Navigation and Control Actions

The Mainframe module Navigation and Control actions move the cursor to specific positions on the terminal screen, send special control keys, and wait for screen conditions before continuing the workflow.

See Mainframe Actions for prerequisites and Connection and Setup Actions to establish a session before navigating.

• Go to Text Position
• Go to Coordinates
• Wait for Text
• Send Special Control Key
• Wait for Terminal Ready

Go to Text Position

This action moves the cursor to the position of a specified text string on the terminal screen, with an optional offset. Use this action to position the cursor before a write action when you want to navigate by content rather than fixed coordinates.

You can configure CONFIGURATION and AFTER COMPLETION parameters for this action.

Configuration

In the CONFIGURATION area of the ACTION CONFIGURATION pane, configure the following parameters:

• Text: Enter the text string to locate on the screen. The cursor moves to the first character of this text. This field lets you enter a text string, choose a variable, or use the expression editor.
• Offset: Enter the number of characters to move right from the located text position. An offset of 0 places the cursor at the first character of the found text. This field lets you enter a number, choose a variable, or use the expression editor.

After completion

In the AFTER COMPLETION area of the ACTION CONFIGURATION pane, configure the following parameters:

• Wait before executing next action: Enter the number of seconds the robotic task waits before it continues to the next action in the robotic task definition.
• Take a screenshot: If you select this option, the robotic task takes a screenshot of the host machine immediately after the action completes successfully.

Go to Coordinates

This action moves the cursor to the specified row and column on the terminal screen. Use this action to position the cursor at a known screen location before a write or read action.

You can configure CONFIGURATION and AFTER COMPLETION parameters for this action.

Configuration

In the CONFIGURATION area of the ACTION CONFIGURATION pane, configure the following parameters:

• Row: Enter the row number to move the cursor to. Rows are numbered starting from 1. This field lets you enter a number, choose a variable, or use the expression editor.
• Column: Enter the column number to move the cursor to. Columns are numbered starting from 1. This field lets you enter a number, choose a variable, or use the expression editor.

After completion

In the AFTER COMPLETION area of the ACTION CONFIGURATION pane, configure the following parameters:

• Wait before executing next action: Enter the number of seconds the robotic task waits before it continues to the next action in the robotic task definition.
• Take a screenshot: If you select this option, the robotic task takes a screenshot of the host machine immediately after the action completes successfully.

Wait for Text

This action pauses the robotic task until a specified text string appears on the terminal screen, or until the timeout elapses. Use this action after sending a command to wait for the screen to refresh with the expected response before continuing.

You can configure CONFIGURATION and AFTER COMPLETION parameters for this action.

Configuration

In the CONFIGURATION area of the ACTION CONFIGURATION pane, configure the following parameters:

• Text: Enter the text string to wait for. The action monitors the terminal screen and continues as soon as this text appears. This field lets you enter a text string, choose a variable, or use the expression editor.
• Timeout: Enter the maximum number of seconds to wait for the text to appear. If the text does not appear within this time, the action completes. This value must be greater than zero. This field lets you enter a number, choose a variable, or use the expression editor.

After completion

In the AFTER COMPLETION area of the ACTION CONFIGURATION pane, configure the following parameters:

• Wait before executing next action: Enter the number of seconds the robotic task waits before it continues to the next action in the robotic task definition.
• Take a screenshot: If you select this option, the robotic task takes a screenshot of the host machine immediately after the action completes successfully.

Send Special Control Key

This action sends a special function or control key to the terminal session, such as Enter, a function key, or a PF key. Use this action to submit forms, navigate menus, and trigger terminal commands.

For a complete list of supported keys and their mnemonic sequences, see Special Control Keys.

You can configure CONFIGURATION and AFTER COMPLETION parameters for this action.

Configuration

In the CONFIGURATION area of the ACTION CONFIGURATION pane, configure the following parameters:

• Key: Enter the control key to send. Available keys include function keys (F1-F24), Enter, Tab, Clear, PA keys (PA1-PA3), Attn, Reset, and others. This field lets you enter a text string, choose a variable, or use the expression editor. See Special Control Keys for the full list and mnemonic sequences.

After completion

In the AFTER COMPLETION area of the ACTION CONFIGURATION pane, configure the following parameters:

• Wait before executing next action: Enter the number of seconds the robotic task waits before it continues to the next action in the robotic task definition.
• Take a screenshot: If you select this option, the robotic task takes a screenshot of the host machine immediately after the action completes successfully.

Wait for Terminal Ready

This action waits for the terminal session to reach a ready state before continuing the workflow. The action executes the EHLLAPI WAIT function (function 4) in repeating intervals based on the configured wait time. Use this action after sending a command that triggers a long-running mainframe operation, to ensure the terminal is ready before the next action runs.

You can configure CONFIGURATION and AFTER COMPLETION parameters for this action.

Configuration

In the CONFIGURATION area of the ACTION CONFIGURATION pane, configure the following parameters:

• Wait time: Enter the maximum number of minutes to wait for the terminal to become ready. The action executes the EHLLAPI WAIT function in 1-minute intervals until the terminal is ready or this time is reached. This value must be greater than zero. This field lets you enter a number, choose a variable, or use the expression editor.

After completion

In the AFTER COMPLETION area of the ACTION CONFIGURATION pane, configure the following parameters:

• Wait before executing next action: Enter the number of seconds the robotic task waits before it continues to the next action in the robotic task definition.
• Take a screenshot: If you select this option, the robotic task takes a screenshot of the host machine immediately after the action completes successfully.

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