Customizing the Display and Printer session interfaceScript menuBlueZone scripts

BlueZone scripts

BlueZone scripts can be recorded in either a proprietary format or in a text-based format recorded in either VBScript or JavaScript.

Note: Some applications refer to the function used to automate tasks as a macro. BlueZone refers to this function as a script and offers several automation technologies from the Script menu in the BlueZone emulators.

BlueZone proprietary scripts are targeted at users with a basic understanding of scripting and logic but without skill sets required to write and edit VBScripts or JavaScripts.

BlueZone text-based scripts are targeted at users who wish to leverage their proficiency with either VBScript or JavaScript and want to take advantage of being able to write and edit BlueZone 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 1: BlueZone script types
File extension Script type
.BZS BlueZone proprietary script
.BBS BlueZone proprietary script
.VBS VBScript
.JS JavaScript

If you are migrating from another terminal emulator application, BlueZone provides support to convert your existing scripts to BlueZone scripts. For more information about converting scripts, see the BlueZone Migration Toolkit.

The following table lists the competitor’s scripts and the BlueZone scripts that they map to.
Table 2: Mappings of competitor’s script to BlueZone scripts
Competitor’s script BlueZone script
EXTRA .EBM BlueZone .BBS
Reflection .RBS BlueZone .BBS
Reflection VBA .RVS, .R2W, and .R4W BlueZone Plus VBA .BVP
Rumba .RMC BlueZone .BZS
Pcom .MAC BlueZone .VBS
Pcom .VBS BlueZone .VBS
Hummingbird .EBS BlueZone .BBS

BlueZone proprietary script format

BlueZone proprietary scripts are recorded and played back using a proprietary method. Scripts are typically created by recording keystrokes, but 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 selecting Script → Edit and selecting the desired script. Choosing a script that ends in .bbs or .bzs starts the BlueZone Script Editor application with the requested script displayed in the editing region.

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
  • They are easy to record.
  • They are easy to edit with BlueZone Script Editor.
  • They are keyboard lock state aware.
  • They support advanced functions like wait for, watch for, text input, and so on.
  • They can execute other programs using the Run command.
  • They can run BlueZone Menu commands, ex; Copy, Paste, Print Screen.
  • They 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
  • They do not support text input variables.
  • They do not support file I/O.
  • There is 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 playback. Scripts are edited using the BlueZone Script Host and Debugger (bsh.exe) application which is launched from the BlueZone menu bar by clicking Script → Edit and selecting the script. Selecting a script that ends in either .vbs or .js script starts the BlueZone Script Host and Debugger application with the requested script displayed in the editing region.

Advantages
  • They are easy to record or can be written from scratch.
  • They can be written in VBScript or JavaScript
  • They are easy to edit with BlueZone Script Host Debugger.
  • They support unique BlueZone methods which control the behavior of BlueZone.
Disadvantages
  • They require a working knowledge of VBScript or JavaScript.

For more information on the BlueZone Script Host, BlueZone Script Host and Debugger, and the BlueZone Dialog Editor, see the BlueZone Advanced Automation Developer's Guide.

  • BlueZone Script Editor
    BlueZone scripting is a powerful and flexible scripting language which uses a built-in GUI (Graphical User Interface) designed for the easy automation of tasks on host systems using the BlueZone family of host emulation products.
  • Editing scripts
    After you create a BlueZone script, you can return to the script and edit it in the BlueZone Script Editor application. In the Script Editor, you can add, delete, move, and edit items, and resolve syntax errors.
  • Script events
    A BlueZone script has the ability to execute all menu commands from the BlueZone Display and has the ability to send all host key sequences to the host system. Script events are used to add flow control and user input to BlueZone scripts. In addition, script events can be used to gain the attention of the user, add comments to a script file, and to execute programs on the workstation.
  • LU functions
    BlueZone scripts have the ability to send all host specific key sequences or commands to the host system. We refer to these host specific commands as LU Functions.
  • Menu commands
    BlueZone scripts have the ability to execute all BlueZone menu commands. This includes everything from opening configuration files to launching sessions to executing host file transfers.
  • Recording scripts
    This procedure is intended to provide a step-by-step outline to demonstrate how an end user can use BlueZone to record a script that can then be used over and over again.
  • Playing scripts
    BlueZone end users can record keyboard events and save the results to a file for later playback. The process of playing back the resulting file is called playing a Script.
  • Auto-playing scripts
    In order to Auto-Play a script, you must first create the script that you want to automatically play. Auto-Play simply means that a BlueZone script will automatically start to play when one of three events takes place. The three events are:
  • Script properties
    The Script Properties property sheet is used to configure BlueZone Script playback settings. From the BlueZone menu bar, click Script → Properties. The Script Property Sheet opens displaying the following:
  • Mapping scripts to power pads
    After a script has been created and tested, it can be mapped to a power pad to make it instantly accessible with a single click.
  • Mapping scripts to the keyboard
    After a script has been created and tested, it can be mapped to a keyboard key to make it instantly accessible from the keyboard.
  • Use the Wait_For script event
    BlueZone scripts support the ability to wait for a specific text string or LU Function to appear in the host session screen. Wait_For is one of the more versatile BlueZone script functions.
  • Use variables in scripts
    With BlueZone Scripts, you can create variables that can be utilized in a BlueZone script.
Parent topic: Script menu