Specifying a Host ID

Some macro descriptors and macro actions can apply to a session other than the session that launches a macro (see Interacting with more than one session in the Macro Programming Guide).

In the Macro Editor, the editing windows for these descriptors and actions include a Host ID field:

If you want the descriptor or action to apply to the session that launches the macro, then leave the Host ID field blank. This is the default.
If you want the descriptor or action to apply to some other session, type a Host ID for that session into the Host ID field.

A Host ID consists of:

A session ID (such as A), followed by
A colon (:), followed by
A session name (such as 3270 Display).

Examples: B:3270 Display, C:3270 Display.

When you type a Host ID into a Host ID field, HCL recommends that you also set the session ID of the referred to session to the same session ID that you use in the Host ID.

For example, if you type the Host ID B:3270 Display into a Host ID field, then you should set the session ID of the session named 3270 Display to B.

To set the session ID of a session to a specific value (such as B):

Open the session properties window.
In the left pane, click Start Options.
In the right pane, in the Session ID listbox, change the value from Automatic to the value that you want to use (a letter between A and Z).

If you leave the Session ID of the session set to Automatic, then the Z and I Emulator for Web client automatically assigns a session ID to the session when the user launches the session. This automatically assigned session ID can be different (for example, A or C) than the session ID that you use in the Host ID field (such as B), and if so then the Host ID is also different (for example, A:3270 Display instead of B:3270 Display). Consequently, the macro runtime can terminate the macro playback with an error because the macro script contains a reference (B:3270 Display) to a session that is not active and connected (instead, the session A:3270 Display is active and connected). See Specifying a Host ID in the Macro Programming Guide.