Rational Developer for System z

Part 2: Making the flow recording

This topic describes the steps in making a flow recording.

The steps in this topic include in the appropriate places a reference and a link to each of the five issues described in the preceding topic, Part 1. Preparations for flow recording).

For the steps in recording a screen operations file see Recording a screen operations file.

To make a flow recording:

  1. Provide screen descriptions
    • If you are want to use existing screen descriptions, then obtain or prepare these screen descriptions.
    • If you want to have the host editor automatically capture an unrecognized screen (that is, create a new screen message and a new screen description for the unrecognized screen), then select the option Automatically capture new screens in the Service Flow Projects preferences.

    For more information about both of these options see a) Provide screen descriptions in the topic Part 1. Preparations for flow recording.

  2. Open the host editor if it is not already open (see Opening a host connection).

  3. Verify that the session is connected (see Connecting with a host system).

  4. Verify that the host editor is in flow mode (see Screen operations mode and flow mode).

  5. If you plan to use any existing screen descriptions, then load the most recent versions of your screen descriptions by clicking the Reload Screen Descriptions icon Reload Screen Recognitions (see Currently loaded screen descriptions).

  6. If you are modifying or adding to an existing flow, rather than creating a new flow, then load the existing flow so that it becomes the working flow:
    1. Expand the list to the right of the Load Flow icon Load Flow.
    2. Click the list item containing the name of the flow that you want to be the working flow (see Using the working flow).

  7. If necessary, edit the characteristics of the working flow (see b) Edit the working flow in Part 1. Preparations for flow recording).

  8. If you have not already done so, verify that the current working set includes the screen operations files that you want to use (see c) Select the working set of screen operations files and Using a working set).

  9. Navigate through the host application to the application screen at which you want to start recording.

  10. Click the Start Recording Flow icon Start Recording Flow to start recording.

  11. If the current host application screen is unrecognized, and you have not selected the check box Automatically capture new screens in the Service Flow Projects preferences window (see Providing screen descriptions for recording) then the host editor opens the Screen Not Recognized window.

    If the Screen Not Recognized window opens, then follow the steps described in the subtopic 1. Unrecognized screen before recording begins.

  12. If the working flow already contains a recorded flow path:

    If the working flow already contains a recorded flow path, then the host editor prompts you with either one or two additional windows (see e) Add to the flow path or record a new flow path):

    1. First the host editor opens the Start Recording Flow window, which prompts you with the following message:

      Do you want to add to the working flow '<flow_name>'?
      Select "No" to create a new flow.

      • Select Yes if you want the host editor to add the new recorded information (which you are about to record) to the existing working flow.
        Note: If you select this option, the host editor does not start the New Flow Recording wizard but instead uses the name, interface operation, and message information associated with the existing working flow.
      • Select No if you want the host editor to discard the contents of the working flow, create a new, empty flow as the working flow, and then add the new recorded information to the empty working flow as the new flow path.

    2. If you clicked Yes in the preceding window, then the host editor next displays the Record Path Into Existing Flow window, which contains the following two options:

      • Option 1: Start recording a new path disconnected from existing flow invokes.

        Select this option if you want to record a sequence of nodes that is not connected to any flow node in the flow path (see Disconnected paths) .

      • Option 2: Append a new path onto an existing flow node from the list below.s
        Select this option if you want to record a sequence of nodes that is connected to the flow path or to a disconnected path. That is, you want the first node in the new recorded sequence to be connected to an output terminal of some Invoke screen operation node in the existing flow path, or in an existing disconnected path. When you select this option, the pane below this option displays:
        • The sequence of Invoke screen operation nodes in the flow path.
        • For each disconnected path (if any) in the flow, the sequence of Invoke screen operation nodes in the disconnected path (see Disconnected paths).

        If you selected this option, then follow these steps:

        1. Still in the Record Path Into Existing Flow window:
          1. In the pane displaying the Invoke screen operation nodes for the flow path and for each disconnected path, select the Invoke screen operations node to which you want the new recorded sequence of nodes to be connected.
            Important: The currently displayed application screen should be a valid next screen of the Invoke screen operations node that you select (see Screen operation). That is, the currently displayed application screen should be a screen that can validly occur immediately following the application screen that corresponding to the selected Invoke screen operations node.
          2. Click OK. The Record Path Into Existing Flow window closes.

        2. At this point the host editor adds the following information to the flow:
          1. The host editor adds another output terminal Terminal to the already existing Invoke screen operation node that you selected.

        3. If you want, you can now create Extract actions that extract data from the already existing Invoke screen operation node. These Extract actions are associated with the new output terminal that the host editor added to the existing Invoke screen operation node.

  13. If you are creating a new flow, then the Progress Information window opens for a few seconds, then closes. This window indicates that the host editor is preparing to launch the New Flow Recording wizard.

  14. The New Flow Recording wizard opens. On the first (and only) page of the New Flow Recording wizard:
    1. Enter the following information:

      • Flow

        Into this input field type the name that you want to use for the new flow that you are about to record. When you complete the recording and save the new flow, the new flow is stored into a file having the name that you specify here plus the extension .seqflow (for example, MainFlow_0001.seqflow).

      • In the Interface Resources group:

        • Click one of the following options:

          • Create all new resources

            Click this option if you want to create all new resources and name them using the default names.

          • Reuse one or more resources

            Click this option if you want to select one or more existing resources or if you want to create one or more new resources with a name other than the default name. The resources are:

        • Automatically expose insert and extract variables in the interface operation messages

          Select this check box if you want the host editor during flow recording to automatically add to a flow's input message or output message a message element corresponding to the variable that you select for a new Extract action or Insert action (see Updating an interface message with a variable from Extract or Insert).

      • In the Terminal Resources group:

        • Screen Operations

          Into this input field type the name of the screen operations file that you want to use as the working screen operations file during flow recording.

          You can specify either the name of a screen operations file that already exists (which can of course contain screen operations) or the name of a new screen operations file (which contains no screen operations at first):
          Tip: The recording process is easier if you specify a new screen operations file. You should not specify an already existing screen options file unless you have a good reason for doing so.

          During flow recording, as you navigate through the terminal application, then your keyboard input is recorded into the currently loaded screen operations file (see Recording a screen operations file).

          Also during flow recording, if a screen operation in the file matches the currently recognized screen description, then you can play back a screen interaction from that screen operation (see Finding screen interactions for the current application screen).

          After flow recording is completed, when you save the flow, the screen operations in the currently loaded screen operations file are saved to the screen operations file on the workstation's hard disk (see Saving a flow).

    2. Click Finish.

  15. The Start Recording Flow icon Start Recording Flow changes to Stop Recording Flow Stop Recording Flow to show that flow recording is active.

  16. You can now begin navigating through the application screens that you want to record. For each application screen that you visit, the flow recorder creates an Invoke screen operation node that includes the matching screen description and the keyboard input for the application screen. The flow recorder then adds the new Invoke screen operation node to the flow being recorded.

    As you record you can also do the following:
  17. When you finish recording click Stop Recording Flow Stop Recording Flow.


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