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How can I use my browser as a COBOL front-end
COBOL Weblers
How can I use my browser as a COBOL front-end
by
CliveC
Posted
(Edited
)
This FAQ explains how you may use your IE6 browser on the client-side to provide a GUI front-end interface to a COBOL PC program. To bypass browser security without updating your browser settings, an HTA extension instead of an HTM extension is used.
This example uses a simple application which prints a certificate to an HTM file.
1 - An entry field is presented in the browser.
2 - Enter a name
3 - The name will be written to a file named CERTIFY.TXT
4 - The COBOL program CERTIFY.EXE is called
5 - The program opens CERTIFY.TXT and reads the name and outputs OUTPUT.HTM
When the COBOL program has executed the browser will close and another browser window will open to display the certificate.
Using the browsers print facility the certificate can be printed.
Here is the COBOL code for CERTIFY.CBL
Here is the code for CERTIFY.HTA
This example uses a simple application which prints a certificate to an HTM file.
1 - An entry field is presented in the browser.
2 - Enter a name
3 - The name will be written to a file named CERTIFY.TXT
4 - The COBOL program CERTIFY.EXE is called
5 - The program opens CERTIFY.TXT and reads the name and outputs OUTPUT.HTM
When the COBOL program has executed the browser will close and another browser window will open to display the certificate.
Using the browsers print facility the certificate can be printed.
Here is the COBOL code for CERTIFY.CBL
Code:
******************************************************************
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
******************************************************************
PROGRAM-ID. CERTIFY.
AUTHOR. CLIVE CUMMINS.
INSTALLATION. http://tubularity.com
DATE-WRITTEN. DEC 7,2003.
******************************************************************
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
******************************************************************
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
SELECT INPUT-FILE ASSIGN TO INPUT-FILE-ID
FILE STATUS IS INPUT-RETURN-CODE
ACCESS MODE IS SEQUENTIAL
ORGANIZATION IS LINE SEQUENTIAL.
SELECT OUTPUT-FILE ASSIGN TO OUTPUT-FILE-ID
FILE STATUS IS OUTPUT-RETURN-CODE
ACCESS MODE IS SEQUENTIAL
ORGANIZATION IS LINE SEQUENTIAL.
******************************************************************
DATA DIVISION.
******************************************************************
FILE SECTION.
FD INPUT-FILE.
01 INPUT-RECORD PIC X(72).
FD OUTPUT-FILE.
01 OUTPUT-RECORD PIC X(72).
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 FILE-DETAILS.
02 INPUT-RETURN-CODE PIC X(02).
02 INPUT-FILE-ID PIC X(12) VALUE "CERTIFY.TXT".
02 OUTPUT-RETURN-CODE PIC X(02).
02 OUTPUT-FILE-ID PIC X(12) VALUE "OUTPUT.HTM".
01 CERT-TBL.
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE "<html><head><title>COBOL Webler Cert".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE "ification</title> ".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE "<style type='text/css'> ".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE " ".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE "h2 {font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE "','Viner Hand ITC','Comic Sans MS', ".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE "'Cursive'} ".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE " ".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE "</style></head><body><div align='cen".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE "ter'><br /><br /> ".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE "<h1>This is to Certify that</h1><u><".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE "h2> ".
02 C-NAME PIC X(72) VALUE "Your Name ".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE "</h2></u><h3>has acheived the status".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE " of Master COBOL Webler</h3> ".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE "</div></body></html> ".
02 FILLER PIC X(36) VALUE " ".
01 FILLER REDEFINES CERT-TBL.
02 CERT-TBL-ENTRY PIC X(72) OCCURS 009 INDEXED BY CERT-TBL-IDX.
******************************************************************
01 SYSTEM-COMMAND-LINE.
******************************************************************
05 MY-BROWSER PIC X(49) VALUE
'"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"'.
05 FILLER PIC X(01) VALUE SPACE.
05 MY-HTML-FILE PIC X(80) VALUE
"C:\CERTIFY\OUTPUT.HTM".
05 FILLER PIC X(01) VALUE LOW-VALUE.
******************************************************************
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
******************************************************************
OPEN INPUT INPUT-FILE.
READ INPUT-FILE INTO C-NAME.
CLOSE INPUT-FILE.
OPEN OUTPUT OUTPUT-FILE.
PERFORM
VARYING CERT-TBL-IDX FROM 1 BY 1
UNTIL CERT-TBL-IDX GREATER THAN 9
MOVE CERT-TBL-ENTRY (CERT-TBL-IDX) TO OUTPUT-RECORD
WRITE OUTPUT-RECORD
END-PERFORM.
CLOSE OUTPUT-FILE.
CALL "SYSTEM" USING SYSTEM-COMMAND-LINE.
GOBACK.Here is the code for CERTIFY.HTA
Code:
<html><head>
<title>Master COBOL Webler Certification</title>
<!--
***************************************************
**** This javascript subroutine is called when
**** the form's "Certify" button is clicked. It
**** calls two subroutines, writeToFile & Launch.
**** Launch is delayed 1 second to make sure that
**** the file has had time to be written and closed.
**** Finally the window is closed
***************************************************
-->
<script type="text/javascript">
function process(data) {
writeToFile(data);
timer=setTimeout('launch()',1000)
timer=setTimeout('self.close()',1000)
}
</script>
<!--
***************************************************
**** writeToFile
**** This VBscript subroutine is called to write
**** the contents of the input text to a file.
**** In this case the file is name CERTIFY.TXT
***************************************************
-->
<script type="text/vbscript">
sub writeToFile(data)
set oFS = createobject("scripting.filesystemobject")
set oFile = oFS.opentextfile("CERTIFY.TXT", 2, true)
oFile.writeline(data)
oFile.close()
set oFile = nothing
set oFS = nothing
end sub
</script>
<!--
***************************************************
**** launch
**** This VBscript subroutine will call the COBOL
**** program CERTIFY.EXE.
***************************************************
-->
<script type="text/vbscript">
sub launch()
Dim MyObj
Set MyObj=CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
MyObj.Run "CERTIFY.EXE"
end sub
</script>
</head>
<!--
***************************************************
***** This is the HTML for the Cerification form
***************************************************
-->
<body style="background:yellow">
<h2>Master COBOL Webler Certification</h2>
ENTER Candidate's Name:<br />
<form name="formC">
<input name="candidate" type="text" size="40" maxsize="72" />
<br /><br />
<input type="button" value="Certify"
onclick="process(document.formC.candidate.value)" />
</form>
<script type="text/javascript">
document.formC.candidate.focus()
</script>
</body></html>
Please Note: 1 is Bad, 10 is Good :-)
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