Increase the System Inquiry Reply Line Size in WebFacing

Increase the System Inquiry Reply Line Size in WebFacing

April 20, 2005 Michael Sansoterra

WebFacing is a good tool for making green screen applications available for use in the ubiquitous browser. The technology has sufficiently matured to the point where 5250 applications can be tailored to be fairly consistent with true Web applications–with some work, of course. However, even though it is free, there are a few features unavailable with standard WebFacing.

The most grievous of these omissions is WebFacing’s inability to render system screens such as those produced by the WRKSPLF or RUNQRY commands. (Actually, system screens can be WebFaced, this just isn’t a “free” feature–one has to purchase the Advanced Edition of the WebSphere Development Studio Client for each developer doing advanced WebFacing.)

Although most system screens will not render with the standard WebFacing tool included with WDSc, of necessity, IBM has been kind enough to allow the message inquiry and change password screens to function in the WebFacing environment!

All of that boring background was given just to present a challenge I encountered while WebFacing an application. I needed the ability to run some parameterized Query/400 queries. However, understanding that system screens like the “Select Records” prompt of the Run Query (RUNQRY) command would be unavailable in a WebFacing environment, I decided to convert the Query/400 queries to Query Manager (QM) queries, which can be used to prompt the user for parameters. Parameterized QM queries will function in a WebFacing environment because they use the Message Inquiry (Display Program Messages) screen to retrieve parameter data. As evidenced by the sample screen shot below, the amount of data that can be entered on a message reply line is quite large, although often only one character is needed. (See Figure 1 below.)

Figure 1: Green screen system inquiry reply line (click on the image to see a larger view).

However, when I ran a parameterized QM query in the WebFacing environment, I was surprised to find out that the size of the reply line available to WebFacing is only four characters! All parameters would have to be pretty small to fit with that limitation! Fortunately, with a little digging I found a way to modify this system screen’s behavior so that it will accept more characters–so that it functions like its normal 5250 counterpart. Here’s how to modify that screen.

In the WDSc–I’m using version 5.1.2.4–open the WebFacing perspective. Expand your WebFacing project and then expand the tree along the following path (your path may vary a little depending on version): WebContent, WebFacing, systemscreens, V5R3, QDDSPEXT, HTML, INQFMT.jsp. This JSP is charged with the task of rendering the system inquiry screen in a browser. Right click on INQFMT.jsp and choose open to start the editor.

Make sure you’re viewing the JSP’s source and then change the size and maxlength attributes of the HTML REPLYIN text box from 4 to 70 to allow additional characters. To increase the actual visible size of the dynamically generated text box, change the width property of the style attribute from 4em to something larger. I arbitrarily chose 34em.

Here is the original HTML to be modified:
```
<TD NOWRAP colspan="62" 
rowspan="2"><input style="overflow-y:auto;
 width:4em;" 
<% if (isProtected) { %> readonly tabindex="-1" <% } 
%> id="l<%=zOrder%>_INQFMT$REPLYIN" 
previousValue="<%=INQFMT.getFieldValueWithTransform("REPLYIN", 
QUOTED_TRANSFORM)%>" 
 class="<%=isProtected?"wf_pr":""%> wf_default wf_field"  
size="4" maxLength="4" 
value="<%=INQFMT.getFieldValueWithTransform("REPLYIN", 
QUOTED_TRANSFORM)%>"></TD>
```
Here is the HTML after the three modifications have been made:
```
<TD NOWRAP colspan="62" 
rowspan="2"><input style="overflow-y:auto; width:34em;" 
<% if (isProtected) { %> readonly tabindex="-1" <% } 
%> id="l<%=zOrder%>_INQFMT$REPLYIN" 
previousValue="<%=INQFMT.getFieldValueWithTransform("REPLYIN", 
QUOTED_TRANSFORM)%>"  
class="<%=isProtected?"wf_pr":""%> wf_default wf_field"  
size="70" maxLength="70" 
value="<%=INQFMT.getFieldValueWithTransform("REPLYIN", 
QUOTED_TRANSFORM)%>"></TD>
```
Save the JSP and run your Web-faced application. You should now have a much larger box to work with as shown below. Don’t forget, if you refresh the style of your project this change will be lost, so keep a handy backup copy of the JSP once it’s done. (See Figure 2 below.)

Figure 2: WebFacing system inquiry reply line (click on the image to see a larger view).

While there are some limitations to WebFacing, at least some of the restrictions can be overcome with a little patience and digging.

Michael Sansoterra is a programmer/analyst for i3 Business Solutions, an IT services firm based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Click here to contact Michael Sansoterra by e-mail.
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Best Practices for Doing IBM i Cloud Backup & DRaaS Right

In the technology business for 30+ years including more than a decade in cloud backup and disaster recovery, we’ve learned a few things along the way. Here are best practices to follow – and land mines to avoid.
1. RELIABILITY. Up to 71% of restores from tape contain failures.
- BEST PRACTICE: Use disk-to-disk technology for backups.
With disk-to-disk technology, your backup data resides on disk drives, proven to be far more reliable than tapes. When your backup completes, you know the data is secure and accessible on the disk drive. With tapes you never really know if your data is usable until you try to restore it, at which point it’s too late.
1. BREADTH OF OFFERING. Choice in product and service offerings meet your business’ needs.
- BEST PRACTICE: Don’t settle for less than what you need.
Vendor offerings vary widely. Some are designed primarily for consumers and others for enterprise data centers. Choose a solution that scales and offers the features you need to provide the level of service you expect. De-duplication and delta-block technologies will improve performance, reduce your data footprint and save you money. Find out if their de-duplication offering is at the file level or the block level. Make sure the solution can back up servers, PCs, and laptops as well your applications.
1. SECURITY. 60% of organizations using tapes don’t encrypt their backups.
- BEST PRACTICE: End-to-end encryption with no “back door.”
Using encryption with tape makes backups run slowly and often takes too long to fit within a backup window. As a result, most people simply turn encryption off, creating a security risk. Even with the physical safety of disk-to-disk backup, encryption is essential. Look for 256-bit AES. Find a solution that encrypts your data during transmission and storage. Make certain there isn’t a “back door” that would let someone else view your data.
1. ACCESSIBILITY. Companies waste thousands of hours waiting on tapes.
- BEST PRACTICE: Ensure that you can get your data back with minimal delay.
You should have direct access to your backups, with no time spent on physical transport (no trucks, no warehouses). Restores should take minutes, not hours or days. Set yourself up to work with your data, not wait for it. Make sure your solution provider can meet your Return-to-Operations (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) which determine how quickly you can recover your data and maintain business continuity. Inquire about onsite and offsite replication that provide both improved performance and a solid disaster recovery strategy.
1. CYBER SECURITY. More than 80 percent of U.S. companies have been successfully hacked, according to a Duke University/CFO Magazine Global Business Outlook Survey.
- BEST PRACTICE: Regular cyber security training and phishing tests for all employees using company email are essential to your organization.
Your end-users are the weak link in your network security. Today, your employees are frequently exposed to advanced phishing attacks. Trend Micro reported that 91% of successful data breaches started with a spear-phishing attack. Be sure your vendor of choice includes cyber security training as part of their backup and DR package.
1. SCALABILITY. Some backup systems can’t scale readily.
- BEST PRACTICE: Invest in a data protection architecture that can grow with your business.
You should be able to back up your data no matter how large it grows. Starting small? Look for an option that handles your backups automatically. Then, as you grow, gives you tools to manage complex environments. Look for “changes-only” and compression technologies to speed backups and save space. And insist on bandwidth throttling to balance traffic and ensure network availability for your other business applications. Make sure that their solution offerings rely on common technology to scale easily as your business––and data––grow.
1. COST-EFFECTIVENESS
- BEST PRACTICE: Calculate the true total cost of tape-based back up.
A 2019 Server OS Reliability Survey found that one hour of downtime costs at least $100K for 98% of companies to over $5 million for 34% of surveyed companies. When you do the math, the dollars make sense: Go with disk-to-disk. Unlike tape, there are close to zero handling costs—no rush deliveries, loading, accessing, locating, or repeated steps. And there’s one benefit you can’t factor directly: Reputation. Reliability and security can make an incalculable difference with just one avoided breach or failure.
1. COMPLIANCE. Most companies have problems satisfying privacy, security, and data retention regulations.
- BEST PRACTICE: Choose a data protection partner who has deep know-how about compliance, and the technology to ensure it.
1. Disaster Recovery. Most companies lack a comprehensive, tested plan for disasters.
- BEST PRACTICE: Find a vendor that delivers a complete DR solution.
You can’t say your data protection is complete until you have a disaster recovery plan that is itself complete and tested. Your backup vendor should have both the product mix and professional services team to help you prepare for a worst-case scenario. Make sure they can help configure your backups so you rebound quickly. Best bet: A vendor who can train you to deal with disasters confidently, based on your company’s actual configuration.
1. EASE OF USE. Some companies don’t —or can’t—manage their backups from one place.
- BEST PRACTICE: Get control and reporting you can use anywhere, with ease. Managing your backup environment should be simple, and the software you use should eliminate any guesswork that could lead to lost data. You should know at all times if your data is protected across your entire network—including remote offices—by simply looking at a dashboard. The software should be simple to configure using wizards, yet powerful enough to meet your specific needs with customizable views, job propagation, and roles-based security.
1. OPERATING SYSTEM AND PLATFORM SUPPORT. Most backup vendors support a limited range of OS, server types, and applications.
- BEST PRACTICE: Look for broad and deep technology that supports your complete environment. Your backup solution should accommodate your environment, not vice versa.
1. CUSTOMER SUPPORT. Backup vendors’ product support varies widely.
- BEST PRACTICE: Find a vendor whose support is passionate, maybe even slightly obsessed. Customer support should be one of your vendor’s main selling points. You shouldn’t have to wonder if they’ll be there to help when you need them most. Do they offer phone support or email only, and who exactly are you talking to when you call that 800 number? Find a vendor that will treat your data as if it were their own.
1. REPUTATION. Does your backup vendor have a quality reputation and the financial resources to stay in business for the long haul?
- BEST PRACTICE: Find a vendor with strong financial backing and customer references. There are a lot of vendors that have come and gone. When you consider a service provider, look for one that has strong financial backing, a solid business plan and the ability to be in business as long as your data needs to be stored. Ask for customer references and case studies as their customers are the best validation you can get.
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