Which nodes are valid in the supported runtime environments

This topic describes which types of nodes that are available in the flow editor are valid in the supported runtime environments.

The CICS® Service Flow Runtime supports flows containing terminal applications (FEPI and Link3270), nonterminal applications (LINK with COMMAREA, LINK with Channel, and WebSphere® MQ ), or an aggregate of nonterminal and terminal flows. A flow for this runtime environment can contain the following types of nodes:

  • Invoke nodes representing nonterminal operations, (for example, a CICS transaction). These operations reference messages created from COBOL program source or copy books or are created using the flow message editor.
  • Invoke nodes representing screen operations that reference screen messages from captured screens or imported BMS maps (terminal applications)
  • While nodes with ESQL expressions
  • Assign nodes with simple and complex mapping
  • Switch nodes with ESQL expressions
  • Fault/error nodes
  • Invoked flows representing either FEPI or Link3270 terminal applications
    Restriction: Terminal applications that are aggregated with nonterminal operations must be modeled as FEPI or Link3270 subflows.
The WebSphere Host Access Transformation Services (HATS) runtime environment supports terminal applications that contain simple mapping and recorded loops. A flow for this runtime environment can contain the following types of nodes:
  • Invoke nodes representing screen operations which reference screen messages from captured screens, imported HATS screen captures, or imported BMS maps
  • While nodes representing a recorded loop which is recorded using the flow record loop functionality. The HATS runtime environment does not support adding an ESQL expression on the While node, except for that created during flow record.
  • Assign nodes that can only be added at two specific areas of the flow. At the end of flow record, if you wish to create or add an operation for the flow, one Assign node is added after the flow's receive/input message and another Assign node is added before the reply/output message.
Restriction: Switch nodes, invoked flows, and Fault/error nodes are not supported in the HATS runtime environment.