written to the screen. Note, if you specify this parameter and do not specify an F=filename parameter, trace data will not be written to screen or file. |
M=memory | where 'memory' is the number of memory bytes to allocate for capturing trace data. This parameter can be from 10,000 to 1,000,000,000 bytes. This parameter can be used in cases where the use of the line trace utility slows down the performance of the DCConnect Server. When this parameter is specified, as trace data is being captured, it is written to memory rather than to file. However, when using the M= parameter the F= parameter must also be used so that the utility knows where to write the trace content in memory when the program ends. The trace data is written to file when line trace is ended (by pressing 'x'). The name and size of the output files are based on the C= and F= parameters. The output is always written starting with extension .001 and new files are created until all the data is written - again with each file being around the size specified by the capacity parameter or its default. During capture, the 'm' key can be pressed to see how much data has been captured. The capture of trace data automatically ends when the specified memory capacity is used up. |
An example command line, specifying trace files to go in the c:\temp directory with the name trace.nnn (where 'nnn' will be in the range '000' to '999') and specifying up to 5 saved logfiles would be:
linetrac tcp f=c:\temp\trace #=5
Note: In Windows NT/2000 it may be necessary to enclose in double quotes any parameter that includes an equal sign. For example:
linetrac tcp "f=c:\temp\trace" "#=5"
In this case, the default capacity of 1 million bytes per logfile would be in effect. When LINETRAC starts up, the first file it writes to will be C:\TEMP\TRACE.001, when that fills up *.001 will remain and *.002 will be created and filled up. This continues until *.001 through *.005 are all filled up and *.006 is being written to and is about to become filled. When *.006 does fill up, *.001 is deleted and then *.007 is created and begins to fill up. When *.007 fills up, *.002 is deleted and *.008 is created. File creation and deletion continues in this manner until LINETRAC is ended. Should the file extension reach *.999, the next value will wrap to *.000 and continue with *.001, *.002, ...
Whenever LINETRAC starts up, it looks for existing trace files and determines which one is latest. Then, based on the '#=' parameter, any extra trace files are deleted. New trace data will be written to a new empty file - as opposed to being written to the end of the latest file. For example, if LINETRAC starts with #=5 and the following logfiles exist: *.025 *.026 *.027 *.028 *.029 and *.030, *.025 would be deleted and new trace data would start in *.031. If other trace files existed in addition to these (which could happen if you used a larger #= parameter the previous time LINETRAC was run) the extra files would be deleted.
The output from the LINETRAC utility has the following format:
Oct- 5 14:24:38.051 address: termname
direction (length) ... data ...
where:
Oct- 5 14:24:38.051 | is the Month- Day hour:minute:second.milliseconds that the message was receieved or written. |
address | indicates the address of the terminal the message was sent to or came from.
|
termname | indicates the name of the terminal as defined in the DCConnect configuration. Note that this was added with the 2.10 release of the DCConnect Server. With this format the direction now always starts on line two in order to guarantee that the terminal name will fit on line one. |
direction | indicates whether the data is going to the terminal (-->) or is coming from the terminal (<--). |
(length) | This value, enclosed in parenthesis, indicates how many bytes are in the data that follows. |
...data... | This is the data going to or coming from the terminal. All characters in the data which have an ASCII value less than 0x20 will be shown as a 2 digit hex value enclosed in angle brackets (e.g <1e>). In addition, as of version 3.1.0g of the DCConnect Server, the angle brackets themselves are always encoded; the values of the angle brackets are: <3C> and <3E>. If the data does not fit on one line, it will continue on to following lines indented by 2 spaces. In order to interpret the meaning of the data, you will need to understand the protocol used by the terminals. This protocol is described in the technical references for the various terminal types:
|
The trace information is sent to the screen for viewing, one line after another (unless NOT_TO_SCREEN is specified). An alternate way to capture screen data to file is to redirect the screen data to a file. For example:
linetrac COM1 > comtrace.out
However, using this method you can't see the trace data as it is being written to file and the file will continue to grow consuming all available disk space if it is not ended in time.
To end the utility, press and hold the control key and then press the break key. Prior to version 3.0.9 of DCConnect, the utility program was automatically ended whenever the DCConnect Server shuts down. Starting with version 3.0.9, the linetrace utility detects when the DCConnect Server shuts down and disconnects its monitoring but it remains running waiting for the server to restart so that it can reconnect and restart monitoring and logging automatically.
After the utility has ended, it can be restarted at any time. Multiple instances of the utility can be run, if each specifies a different line to trace.
The trace utility can be started before the DCConnect server is running. In this case, every two seconds a message will be displayed stating that the utility was unable to attach to a particular named shared memory. When the server does start up and starts the line that is to be traced, the line trace utility will attach and will show the very first messages sent out on the line - including those that are sent before the server has completed its start up.
Because the output of a line trace shows the communications for all terminals on the selected communications line, it may be hard to follow the communications for a specific terminal or set of terminals. To make this easier, you can use the utility FILTER.EXE, which is new with fix pack D for the 1.4.0 version of DCConnect.
At a minimum, you must provide two parameters:
For example, to get all messages from LINETRAC.OUT that were sent to/from the terminal with address 10.73.3.112, you would enter the following:
filter linetrac.out 10.73.3.112
The output of FILTER.EXE goes to the screen. If you want it to go to a file instead, use the redirection symbol > and a file name. For example:
filter linetrac.out 10.73.3.112 > linetrac.112
You can then view linetrac.112 in an editor and you will see only those messages that were sent between DCConnect and the terminal with address 10.73.3.112.
To include the messages for more than one terminal, list the additional terminal addresses on the command line. For example, to filter messages for the terminals with addresses 10.73.3.112 and 10.73.3.115:
filter linetrac.out 10.73.3.112 10.73.3.115
The utility TESTTERM.EXE can be used to send commands to and receive information from a particular terminal. Multiple instances of this program can be run at the same time to work with different terminals - or even the same terminal. This program is located in the \DCCONN\BIN directory and thus should be able to be run from any directory. The program can be run by typing its name and the name of the terminal to be tested. The terminal name must be one that is currently in the DCConnect configuration. For example:
testterm Sample26
When this program is run, the following menu of options is displayed:
0. End this program
1. Write message to terminal screen
2. Start terminal polling
3. Stop terminal polling
4. Put terminal in service
5. Put terminal out of service
6. Read terminal status
7. Download terminal
8. Report terminal operating states
9. Beep terminal
10. Execute transaction program on terminal
11. Initiate terminal event
12. Query terminal date and time
13. Set terminal user variable
14. Get terminal user variable
15. Report terminal info
16. Change terminal name (It's now: Sample26)
17. Shutdown data collection
Enter choice =>
Type the number of the action you want to do and then press Enter. If additional parameters are need for the chosen action, you will be prompted for them. When all prompts have been answered, the result of the action will be displayed. If an error occurred or a few lines of data are returned, you will have to press a key to continue. Otherwise, the result is shown and the menu is redisplayed.
Option 17 is included as another way to shut down DCConnect.
Use option 0 to end the TESTTERM program.
In order to automate a particular action, the TESTTERM utility can be called from a command file using input redirected from a file or piped from the echo command. In fact, the shutdown icon in the DCConnect folder invokes the command file \DCCONN\BIN\SHUTDWN.CMD on OS/2 (on Windows NT/2000 the command file is called \DCCONN\BIN\SHUTDOWN.BAT). This file contains the following command:
echo 17 0 0 | testterm TestTerminal
The result of this is that the TESTTERM program is run, option 17 is selected followed by the sub-option 0 to shutdown the DCConnect Server only if downloads are not in progress. Finally, option 0 is selected to end the TESTTERM program. The parameter TestTerminal is not used in this scenario even though TESTTERM requires that some parameter be entered as a terminal name.
It is sometimes useful to call TESTTERM repeatedly from a command file. In these situations, it is desirable that TESTTERM does not pause when there is a bad return code. To prevent TESTTERM from pausing when an error occurs, you can add the NOPAUSE keyword as the second command line parameter.
The utility RELTX32.EXE can be used to release a single transaction from a mailbox. Optionally, the transaction that is to be released can be written to a separate file (RELTX32.OUT). In order to release more than one transaction the utility will have to be run once for each transaction. This is done to minimize the risk of releasing more transactions than desired. If necessary, this program could be called from a command file that loops.
This program is located in the \DCCONN\BIN directory and thus should be able to be run from any directory. The program can be run by typing its name and name of the mailbox from which a transaction must be released. For example:
reltx32 SampleMailbox
The mailbox name is case sensitive and must match the name of a mailbox that is configured in DCConnect. If a transaction from the specified mailbox is available, it will be displayed field by field and you will be asked what to do with the transaction:
No matter which option is selected, the program will end.
In the case you selected to have the transaction written to file, if that file already exists, the new transaction will be appended to the end. The format of the transaction when written to this file is the same as the format it is received by the API DcxReadTransaction. Therefore a program could be written to read the transactions from this file and write them back into a logfile using the API DcxWriteTransaction.
If no transaction is available when this utility is run, the program will continue to check for the arrival of a transaction. During this time, you can press 'Q' to end the program.
The program SUBMIT.EXE is actually located in the \DCCONN\SAMPLES directory because its source is provided along with it as a sample. This program can be used to submit to DCConnect a source text or binary file to be converted to a DCConnect validation file. The program takes two parameters:
As an example, if we were submitting the text file D:\VALSRC\BADGES.TXT as the DCConnect validation file BADGES.VAL, the following command would be entered on the command line:
\dcconn\samples\submit d:\valsrc\badges.txt BADGES.VAL
The program DCXGETTX.EXE is actually located in the \DCCONN\SAMPLES directory because its source is provided along with it as a sample. This program can be used to read transactions from a particular DCConnect mailbox and display them on the screen. The transactions are released after they are displayed. If no transactions are currently available in the specified mailbox, the program will wait until the next transaction is available.
The DCConnect server must be running in order to use this program. No other program can be accessing the same mailbox you specify when running DCXGETTX.
The program takes one parameter - the name of the mailbox from which to read transactions. For example, if a mailbox named SampleDCC is configured in DCConnect, enter the following on the command line:
dcxgettx SampleDCC
The transaction is displayed as a series of fields showing the terminal name, function group name, transaction ID, data length, data, ...
To end the program, press Cntrl-break.
The program LOGTOOL.EXE can be used to adjust the pointers into a mailbox logfile. You might want to do this to recover/resend transactions or skip over some. This command line tool is located in the \dcconn\bin directory.
The tool takes one parameter, the name of the mailbox (case-sensitive). If you run it with no parameters, all valid mailbox names are listed.
Upon startup, the tool attempts to find the oldest transaction and then displays all of the fields so that you can examine whether everything is properly aligned. If not, you can adjust the pointers byte by byte until it does line up. Pressing a number from 1-9 moves the pointer forward by 1-9 bytes. 0 moves it forward 10 bytes. Pressing '-' goes back 10 bytes. When properly aligned, you can press the '#' button to have the tool try to count all transactions from that point to the newest transaction in the file. Along the way, the tool tries to make sure all transactions are valid. If all is well, a count is established. If not, the count stays at 0.
Once the count is set, you can switch from 'byte' mode to 'transaction' mode by pressing 'T'. (Pressing 'B' switches back to byte mode). While in 'Transaction' mode, pressing 1-9 moves forward by 1-9 full transactions (rather than by bytes). 0 moves it forward 10 transactions. So if you don't want to resend all transactions, this can be used to skip over some. Also in 'Transaction' mode, pressing '-' will reset the pointer back to the same spot the tool determined when it was started (moving backwards by full transactions is a very inexact science because records are variable length).
Two additional move options are available:
To undo the last byte or transaction movement, press the 'U' key.
When resetting or moving by bytes, the 'count' value is always reset to 0 - because the tool cannot be absolutely sure that it is at the start of a valid transaction. Just press '#' to have it recalculate the count when you think the alignment is at the start of a transaction.
You can also use the 'D' key at any time the transaction is properly aligned, to count and then dump to file all transactions (in text format, one per line) from the current position to the latest. That way you can see all transactions that are available to send. And if you want to skip to a certain point, you can figure out how many need to be skipped from the file. The format of the dump file name is
MailboxName.DMP.yyyy-mm-dd_hh.mm.ss
Once you have the pointer positioned properly and you have a count that has been calculated (by using the '#' or 'D' options), you can use the 'S' key to save the pointers. The tool will not let you save if the count has not been established.
Use 'Q' to quit at any time.
One additional option can be used to tell the tool to try to determine where the head pointer (the place to write the next transaction) should be - in the case that the transaction logfile pointers were corrupted.
Another option 'E' attempts to locate the earliest transaction in the logfile.
Some additional notes:
Starting with version 3.1.0 of the DCConnect Server and the DCConnect Client, the capability to download new versions of the DCConnect Client to terminals was added. As long as the version of the DCConnect Client running on a terminal is version 3.1.0 or later, a new version of the DCConnect Client executables (etspt.exe, etspt.dll and etsscrpt.dll) and / or emulator.ini can be downloaded.
The tool to use is SUBMCLNT.EXE, which can be found in the bin sub-folder of C:\DCConn or wherever DCConnect is installed. This program takes the following parameters:
submclnt targetType targetName clientFileListFile submitModewhere:
The third parameter specifies the full path to a file that describes the set of client files that are to be loaded. This client files list file is a text file containing entries similar to the format shown below which indicates 4 different client files that are to be loaded:
[FILE] NAME_ON_CLIENT = etspt.exe.new PATH_ON_SERVER = c:\updates\dcclient\win32\etspt.exe [FILE] NAME_ON_CLIENT = etspt.dll.new PATH_ON_SERVER = c:\updates\dcclient\win32\etspt.dll [FILE] NAME_ON_CLIENT = etscrpt.dll.new PATH_ON_SERVER = c:\updates\dcclient\win32\etscrpt.dll [FILE] NAME_ON_CLIENT = emulator.ini.new PATH_ON_SERVER = c:\updates\dcclient\win32\emulator.ini
Notice that the NAME_ON_CLIENT parameter for all entries above uses .new as a suffix for each file. This is required because the Client that receives these new files is actively using these files (without the .new extension). Once the set of files is downloaded, the client restarts itself in a 'light' mode that allows it to update its own files from the new ones that were downloaded.
As an example, for a submission and immediate download of the client files listed in "c:\updates\dcclient\win32\ClientFiles.lst" to all terminals that are assigned the model Win32, the following command would be entered on the command line:
\dcconn\bin\submclnt 1 Win32 "c:\updates\dcclient\win32\ClientFiles.lst" 1
(1) A user is someone who has been given access to DCConnect services and functions. A user must log onto the DCConnect system to use the services and functions. Each user's access is managed by their assigned capabilities.
(2) A Mailbox is the destination for a transaction generated by a DCT and where the applications go to get transactions for processing.
Use to define external applications that are to run concurrently with DCConnect and can be started automatically when DCConnect is started.
The Line connects the Adapter with the Terminal. The ARTIC Adapter can have two, four, or eight ports (lines) per card. TCP/IP 75xx and TCP/IP DWTS adapters have can have one line.
Node is the computer system used to collect, store, and process data.
An adapter connects a device to a computer or another device.
DCConnect has four types of adapters:
| ARTIC | (A Realtime Interface Co-Processor), IBM's family of general-purpose co-processor adapters. They can be used to off-load real-time demands, communication tasks, and provide front-end processing of signalling, process and communication data. |
| Serial Port | The serial port that is located on the planar of the computer. This port can be recognized by the location of the connector. This is utilized to configure COM1 - COM8 lines. |
| TCP/IP 75xx | An adapter, usually ethernet, over which DCConnect can communicate, using TCP/IP, with 7526 terminals or terminals running the DCConnect Client. |
| TCP/IP DWTS | An adapter, usually ethernet, over which DCConnect can communicate with DOS or Windows terminals running Terminal Services for DOS and for Windows |