Use the screen or element match rules

Use the screen or element match rules to match a screen or element from among multiple screens and elements with its corresponding rules. Match rules enables the connector to identify the appropriate screen or element and perform tasks.

Before you begin

Capture at least one emulator screen and an element.

Role required: none

About this task

To perform tasks on a specific emulator screen or element from among multiple emulator screens and elements, the Terminal connector must first identify a screen. To identify a screen or element, the Terminal connector uses the screen match rules, attributes, and the element locators. The screen match rules, locators, and attributes provide unique identification criteria for each screen and element.

All captured screens have a default screen match rule. Additionally, you can define one or more screen match rules. You can modify or remove the default screen match rules or the screen match rules that you define.

Screen and elements have different match rules. For a screen, the terminal connector uses screen match rules and for an element, it uses locators.

The image shows the locators for a screen element.

Procedure

1. Optional: Rename the screen with a unique name.
   1. Under the Screen and elements pane, select the screen.
   2. Under the Properties pane, rename the screen and press Enter.
      
      The new screen name appears under the Screen and elements pane.
   3. Under the Screen and elements pane, right-click the screen and select Refresh.
      If the screen match rule matches a screen, the screen match icon () appears for both the screen and the screen match rule. The icon indicates that the screen match rule matches with the screen.

      

2. Optional: Define a screen match rule.
   You can add a field or text from the emulator screen that the Terminal connector uses as a screen match rule.
   1. Select Add.
      
   2. Right-click on the required field and select either of the options.
      • Add this Field as screen match rule: The connector uses the field details such as row, column, and text as a screen match rule.
      • Add this Text as screen match rule: The connector uses the field text as a screen match rule.

      
      The screen match rule appears under the Screen match rules pane.
   3. Select OK.
3. Optional: Define an element and match rules.
   The Terminal connector provides multiple rules or locators that provide information about elements. For example, the row and column numbers of the field on the screen is one of the match rules. The Terminal connector provides five locators and you can choose any locator to match the element.
   1. Rename the field.

      When you capture multiple elements, the Terminal connector provides them default names such as Field_0, Field_1, Table_0, and Table_1. To easily identify an element, you can rename it.

      
      The updated element name appears under the Screens and elements pane.

      

   2. Right-click the element and select Refresh.
      The element match icon () appears for the element. The icon indicates that the locator matched with the element.

      

   3. Optional: Use the other locators in the Locator drop-down to match the element.
      The table describes the locators.

      Table 1. Element locators

      Rule	Description
      Field By Position	Matches a field with its row and column number in the screen. The Row and Column fields show the row and column numbers of the starting point of the field that you captured from the screen.
      Field By Index	Matches a field with its index number in the screen. An index number is a unique identifier of a field in the Mainframe screen that enables the connector to identify a field. Each field on the emulator screen has a unique index number. The first field in the first row gets index 1, then the second field in the first row gets index 2, and so on. Index numbers are first assigned to the fields in the first row and then from the first field of the second row until all fields in the screen get index numbers.
      Field By Previous Field Text	Matches a captured field with the text in the field that is located immediately before the field that you captured. The Previous Field Text match rule shows the text in the previous field. If there is no previous field, the Previous Field Text field shows no value.
      Field By Next Field Text	Matches a field with the text in the field that is located immediately after the field that you captured. The Next Field Text match rule shows the text in the next field. If there’s no next field, the Next Field Text field shows no value.
      Region (Table)	Use this locator when you want to capture data from an emulator screen in the tabular format. The image shows the selected the fields with data in a tabular format.

4. Define an attribute and match rules.
   1. Select the field.
      The field attribute appears under the Match attributes pane.

      

   2. Select the attribute.
   3. Right-click the element and select Refresh.
      The element match icon () appears for the element and the attribute. The icon indicates that the attribute matches with the element.

      

5. Optional: Modify screen match rules.
   1. In the screen match rules section, select the rule.
      The Properties pane shows the match rule details.

      

   2. In the Properties pane, select the expand match rule icon ()
   3. Update the values in the Comparison Type or Comparison Value fields.
   4. Clear the Enabled option.
      
   5. Select Done.
6. Optional: Modify a field match rule.
   1. Under the Screens and elements pane, select the required field that you captured.
      The Match attributes pane shows the field attributes.

      

   2. In the Properties pane, select the expand match rule icon ()
   3. Update the values in the Comparison Type or Comparison Value fields.
   4. Clear the Enabled option.
      
7. To match both the screen and its elements with the corresponding rules, locators, or attributes at once, right-click the screen and select Refresh screen and elements.
   
   The element match icon () appears for the screen and its elements and the corresponding rules, locators, or attributes.