BlueZone recorded scripts can be recorded in either BlueZone proprietary format, BlueZone Basic, VBScript, or JavaScript.
BlueZone proprietary scripts are targeted at users with a basic understanding of scripting and logic but without skill sets
required to write and edit BlueZone Basic scripts, VBScripts or JavaScripts.
BlueZone text-based scripts are targeted at users who wish to leverage their proficiency with either BlueZone Basic, VBScript
or JavaScript and want to take advantage of being able to write and edit scripts in a scripting language that they already
know.
The type of script desired is selected at the time when the script is created by selecting the desired file extension.
Table 5: BlueZone recorded script file extensions
| File extension |
Script type |
| .BZS |
BlueZone Proprietary Script |
| .VBS |
VBScript |
| .JS |
JavaScript |
| .BBS |
BlueZone Basic Script |
The pros and cons of BlueZone proprietary formatted compared to BlueZone Basic text formatted scripts are discussed at the
end of each topic below.
BlueZone proprietary script format
BlueZone Proprietary Scripts are recorded and played back using a proprietary method. Scripts are typically created by recording
keystrokes and can be used as is, or can be edited later to change the desired playback. Scripts are edited using the BlueZone
Script Editor (bzse.exe) application which is launched from the BlueZone menu bar by clicking and selecting the desired script. Selecting a script that ends in .bzs will result in the launching of the BlueZone Script Editor application with the requested script displayed in the editing
window.
BlueZone Script Editor is a GUI tool allowing users to drag Script Events into the Script flow, change the order of events,
and delete previously recorded events. BlueZone Scripts support a proprietary mechanism called Wait_Ready that ensures the
host is ready to accept input, even when using TN3270 or TN3270E .
Advantages
|
• |
Easy to edit with BlueZone Script Editor. |
|
• |
Keyboard lock state aware. |
|
• |
Support for advanced functions like wait for, watch for, text input, etc. |
|
• |
Can execute other programs using the Run command. |
|
• |
Can run BlueZone Menu commands, ex; Copy, Paste, Print Screen. |
|
• |
Can accept variables passed from a BlueZone Web to Host Object Tag. ex: Login ID and Password generated dynamically by the
web application and used to sign the user into the mainframe.
|
Disadvantages
|
• |
Do not support file I/O. |
|
• |
No external application integration. |
BlueZone text-based scripts
BlueZone Text Based Scripts can be written or recorded in either VBScript or JavaScript. Scripts are typically created by
recording keystrokes, but can be edited later to change the desired playback. Scripts are edited using the BlueZone Script
Host and Debugger (bsh.exe) application which is launched from the BlueZone menu bar by clicking and selecting the desired script. Selecting a script that ends in either .vbs or .js script will result in the launching of the BlueZone Script Host and Debugger application with the requested script displayed
in the editing region.
BlueZone Script Host and Debugger is discussed in more detail in the BlueZone Script Host section below.
Advantages
|
• |
Easy to record or can be written from scratch. |
|
• |
Can be written in VBScript or JavaScript |
|
• |
Easy to edit with BlueZone Script Host and Debugger. |
|
• |
Support unique BlueZone methods which control the behavior of BlueZone. |
Disadvantages
|
• |
Require a working knowledge of VBScript or JavaScript. |