Using the InfoConnect Object Model
Key Concepts > Using the InfoConnect Object Model

To develop solutions that use the InfoConnect VBA, you'll need to interact with the objects provided by the InfoConnect object model. This topic introduces the most important objects:

Application Object

Terminal and Web Control Objects

Frame and View Objects

Legacy Project Objects

Application Object

Conceptually, the Application object represents the InfoConnect application. It is the top root object from which you can get various parts of the object model. The Application object is not visible within a project (that is, it doesn't appear in the Project Explorer pane in Visual Basic for Applications).

In InfoConnect macros, you'll need to access this top level object to programmatically create sessions, find out how many sessions are running, or access other running sessions.  

Getting a handle to InfoConnect
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Dim app As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects_Framework.ApplicationObject
Set app = GetObject("InfoConnect Workspace")


From another application, you can use an existing instance of InfoConnect if it is running or open an instance if it is not:

Creating a new instance of InfoConnect
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Dim app As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects_Framework.ApplicationObject
On Error Resume Next
'Try to use the existing workspace
Set app = GetObject("InfoConnect Workspace")

On Error GoTo 0
'Otherwise, create new instance of InfoConnect
If IsEmpty(app) Or (app Is Nothing) Then
Set app = New Attachmate_Reflection_Objects_Framework.ApplicationObject
End If

Terminal, Screen, and Web Control Objects

To work with host sessions, you use Terminal and Screen objects. Together with their child objects, the Terminal and Screen objects make up all of the functionality within a host session. For InfoConnect Web sessions, you'll use the WebControl object to access the session objects.

If you are writing a InfoConnect macro in a session project folder, you can use the ThisIbmTerminal property to get the terminal for the existing session:
Using the ThisIbmTerminal property
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ThisIbmTerminal.HostAddress = "demo:ibm3270.sim"
ThisIbmTerminal.Port = "623"


If you are writing a macro in another application like Microsoft Excel or you're writing an InfoConnect macro and you want to create a new session, you'll need to create a terminal. You can do this by creating a new terminal session or by opening a session document file.

Creating or opening an IBM terminal
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Dim terminalA As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects_Emulation_IbmHosts.IbmTerminal
Dim terminalB As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects_Emulation_IbmHosts.IbmTerminal
Dim terminalC As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects_Emulation_IbmHosts.IbmTerminal

'Create an Ibm3270 control and set the host address
Set terminalA = app.CreateControl2("{09E5A1B4-0BA6-4546-A27D-FE4762B7ACE1}")
terminalA.HostAddress = "demo:ibm3270.sim"
terminalA.Port = "623"
  
'For a 5250 ibmterminal control, use the following Guid:
Set terminalB = app.CreateControl2("{AF03A446-F278-4624-B9EF-C896DF2CA1CA}" )
 
'Open a session document file to create a terminal control for the new session
Set terminalC = app.CreateControl(Environ$("USERPROFILE")
"\Documents\Micro Focus\InfoConnect\" "mySavedSession.rd3x")

The IBM Terminal Object is the parent of the following objects:

  Let's take a look at some of the key objects.

The IbmScreen object

 The Screen object represents the host application screen. It provides methods and properties to access host screen data.

'Print the screen text at column 1 and row 1, with a length of 30 characters
Debug.Print ThisIbmTerminal.screen.GetText(1, 1, 30)

The FileTransfer object

 The FileTransfer object provides properties for configuring host file transfer and methods for executing a file transfer to or from the host.

Transferring a file
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'This sample sends a file to the host. Before you run the sample, make sure the cursor is on a TSO command line.
Sub FileTransferSendSample()
 
    path = Environ$("USERPROFILE") & "\Documents\Micro Focus\InfoConnect\" & "test.txt"
  
    'Set the  3270 operating environment to TSO
    ThisIbmTerminal.FileTransfer.XfrHostSys = HostSystem_Tso
  
    ThisIbmTerminal.FileTransfer.INDSendFile path, "bvtst02.test7.txt", INDFileTransferType_Ascii, _  FileExistsOption_Overwrite, True
  
End Sub

The Productivity object

Use the Productivity object to get access  to objects like screen history.

Getting access to Screen History with the Productivity object
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ThisIbmTerminal.Productivity.ScreenHistory.CaptureScreen
               

The Theme object

The Theme object represents a visual theme in the application. You can load custom themes or change properties of the current theme.

Loading a theme
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Sub loadTheme()
    'Load a custom theme
    customTheme = Environ$("USERPROFILE") _
    & "\Documents\Micro Focus\InfoConnect\Themes\customTheme.themex"
   
    ThisIbmTerminal.Theme.Load (customTheme)
End Sub

If you are writing a InfoConnect macro in a session project folder, you can use the ThisTerminal property to get the terminal for the existing session:

'Create a Telnet connection and set the host name to connect to
ThisTerminal.ConnectionSettingsTelnet.HostAddress = "yourHostName"


If you are writing a macro in another application like Microsoft Excel or you're writing a InfoConnect macro and you want to create a new session, you'll need to create a terminal. You can do this by creating a new terminal session or by opening a session document file.

Creating or opening a new Open Systems terminal
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Dim terminalA As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects_Emulation_OpenSystems.Terminal
Dim terminalB As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects_Emulation_OpenSystems.Terminal
'Create a terminal control
Set terminalA = app.CreateControl2("{BE835A80-CAB2-40d2-AFC0-6848E486BF58}")
  
'Create a telnet connection and set the host name to connect to
terminalA.ConnectionSettingsTelnet.HostAddress = "yourHostName"

'Create a terminal control by opening a session document file
Set terminalB = app.CreateControl(Environ$("USERPROFILE") & _
"\Documents\Micro Focus\InfoConnect\" & "testFile.rdox")

The Open Systems Terminal object is the parent of the following objects:

 Let's take a look at some of the key objects.

               

The ConnectionSettings objects

The terminal object has a number of connection settings objects that support different types of connections, including: Telnet, SSH, Rlogin, serial port, and best network. You'll need to use one of these objects to set the host address and other connection properties.

Setting ConnectionSettings
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'Create a telnet connection and set the host name to connect to
terminal.ConnectionSettingsTelnet.HostAddress = "yourHostName"
               

The Screen object

 The Screen object represents the host application screen. It provides methods and properties to access host screen data.

Accessing screen data
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Sub PrintScreen()
    'Print the screen display to the Immediate window
   
    Dim cols As Integer
    Dim rows As Integer
   
    cols = ThisScreen.DisplayColumns
    rows = ThisScreen.DisplayRows
   
    Debug.Print ThisScreen.GetText2(1, 1, cols, rows)
End Sub
                              

The Productivity object

Use the Productivity object to get access  to features like screen history.

ThisTerminal.Productivity.ScreenHistory.CaptureScreen
               

The Theme object

The Theme object represents a visual theme in the application. You can load custom themes or change properties of the current theme.

Loading a theme
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'Load a custom theme
customTheme = Environ$("USERPROFILE") _
& "\Documents\Micro Focus\InfoConnect\Themes\customTheme.themex"
                       
ThisTerminal.Theme.Load (customTheme)
                               

Each Web session includes a WebControl object, a WebDocument object, and one or more WebElement objects. (From WebDocuments, you can get WebElements; from those WebElements, you can get child WebElements.)

Let's take a look at these objects.

WebControl

The WebControl contains the controls required to display a Web page in the InfoConnect Workspace.

Getting a handle to a Web control
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Dim app As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects_Framework.ApplicationObject
webCtrl As WebControl
   
'Get a handle to the existing application object (the workspace) and create a Web control
Set app = GetObject("InfoConnect Workspace")
Set webCtrl = app.CreateControl2("{F1F058B1-0472-4095-A782-3D7333813AD0}")

WebDocument

The WebDocument object provides access to the IE Web document and the methods and properties used to get Web elements and control the document.

Use the Web Control to get the Web document. Make sure it is ready before you assign it.

Getting a Web document
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Dim wDocument As WebDocument
Dim wElement As WebElement

'Wait until the Web page is ready and then set it as the Web document
Do Until webCtrl.ReadyState = WebBrowserReadyState_Complete
  Wait (1000)
Loop
Set wDocument = webCtrl.Document

WebElement

Use the WebElement object to get the HTML elements you'll need to interact with JavaScript. 

Finding a Web element
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Dim wElementArray() As WebElement

'Iterate through all the links to find the link with the "Add Data" text and then click the link
wElementArray() = wDocument.GetElementsByTagName("a")
For i = 0 To UBound(wElementArray)
  If InStr(wElementArray(i).InnerHtml, "Add Data") = 1 Then
    wElementArray(i).Click
    Exit For
  End If
Next i


If you're writing a macro in a Web document VBA project, you can use the ThisWebControl property to access the Web objects:

'Get the Web element with the "coolTable" ID 
ThisWebControl.Document.GetElementById ("coolTable")

Frame and View Objects

Two high level objects are required to display InfoConnect sessions:

  • The Frame object is the high level user interface control for the InfoConnect workspace that controls how the workspace is displayed. It also is a container for the View objects that are used to display the sessions. As shown below, the Frame object controls the display of the shaded area.
  • The View object is the visual aspect of a session document. One way you might consider the View object is to think of it as a tabbed view in the InfoConnect workspace. Because InfoConnect is a multiple document interface (MDI) application, it can have several views. In the workspace shown below, the View object controls the area displayed within the outline.

To display a session, you'll need to get the Frame object, Create a View object, and associate the Terminal object with the View object. 

Displaying a session
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Dim Frame As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects.Frame
 Dim view As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects.view
 'Create controls to open and display the session document.
 Set Frame = app.GetObject("Frame")
 'Make Frame visible to display the workspace
 Frame.Visible = True
 'Create a view for the terminal to display the session
 Set view = frame.CreateView(terminal)


You can also access the Frame object with the ThisFrame property. If you're programming in a InfoConnect project module, you can use the ThisView property to access the view for the session.

Getting the Frame and View objects in a project module
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ThisFrame.Visible=True  
ThisView.ActiveTabBackgroundColor = RGB(0, 0, 0)
ThisView.ActiveTabForegroundColor = RGB(255, 255, 255)
ThisView.InactiveTabBackgroundColor = RGB(20, 200, 250)


You can use Frame object methods to access views and terminal controls of other open sessions.  

To identify a particular View object, you can specify it by title, ID, or file path. For example, to write a macro that acts on one of three open session documents, you can get a View object by using the text that appears on the session's tab or by using the path to where its session file is saved. After you have the View object, you can use it to get the terminal control object for that session.

Getting a View and a Terminal control
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Sub CheckViews()
    Dim osTerminal As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects_Emulation_OpenSystems.Terminal
    Dim ibmTerminal As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects_Emulation_IbmHosts.ibmTerminal
    Dim webCntrl As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects.WebControl
         
    Dim sessionName As String
    Dim views() As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects.View
    Dim osView As Attachmate_Reflection_Objects.View
                         
    'Catch error if sessions are not open
    On Error GoTo MyHandler
                         
    'Get the view and terminal control from the session path and filename
    sessionName = Environ$("USERPROFILE") & "\Documents\Micro Focus\InfoConnect\" & "GetDataFromExcel.rd3x"
    views = ThisFrame.GetViewsByFilePath(sessionName)
    Set ibmTerminal = views(0).control
                         
    'Get the view and terminal control from the title text on the view's tab
    sessionName = "osSession.rdox"
    Set osView = ThisFrame.GetViewByTitleText(sessionName)
    Set osTerminal = osView.control
    
    Exit Sub
                         
    'If a session is not open, send a message to open it and then exit
    MyHandler:
       MsgBox "You need to open" & sessionName
    Exit Sub

End Sub
               

Legacy Project Objects

For each legacy document, InfoConnect creates an additional VBA project for the supported legacy API. This legacy API VBA project includes objects that provide backward compatibility for legacy macros. (You can view the legacy API VBA project in the Project Explorer window of the Visual Basic Editor.) To determine which legacy API is supported, see Using Legacy Macros.

See Also