Many CICS® server programs use Basic Mapping Support (BMS) to implement their 3270 screen designs. The server programs can then use symbolic names for the individual screen maps and for the 3270 fields on those maps. If the BMS source files are available, they can be copied to the Client daemon development environment and used in the implementation of a Visual Basic EPI program.
The CICS BMS Conversion Utility (CICSBMSC.EXE) that is provided produces a Visual Basic definitions file (a .BAS file) from the source BMS file (.BMS file). This definitions file can then be included in a Visual Basic program, and the same symbolic names used to identify maps and their fields in the server program can be used in the client program with the EPI Map COM class.
The /B option should be specified when running the conversion utility to produce Visual Basic definitions:
CICSBMSC /B <filename>.BMS
Dim EPI As CclOEPI Dim Terminal As CclOTerminal Dim Session As CclOSession Dim Screen As CclOScreen Dim Map as CclOMap Dim Field As CclOField
Sub EPIConnect_Click() 'Create Ccl.EPI first to initialize EPI Set EPI = New CclOEPI 'Create a terminal object and connect to CICS Set Terminal = New CclOTerminal Terminal.Connect "CICSNAME","","" 'Create a session object (defaults to synchronous) Set Session = New CclOSession End Sub
Sub EPIRunBMS_Click()
Terminal.Start Session, "EPIC", ""
Set Screen = Terminal.Screen
Set Map = New CclOMap If (Map.Validate(Screen,MAPINQ1)) Then Set Field = Map.FieldByName(MAPINQ1_PRODNAM) List1.AddItem Field.Text Set Field = Map.FieldByName(MAPINQ1_TIME) List1.AddItem Field.Text Else List1.Text= "Unexpected screen data" End If
A more complex application would then enter data into selected fields, set the required AID key (Enter, Clear, PF or PA key) and navigate through further screens as required. The client application can mix the use of the Screen COM class (and its FieldByIndex and FieldByPosition methods) with the use of the Map COM class.