Performance Test Script Tags (VTAM)
Script file format
For ease of use and data manipulation, script data is recorded in a data set. Some terminal control characters are recorded in the data set. During edit, these control characters can cause a caution message to appear, which states that the data contains invalid (non-display) characters. Ignore this message.
All records in a script begin with a script tag except comments, which begin with an asterisk (*). Script tags consist of a left bracket (<), a right bracket (>), and the characters between the brackets. These tags specify the type of data that follows. Data in the recorded script falls into three basic categories: control, input, and output. Use the following script tags to divide categories of data:
<INPUT> and </INPUT>
Specify the beginning and ending of the current input data group.
<OUTPUT> and </OUTPUT>
Indicate the beginning and ending of the current output data group.
Within the input and output data groups, script tags indicate which PF key was used, the data entered, and in what field it was entered. In the output groups, the data recorded includes the response time and the screen output data.
Control script tags
* (asterisk)
Comment tag. The remainder of the record is ignored.
<ADDCALL>
Adds a call to a REXX exec before each subsequent <INPUT> section. The user inserts this tag. For example, to call a routine CHECKER that takes an argument — SCREEN — type <ADDCALL>CHECKER SCREEN. If the REXX exec needs multiple arguments, concatenate them into one argument, pass the argument to the REXX exec, then parse the argument into its separate variables in the REXX exec.
<DELCALL>
Removes a REXX exec added with <ADDCALL>. The user inserts this tag.
<LOGICAL>
Indicates that the script contains one <OUTPUT> group for a set of transmissions from the application rather than several <OUTPUT> groups per set of transmissions. This is inserted in your script by Performance Test if you set option ETRMLOGI equal to Y.
<VERSION>
Identifies the version of the Performance Test for VTAM script creation program that created the script. For example:
The VERSION tag appears only once in a script.
<IMSUNLOK>c
Specifies whether special keyboard unlock processing will be performed. This processing is generally (but not always) associated with IMS. Valid values for c are Y (Yes) or N (No).
<BASETIME>
Specifies the date and time of the first input. <BASETIME> is used by the TIMESYNC parameter in unattended mode processing.
<PAUSE>
Temporarily stops or pauses the script during playback. Playback continues when you issue the RESUME command. The user inserts the <PAUSE> tag between an output and input group in the script:
<PAUSE>
<INPUT>
<PAUSEI>
Temporarily stops or pauses the script during playback. The pause takes place for only one interaction. The user inserts this tag to temporarily stop playback to insert sensitive or changing data, such as a password. Insert the <PAUSEI> tag between an output and input group in the script:
<PAUSEI>
<INPUT>
<WAIT>
Allows a script to be paused in batch. Optionally, you can send a message to the operator console. The user inserts this tag.
A <WAIT> script tag causes a script to pause for a number of minutes and seconds. The tag can be placed anywhere in the script, but the WAIT is issued following the next OUTPUT group and before the next input is sent to the domain destination.
Additionally, you can choose to send a message to either the batch session log, the MVS console operator, or both.
The amount of time Performance Test for VTAM waits is the sum of the minutes and seconds specified on the WAIT statement. If the WAIT tag is in the script without a wait time, messages are still issued but without waiting.
Use the text operand with the WTO or LOG operand, or both. If WTO or LOG is specified without a message text, Performance Test for VTAM uses the message: EHSB142I: SCRIPT PAUSED BY USER REQUEST.
Operand | Description |
|---|---|
mmmm | Specifies a number of minutes to wait. A valid range is 0 through 9999. |
ss | Specifies a number of seconds to wait. A valid range is 00 through 60. |
WTO | Indicates a message will be sent to the operator’s console. |
LOG | Indicates a message will be sent to the batch session log. This operand is ignored during an online script playback. |
text | Specifies the message text that will be sent to the operator’s console and the session log depending on the specification of the WTO or LOG operands. The message text must appear in quotes (single or double quotes), and the maximum length of the message text is 79 characters. |
<MASK>
Allows specification of one or more generic or picture masks as described in Masking-Script-Information-VTAM. The user inserts this tag.
Comments are optional. The syntax elements are described below.
row
A specific row, or asterisk (*) for any row.
col
A specific column, or asterisk (*) for any column.
literal
Text enclosed in single or double quotes.
picture-string
A string of characters that represent data to be isolated. Generic-masking-examples-VTAM shows sample picture-string masks. Picture-string fields can begin in any column.
IGNORE
(Optional). Specifies that if a mismatch occurs in the area that matches the literal/picture at the specified row and column, Performance Test ignores the mismatch. IGNORE is the default.
SKIP
(Optional). Specifies that if the text on the actual screen matches the literal/picture at the specified row and column, Performance Test will skip this screen during comparison.
AND
(Optional). Specifies that additional masking conditions exist on the next mask statement. These additional conditions must be true for the first mask tag to take effect. The syntax for these additional masking conditions does not include the IGNORE and SKIP parameters:
Input script tags
<INPUT>
Indicates the beginning of the input data.
<THINK>
User’s think time in minutes, seconds, and thousandths of a second. The format of the tag’s value is MM.SS.TTT, where TTT is thousandths of a second.
<CURSOR>
The row and column position of the cursor when an attention key (such as Enter) was pressed. The row and column are relative to zero.
<ICURSOR>
Inserts data at the cursor. Its initial position is specified by the <CURSOR> script tag.
<HOME>
Moves the cursor to the first unprotected screen field. The user inserts this script tag.
<TAB>
Moves the cursor to the next unprotected screen field. The user inserts this script tag.
<BACKTAB>
Moves the cursor to the previous unprotected screen field. The user inserts this script tag.
<KEY>
Indicates the Attention Identifier (AID) key sent to the domain destination.
<Inn>
Places data in an unprotected field. The nn designates the input field number on the screen, relative to one (1).
<I(row,col)>
Places data in an unprotected field at the specified row and column. The row and column are relative to one. The user inserts this script tag.
<Cnn>
A continuation of the previous input field (<Inn>).
<C(row,col)>
Places data in an unprotected field. Indicates that a continuation of the previous input data be placed at the specified row and column. The row and column are relative to one. The user inserts this script tag.
<Nnn>
Places Performance Test encrypted data in an unprotected field. The nn designates the field number on the screen, relative to one (1).
<N(row,col)>
Places Performance Test encrypted data in an unprotected field. Specifies that the encrypted input data be placed at the specified row and column. The row and column are relative to one (1). The user inserts this script tag.
<Pnn>
Places Performance Test encrypted data in an unprotected field. The nn designates the input field number on the screen, relative to one (1). Input fields are recorded in this manner only when they are modified using the light pen or the Performance Test PEN command and the cursor is used to select the data.
<P(row,col)>
Places Performance Test encrypted data in an unprotected field. Indicates that the encrypted input data be placed at the specified row and column. The row and column are relative to one (1). Input fields are recorded in this manner only when they are modified using the light pen or the Performance Test PEN command and the cursor is used to select the data. The user inserts this script tag.
</INPUT>
Indicates the end of the current input data group.
Output script tags
<OUTPUT>
Shows the beginning of the output data.
<SECOND>
Placed between consecutive output screens. Indicates that even though the previous output from the application specified keyboard unlock, the application sent another output.
There are three requirements that must be met in order for the <SECOND> tag to be produced. They are:
- Requirement 1: The output message is followed by another output message instead of an input message.
Requirement 2: When the first output message is sent, at least one of these three events must happen:
- The message itself has a bit turned on, which means to restore the keyboard.
- VTAM is in conversation mode and is using bracketing, and the end bracket bit is turned on.
- VTAM has issued a change of direction.
- Requirement 3: Performance Test has waited at least a certain amount of time, per timing settings in Domain Traveler or parameter keywords in Unattended Playback if dubbing is specified, without detecting the next output message.
<RESPONSE>
Shows the domain destination’s response time in minutes, seconds, and thousandths of a second.
<Snn>
An output screen line record. The nn designates the row number of the screen, relative to one (1).
<Cnn>
A continuation of the previous output line (<Snn>). The nn designates the row number of the screen, relative to one (1).
<HEX>
An input or output line represented in hexadecimal format. These lines represent the true image of the application data stream. Each <HEX> tag includes a character representation of the data stream as a comment ( /*...*/ ).
<MSK>
Encrypted mask positions in the previous line. This is used with the <Nnn> input script tag to indicate encrypted positions.
I<Snn>
An output screen line record. The I prefix indicates that line nn on this screen will be ignored during comparison. See Using-Row-Masks-VTAM for more information.
G<Snn>
An output screen line record. The G prefix ignores the line nn on this and all following screens during comparison. See Using-Row-Masks-VTAM for more information.
X<Snn>
An output screen line record. The X prefix removes or resets any previous global masking (G) for this line (nn). See Using-Row-Masks-VTAM for more information.
</OUTPUT>
Indicates the end of the current output data group.
Individual character mask script rag
The individual character mask script tag is another masking tag that contains no prefix. It consists of the letter I, which is placed in the rows immediately below those characters to be masked. This mask tag specifies which characters on the immediately preceding record of the output screen to ignore during comparison. See Mask-individual-characters-VTAM for more information.
Edit function commands
Edit function commands include SCUT and SPASTE described below.
SCUT 1|nn
Screen Cut places one or more screen images on an ISPF clipboard for later use by the SPASTE command.
‘nn’ indicates the number of screen images to place on the clipboard. The default is 1. When more than one screen is cut, they are gathered from the previous screens to the one currently displayed. For example, SCUT 5 places five screen images on the clipboard. If you are currently displaying screen number 17 and enter SCUT 3, screens 15, 16, and 17 are cut. BOX draws a box around the screen image.
SPASTE
Screen Paste copies one or more screen images from the ISPF clipboard and places them in the current Edit session. The screen images are then deleted from the clipboard.
DELETE
Deletes the screens from the clipboard after they are copied. The default is DELETE.
KEEP
Keeps the screens on the clipboard after they are copied.
Script initialization
The <INIT SECTION> tag is added to the end of the script to accommodate application profiling. <INIT SECTION> contains control information that is gathered during recording, and is useful during playback. <INIT SECTION> currently includes query reply (<QREPLY>) buffers.
Do not modify <INIT SECTION>.