Provided by: 3270-common_3.6ga4-3_amd64 
NAME
Scripting Facilities for x3270, c3270 and s3270
SYNOPSIS
x3270 -script [ x3270-options ]
x3270 -socket [ x3270-options ]
x3270 -scriptport port [ x3270-options ]
c3270 -socket [ c3270-options ]
c3270 -scriptport port [ s3270-options ]
s3270 [ s3270-options ]
Script ( command [ ,arg... ] )
DESCRIPTION
The x3270 scripting facilities allow the interactive 3270 emulators x3270 and c3270 to be operated under
the control of another program, and forms the basis for the script-only emulator s3270.
There are four basic scripting methods. The first is the peer script facility, invoked by the x3270
-script switch, and the default mode for s3270. This runs the emulator as a child of another process.
Typically this would be a script using expect(1), perl(1), or the co-process facility of the Korn Shell
ksh(1). In this mode, the emulator process looks for commands on its standard input, and places the
responses on standard output.
The second method is the child script facility, invoked by the emulator's Script action. This runs a
script as a child process of the emulator. The child has access to pipes connected to the emulator; the
emulator looks for commands on one pipe, and places the responses on the other. The file descriptor of
the pipe for commands to the emulator is passed in the environment variable X3270INPUT (e.g., the text
string "7" if the file descriptor is 7); the file descriptor of the pipe for responses from the emulator
is passed in the environment variable X3270OUTPUT.
The third method uses a TCP socket. The -scrpiptport command-line option causes the emulator to bind a
socket to the specified port (on the IPv4 loopback address, 127.0.0.1). The emulator accepts TCP
connections on that port. Multiple commands and responses can be sent over each connection.
The fourth method uses a Unix-domain socket. The -socket command-line option causes the emulator to
create a Unix-domain stream socket named /tmp/x3sck.pid. The emulator accepts connections to that
socket. Multiple commands and responses can be sent over each connection.
It is possible to nest the methods. For example, a peer or TCP socket script can invoke the Script
action. The calling script will be resumed when the nested script completes.
Commands are emulator actions; the syntax is the same as for the right-hand side of an x3270 or c3270
keymap. Unlike translation tables, action names are case-insensitive, can be uniquely abbreviated, and
the parentheses may be omitted if there are no parameters. Any input line that begins with # or ! is
treaded as a comment and will be ignored.
Any emulator action may be specified. Several specific actions have been defined for use by scripts, and
the behavior of certain other actions (and of the emulators in general) is different when an action is
initiated by a script.
Some actions generate output; some may delay completion until the certain external events occur, such as
the host unlocking the keyboard. The completion of every command is marked by a two-line message. The
first line is the current status of the emulator, documented below. If the command is successful, the
second line is the string "ok"; otherwise it is the string "error".
STATUS FORMAT
The status message consists of 12 blank-separated fields:
1 Keyboard State
If the keyboard is unlocked, the letter U. If the keyboard is locked waiting for a response from
the host, or if not connected to a host, the letter L. If the keyboard is locked because of an
operator error (field overflow, protected field, etc.), the letter E.
2 Screen Formatting
If the screen is formatted, the letter F. If unformatted or in NVT mode, the letter U.
3 Field Protection
If the field containing the cursor is protected, the letter P. If unprotected or unformatted, the
letter U.
4 Connection State
If connected to a host, the string C(hostname). Otherwise, the letter N.
5 Emulator Mode
If connected in 3270 mode, the letter I. If connected in NVT line mode, the letter L. If
connected in NVT character mode, the letter C. If connected in unnegotiated mode (no BIND active
from the host), the letter P. If not connected, the letter N.
6 Model Number (2-5)
7 Number of Rows
The current number of rows defined on the screen. The host can request that the emulator use a
24x80 screen, so this number may be smaller than the maximum number of rows possible with the
current model.
8 Number of Columns
The current number of columns defined on the screen, subject to the same difference for rows,
above.
9 Cursor Row
The current cursor row (zero-origin).
10 Cursor Column
The current cursor column (zero-origin).
11 Window ID
The X window identifier for the main x3270 window, in hexadecimal preceded by 0x. For s3270 and
c3270, this is zero.
12 Command Execution Time
The time that it took for the host to respond to the previous commnd, in seconds with milliseconds
after the decimal. If the previous command did not require a host response, this is a dash.
DIFFERENCES
When an action is initiated by a script, the emulators behave in several different ways:
If an error occurs in processing an action, the usual pop-up window does not appear. Instead, the text
is written to standard output.
If end-of-file is detected on standard input, the emulator exits. (A script can exit without killing the
emulator by using the CloseScript action, below.) Note that this applies to peer scripts only; end-of-
file on the pipe connected to a child script simply causes the pipes to be closed and the Script action
to complete.
The Quit action always causes the emulator to exit. (When called from the keyboard, it will exit only if
not connected to a host.)
Normally, the AID actions (Clear, Enter, PF, and PA) will not complete until the host unlocks the
keyboard. If the parameter to a String action includes a code for one these actions, it will also wait
for the keyboard to unlock before proceeding.
The AidWait toggle controls with behavior. When this toggle is set (the default), actions block as
described above. When the toggle is clear, AID actions complete immediately. The Wait(Output) action
can then be used to delay a script until the host changes something on the screen, and the Wait(Unlock)
action can be used to delay a script until the host unlocks the keyboard, regardless of the state of the
AidWait toggle.
Note that the Script action does not complete until end-of-file is detected on the pipe or the
CloseScript action is called by the child process. This behavior is not affected by the state of the
AidWait toggle.
BASIC PROGRAMMING STRATEGIES
3270 session scripting can be more difficult than other kinds of scripting, because it can be hard to
tell when the host is finished processing a command. There is a well-defined 3270 Data Stream facility
for doing this: The emulator locks the keyboard when it sends the host an AID, and the later host unlocks
the keyboard. The emulator supports this facility directly by not allowing an AID action to complete
until the keyboard is unlocked. Unfortunately, some hosts and some host applications unlock the keyboard
as soon as they begin processing the command, instead of after it is finished. A human operator can see
on the screen when the command is finished (e.g., when a READY prompt is displayed), but it can be
difficult for a script to do this. For such early-unlock hosts, the only option in a script is to poll
the screen until it can determine that the command is complete.
Another complication is that host I/O and script operation are asynchronous. That is, the host can
update the screen at any time, even between actions that are reading the screen contents, so a script can
get inconsistent results. Assistance for this problem is provided by the Snap action. The Snap(Save)
action saves a snapshot of the screen in a special buffer. Then the script can use Snap variants of the
Ascii and Ebcdic actions (Snap(Ascii) and Snap(Ebcdic)) to query the saved buffer -- which the host
cannot modify -- to get the data it wants. Finally, Snap(Wait Output) blocks the script until the host
modifies the screen, specifically since the last call to Snap(Save). Thus a script can poll the screen
efficiently by writing a loop that begins with Snap(Save) and ends with Snap(Wait Output).
SCRIPT-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
The following actions have been defined or modified for use with scripts. (Note that unlike the display
on the status line, row and col coordinates used in these actions use [0,0] as their origin at the upper
left, not [1,1]).
AnsiText
Outputs whatever data that has been output by the host in NVT mode since the last time that
AnsiText was called. The data is preceded by the string "data: ", and has had all control
characters expanded into C backslash sequences.
This is a convenient way to capture NVT mode output in a synchronous manner without trying to
decode the screen contents.
Ascii(row,col,rows,cols)
Ascii(row,col,length)
Ascii(length)
Ascii Outputs an ASCII text representation of the screen contents. Each line is preceded by the string
"data: ", and there are no control characters.
If four parameters are given, a rectangular region of the screen is output. (Note that the row
and column are zero-origin.)
If three parameters are given, length characters are output, starting at the specified zero-origin
row and column.
If only the length parameter is given, that many characters are output, starting at the cursor
position.
If no parameters are given, the entire screen is output.
The EBCDIC-to-ASCII translation and output character set depend on the both the emulator character
set (the -charset option) and the locale. UTF-8 and certain DBCS locales may result in multi-byte
expansions of EBCDIC characters that translate to ASCII codes greater than 0x7f.
AsciiField
Outputs an ASCII text representation of the field containing the cursor. The text is preceded by
the string "data: ".
Connect(hostname)
Connects to a host. The command does not return until the emulator is successfully connected in
the proper mode, or the connection fails.
CloseScript(status)
Causes the emulator to stop reading commands from the script. This is useful to allow a peer
script to exit, with the emulator proceeding interactively. (Without this command, the emulator
would exit when it detected end-of-file on standard input.) If the script was invoked by the
Script action, the optional status is used as the return status of Script; if nonzero, Script will
complete with an error, and if this script was invoked as part of login through the ibm_hosts
file, the connection will be broken.
ContinueScript([param])
Allows a script that is waiting in a PauseScript action, below, to continue. The optional param
string is output by the PauseScript action.
Disconnect
Disconnects from the host.
Ebcdic(row,col,rows,cols)
Ebcdic(row,col,length)
Ebcdic(length)
Ebcdic The same function as Ascii above, except that rather than generating ASCII text, each character is
output as a 2-digit or 4-digit hexadecimal EBCDIC code.
EbcdicField
The same function as AsciiField above, except that it generates hexadecimal EBCDIC codes.
Info(message)
In x3270, pops up an informational message. In c3270 and wc3270, writes an informational message
to the OIA (the line below the display). Not defined for s3270 or tcl3270.
Expect(text[,timeout])
Pauses the script until the specified text appears in the data stream from the host, or the
specified timeout (in seconds) expires. If no timeout is specified, the default is 30 seconds.
Text can contain standard C-language escape (backslash) sequences. No wild-card characters or
pattern anchor characters are understood. Expect is valid only in NVT mode.
MoveCursor(row,col)
Moves the cursor to the specified zero-origin coordinates.
PauseScript
Stops a script until the ContinueScript action, above, is executed. This allows a script to wait
for user input and continue. Outputs the single parameter to ContinueScript, if one is given.
PrintText([command,]filter)
Pipes an ASCII representation of the current screen image through the named filter, e.g., lpr.
PrintText([html,][append,][replace,]file,filename)
Saves the current screen contents in a file. With the html option, saves it as HTML, otherwise
saves it as plain ASCII. The append option (the default) causes the data to be appended to the
file if it already exists. The replace option causes the file to be overwritten instead.
PrintText(html,string)
Returns the current screen contents as HTML.
Query(keyword)
Returns state information. Keywords are:
Keyword Output
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
BindPluName BIND PLU returned by the host
ConnectionState TN3270/TN3270E mode and submode
CodePage Host code page
Cursor Cursor position (row col)
Formatted 3270 format state (formatted or
unformatted)
Host Host name and port
LocalEncoding Local character encoding
LuName Host name LU name
Model 3270 model name (IBM-327x-n)
ScreenCurSize Current screen size (rows cols)
ScreenMaxSize Maximum screen size (rows cols)
Ssl SSL state (secure or not-secure) and
host validation state (host-verified
or host-unverified)
Without a keyword, Query returns each of the defined attributes, one per line, labeled by its
name.
ReadBuffer(Ascii)
Dumps the contents of the screen buffer, one line at a time. Positions inside data fields are
generally output as 2-digit hexadecimal codes in the current display character set. If the
current locale specifies UTF-8 (or certain DBCS character sets), some positions may be output as
multi-byte strings (4-, 6- or 8-digit codes). DBCS characters take two positions in the screen
buffer; the first location is output as a multi-byte string in the current locale codeset, and the
second location is output as a dash. Start-of-field characters (each of which takes up a display
position) are output as SF(aa=nn[,...]), where aa is a field attribute type and nn is its value.
Attribute Values
─────────────────────────────────────
c0 basic 3270 20 protected
10 numeric
04 detectable
08 intensified
0c non-display
01 modified
41 highlighting f1 blink
f2 reverse
f4 underscore
f8 intensify
42 foreground f0 neutral black
f1 blue
f2 red
f3 pink
f4 green
f5 turquoise
f6 yellow
f7 neutral white
f8 black
f9 deep blue
fa orange
fb purple
fc pale green
fd pale turquoise
fe grey
ff white
43 character set f0 default
f1 APL
f8 DBCS
Extended attributes (which do not take up display positions) are output as SA(aa=nn), with aa and
nn having the same definitions as above (though the basic 3270 attribute will never appear as an
extended attribute).
In addition, NULL characters in the screen buffer are reported as ASCII character 00 instead of
20, even though they should be displayed as blanks.
ReadBuffer(Ebcdic)
Equivalent to ReadBuffer(Ascii), but with the data fields output as hexadecimal EBCDIC codes
instead. Additionally, if a buffer position has the Graphic Escape attribute, it is displayed as
GE(xx).
Script(path[,arg...])
Runs a child script, passing it optional command-line arguments. path must specify an executable
(binary) program: the emulator will create a new process and execute it. If you simply want the
emulator to read commands from a file, use the Source action.
Snap Equivalent to Snap(Save) (see below).
Snap(Ascii,...)
Performs the Ascii action on the saved screen image.
Snap(Cols)
Returns the number of columns in the saved screen image.
Snap(Ebcdic,...)
Performs the Ebcdic action on the saved screen image.
Snap(ReadBuffer)
Performs the ReadBuffer action on the saved screen image.
Snap(Rows)
Returns the number of rows in the saved screen image.
Snap(Save)
Saves a copy of the screen image and status in a temporary buffer. This copy can be queried with
other Snap actions to allow a script to examine a consistent screen image, even when the host may
be changing the image (or even the screen dimensions) dynamically.
Snap(Status)
Returns the status line from when the screen was last saved.
Snap(Wait[,timeout],Output)
Pauses the script until the host sends further output, then updates the snap buffer with the new
screen contents. Used when the host unlocks the keyboard (allowing the script to proceed after an
Enter, PF or PA action), but has not finished updating the screen. This action is usually invoked
in a loop that uses the Snap(Ascii) or Snap(Ebcdic) action to scan the screen for some pattern
that indicates that the host has fully processed the last command.
The optional timeout parameter specifies a number of seconds to wait before failing the Snap
action. The default is to wait indefinitely.
Source(file)
Read and execute commands from file. Any output from those commands will become the output from
Source. If any of the commands fails, the Source command will not abort; it will continue reading
commands until EOF.
Title(text)
Changes the x3270 window title to text.
Transfer(keyword=value,...)
Invokes IND$FILE file transfer. See FILE TRANSFER below.
Wait([timeout,] 3270Mode)
Used when communicating with a host that switches between NVT mode and 3270 mode. Pauses the
script or macro until the host negotiates 3270 mode, then waits for a formatted screen as above.
The optional timeout parameter specifies a number of seconds to wait before failing the Wait
action. The default is to wait indefinitely.
For backwards compatibility, Wait(3270) is equivalent to Wait(3270Mode)
Wait([timeout,] Disconnect)
Pauses the script until the host disconnects. Often used to after sending a logoff command to a
VM/CMS host, to ensure that the session is not unintentionally set to disconnected state.
The optional timeout parameter specifies a number of seconds to wait before failing the Wait
action. The default is to wait indefinitely.
Wait([timeout,] InputField)
A useful utility for use at the beginning of scripts and after the Connect action. In 3270 mode,
waits until the screen is formatted, and the host has positioned the cursor on a modifiable field.
In NVT mode, waits until the host sends at least one byte of data.
The optional timeout parameter specifies a number of seconds to wait before failing the Wait
action. The default is to wait indefinitely.
For backwards compatibility, Wait is equivalent to Wait(InputField).
Wait([timeout,] NVTMode)
Used when communicating with a host that switches between 3270 mode and NVT mode. Pauses the
script or macro until the host negotiates NVT mode, then waits for a byte from the host as above.
The optional timeout parameter specifies a number of seconds to wait before failing the Wait
action. The default is to wait indefinitely.
For backwards compatibility, Wait(ansi) is equivalent to Wait(NVTMode).
Wait([timeout,] Output)
Pauses the script until the host sends further output. Often needed when the host unlocks the
keyboard (allowing the script to proceed after a Clear, Enter, PF or PA action), but has not
finished updating the screen. Also used in non-blocking AID mode (see DIFFERENCES for details).
This action is usually invoked in a loop that uses the Ascii or Ebcdic action to scan the screen
for some pattern that indicates that the host has fully processed the last command.
The optional timeout parameter specifies a number of seconds to wait before failing the Wait
action. The default is to wait indefinitely.
Wait([timeout,] Unlock)
Pauses the script until the host unlocks the keyboard. This is useful when operating in non-
blocking AID mode (toggle AidWait clear), to wait for a host command to complete. See DIFFERENCES
for details).
The optional timeout parameter specifies a number of seconds to wait before failing the Wait
action. The default is to wait indefinitely.
Wait(timeout, Seconds)
Delays the script timeout seconds. Unlike the other forms of Wait, the timeout is not optional.
WindowState(mode)
If mode is Iconic, changes the x3270 window into an icon. If mode is Normal, changes the x3270
window from an icon to a normal window.
FILE TRANSFER
The Transfer action implements IND$FILE file transfer. This action requires that the IND$FILE program be
installed on the IBM host, and that the 3270 cursor be located in a field that will accept a TSO or
VM/CMS command.
Because of the complexity and number of options for file transfer, the parameters to the Transfer action
take the unique form of option=value, and can appear in any order. Note that if the value contains
spaces (such as a VM/CMS file name), then the entire parameter must be quoted, e.g., "HostFile=xxx foo
a". The options are:
Option Required? Default Other Values
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Direction No receive send
HostFile Yes
LocalFile Yes
Host No tso vm, cics
Mode No ascii binary
Cr No remove add, keep
Remap No yes no
Exist No keep replace, append
Recfm No fixed, variable,
undefined
Lrecl No
Blksize No
Allocation No tracks, cylinders,
avblock
PrimarySpace Sometimes
SecondarySpace No
Avblock Sometimes
BufferSize No 4096
The option details are as follows.
Direction
send to send a file to the host, receive to receive a file from the host.
HostFile
The name of the file on the host.
LocalFile
The name of the file on the local workstation.
Host The type of host (which dictates the form of the IND$FILE command): tso (the default), vm or cics.
Mode Use ascii (the default) for a text file, which will be translated between EBCDIC and ASCII as
necessary. Use binary for non-text files.
Cr Controls how Newline characters are handled when transferring Mode=ascii files. remove (the
default) strips Newline characters in local files before transferring them to the host. add adds
Newline characters to each host file record before transferring it to the local workstation. keep
preserves Newline characters when transferring a local file to the host.
Remap Controls text translation for Mode=ascii files. The value yes (the default) causes s3270 to remap
the text to ensure maximum compatibility between the workstation's character set and encoding and
the host's EBCDIC code page. The value no causes s3270 to pass the text to or from the host as-
is, leaving all translation to the IND$FILE program on the host.
Exist Controls what happens when the destination file already exists. keep (the default) preserves the
file, causing the Transfer action to fail. replace overwrites the destination file with the
source file. append appends the source file to the destination file.
Recfm Controls the record format of files created on the host. (TSO and VM hosts only.) fixed creates
a file with fixed-length records. variable creates a file with variable-length records.
undefined creates a file with undefined-length records (TSO hosts only). The Lrecl option
controls the record length or maximum record length for Recfm=fixed and Recfm=variable files,
respectively.
Lrecl Specifies the record length (or maximum record length) for files created on the host. (TSO and VM
hosts only.)
Blksize
Specifies the block size for files created on the host. (TSO and VM hosts only.)
Allocation
Specifies the units for the PrimarySpace and SecondarySpace options: tracks, cylinders or avblock.
(TSO hosts only.)
PrimarySpace
Primary allocation for a file. The units are given by the Allocation option. Required when the
Allocation is specified as something other than default. (TSO hosts only.)
SecondarySpace
Secondary allocation for a file. The units are given by the Allocation option. (TSO hosts only.)
Avblock
Average block size, required when Allocation specifies avblock. (TSO hosts only.)
BufferSize
Buffer size for DFT-mode transfers. Can range from 256 to 32768. Larger values give better
performance, but some hosts may not be able to support them.
There are also resources that control the default values for each of the file transfer parameters. These
resources have the same names as the Transfer keywords, but with ft prepended. E.g., the default for the
Mode keyword is the s3270.ftMode resource.
SEE ALSO
expect(1) perl(1) ksh(1) x3270(1) x3270if(1) c3270(1) s3270(1)
VERSION
Version 3.6ga4
29 December 2017 X3270-SCRIPT(1)