Net.Data Language Environment Reference

IMS Web Language Environment

The IMS Web language environment is part of a complete end-to-end solution for running your IMS transactions in the World Wide Web environment. The IMS Web language environment provides:

• A Net.Data macro with:

  • The HTML used to enter the transaction input data

  • A Net.Data FUNCTION block that invokes the IMS Web language environment

  • The HTML that displays the output of the transaction

• A transaction DLL or shared library that is invoked by the IMS Web language environment

Restriction: The IMS Web language environment of Net.Data is only supported when Net.Data runs as a CGI application. It is not supported by Net.Data with ICAPI.

The IMS Web Studio tool generates code for the DLL and the macro, as well as a MAK file for building the DLL or shared library, from the (Message Format Service) MFS source for the transaction. After the executable form of the DLL has been built, the DLL and the macro files are moved to the Web server that is running Net.Data. The transaction is ready to run in the Web environment.

To use the IMS Web language environment:

1. Install the IMS Web Runtime component on the Web server running Net.Data. For information about the IMS Web Runtime component, see IMS Web User's Guide:

   http://www.software.ibm.com/data/ims/about/imsweb/document/index.html
   

2. Create the transaction DLL file.

   1. Generate the C++, MAK, and Net.Data macro files for your transaction with the IMS Web Studio tool.

   2. If you are running Net.Data on an operating system that is different than the operating system on which the IMS Web Studio tool is run, move the DLL source files to an IMS Web development machine for the target operating system. For example, if you run the IMS Web Studio tool on Windows NT and the target platform is AIX or OS/390, move the source for the transaction DLL to an IMS Web development machine running under AIX or OS/390, respectively.

   3. Build the executable form of the transaction DLL using the generated MAK file.

3. Copy the transaction DLL file (DTWproj.dll) and Net.Data macro file (DTWproj.d2w) to your Web server.

   1. Place the macro in a directory from which Net.Data retrieves macros. (See the MACRO_PATH statement in the configuring chapter of Net.Data Administration and Programming Guide.)

   2. Place the transaction DLL or shared library in a directory from which the Web server retrieves DLLs or shared libraries.

4. Use the link in the sample file that is generated by the IMS Web Studio tool, DTWproj.htm, to modify an HTML file in your Web server's HTML tree. You can then use the link to invoke Net.Data and display the input HTML form for the transaction on a Web browser. Fill in the transaction input, and select the SUBMIT push button on the form to run the transaction and receive its output at the Web browser.

IMS Web uses the IMS TCP/IP Open Transaction Manager Access (OTMA) Connection to communicate between the Web server and IMS environments. See the IMS Web home page for more information:

http://www.software.ibm.com/data/ims/about/imsweb