Re: DDS HTML keyword

From: Steve Richter
The DDS manual says the HTML keyword is ignored if the device is
not a 5250 workstation gateway device. Does that mean a 5250 telnet
client will not see the HTML?

Yes, that's my understanding. The keyword was put there for Workstation Gateway, which generated HTML for browsers, and is no longer supported. I seem to recall that DDS was extended a bit for Webfacing too. But that was always intended as an interim solution too.

The folks at www.system-method.com are putting together an impressive virtual terminal interface that takes the 5250 data stream and maps it to structures that are easy to reference from RPG programs. From there, an RPG program can generate HTML or other type of formatted stream for browsers and other HTTP clients. They intend it to be an open-source project. I think it will be quite flexible, extensible, and easy to use. We've discussed it quite a bit on the Web400 list.

To fully utilize the browser, you'll need more that a display file interface. The following screen-shot is a Daily Planner I'm working on to help my team coordinate our schedules and be better organized:

http://www.radile.com/rdweb/temp/daily.html

It's a multi-tab application, where each tab is further divided into inline frames that may operate independently. The RPG program serving the client needs an interface that can respond to the different frames concurrently. Plus, an automatic timer queries the RPG program at regular intervals to alert users when events come due.

Nathan.