Specifying a Host ID

In the Macro Editor, a Host ID input field is displayed in the editing window of each descriptor or action that can refer to a session other than the original session that launches the macro (see the lists of descriptors and actions in Implementation). In the Code Editor, the hostid attribute is valid in the corresponding XML elements.

A Host ID consists of:
  1. A session ID (such as A), followed by
  2. A colon (:), followed by
  3. A session name (such as 3270 Display).
Examples: B:3270 Display, C:5250 Display.
HCL recommends that you specify, in the session properties of each session that a macro refers to other than the original session, a particular session ID (a letter between A and Z) for the session, rather than letting the Z and I Emulator for Web client assign the session ID automatically when the end user launches the session. To specify a particular session ID for a session:
  1. Open the session properties window.
  2. In the left pane, click Start Options.
  3. In the right pane, in the Session ID listbox, change the value from Automatic to the value that you want to use (A-Z).

If, instead, you let the Z and I Emulator for Web client assign the session ID automatically, then the session ID can be different (for example, C) than the session ID that you use in the macro script (such as B), and if so then the Host ID value is also different (C:3270 Display instead of B:3270 Display). Consequently, when the end user launches the macro, the macro runtime can terminate the macro playback with an error because the macro contains a reference (B:3270 Display) to a session that is not active and connected.

To change the session name component of the Host ID (for example, to change 3270 Display to SessionApp1:
  1. Open the session properties window.
  2. In the left pane, click Connection.
  3. In the right pane, in the Session Name field, type the session name that you want to use.
Parent topic: Interacting with more than one session