Automating tasks

To run the program with no logging:

java –jar iWATask.jar <property_file> <property_file> <property_file>    

• Where the <property_file> parameter is one or more optional property files.

To run the program with logging to the default log file:

java –jar -Dcom.ibm.as400.webaccess.iWATask.log.category=information,diagnostic,warning,error,all 
iWATask.jar <property_file>

• Where the category parameter can be any combination of the comma separated values listed. Specifying all will log all categories.
• Where the <property_file> parameter is one or more optional property files.
• The default log file name is: iWATask.log.

To run the program with logging to a specified log file:

java –jar -Dcom.ibm.as400.webaccess.iWATask.log.category=information,diagnostic,warning,error,all 
-Dcom.ibm.as400.webaccess.iWATask.log.file=<file_name> iWATask.jar <property_file>

• Where the file_name parameter is the name of the file where information will be logged.
• Where the <property_file> parameter is one or more optional property files.

The iWATask.jar program can process a default properties file named task.properties. To use the default task.properties file, you would first create task.properties and set the properties. Next you would add task.properties to the iWATask.jar archive file. You can use any tool that allows you to add the task.properties file to the iWATask.jar archive. The Java Developer Kit jar program can be used with the following syntax:

jar –uf iWATask.jar task.properties

You would then invoke iWATask.jar without inputting a properties file. The program will look for task.properties within the archive. There are two benefits of doing this:

• By putting the properties file within the iWATask.jar archive, it will be less obvious that the properties file contains user ID/password information.
• You can rename iWATask.jar to a name more descriptive of the task being automated. This can help you organize the automation of your tasks.

This example assumes you will be using a workstation for the automation. The steps below will verify the connection to IBM i Access for Web then incorporate the use of the iWATask.jar program.

• Open a web-browser on the workstation.
• Type the web-browser address http://<IBMi_system_name>:<port>/webaccess/iWAInfo
• You will be prompted to enter your IBM i user ID and password.
• The web page will be refreshed displaying copyright/version information, Product information, Request information, etc. This verifies the workstation can connect to IBM i Access for Web functions. The information returned is of type HTML and rendered in the web-browser.
• Close the web-browser.
• Copy the /QIBM/ProdData/Access/Web2/lib/iWATask.jar file to a directory on the workstation
• In the same directory where you copied iWATask.jar, create a file named iwainfo.properties and add the following properties to the file:

  url=http://<IBMi_system_name>:<port>/webaccess/iWAInfo 
  user=<your_IBMi_user_ID> 
  password=<your_IBMi_password> 
  output=iwainfo.txt 

• Save and close the iwainfo.properties file.
• Run the iWATask.jar program using the syntax shown below. You must use the Java Runtime Environment v1.5 java command.

  java –jar iWATask.jar iwainfo.properities

  To run the program and log information to the log file iWATask.log, use the syntax below:

  java –jar -Dcom.ibm.as400.webaccess.iWATask.log.category=all iWATask.jar iwainfo.properties

• When the program runs, output will be written to standard out and will look similar to the following:

  Processing property file iwainfo.properties 
  Connecting to http://<IBMi_system_name>:<port>/webaccess/iWAInfo 
  Connection completed, waiting for a response... 
  Connection response code: 200 
  Connection response code message: OK 
  The URL connection completed successfully. 
  Returned content type: text/html; charset=utf-8 
  The returned HTML content type does not match the output file extension.  This may indicate an error
  page was returned. 
  Output being written to: iwainfo.txt 
  Total bytes written to output file: 34270 
  Processing completed for property file iwainfo.properties 

• Notice the message “Returned content type: text/html; charset=utf-8”. This message indicates the output data that was returned is of type HTML, a web page. In the iwainfo.properties file, the output property was set to write the output data to file iwainfo.txt, a text file. Because the returned type (HTML) did not match the expected type (TXT), the message “The returned HTML content type does not match the output file extension. This may indicate an error page was returned.” was displayed.

  In this particular case, it's not an error. Changing the extension of the output file specified in iwainfo.properties will resolve the issue. We will do this in a later step. This would be an error condition if the output type was HTML but PDF was expected. If this were the case, the received HTML output likely contains error information and would need to be reviewed.

• Edit iwainfo.properties and modify the output property:

  output=iwainfo.html

• Save and close the iwainfo.properties file.
• Run the iWATask.jar program as you did above.
• Note that the message “The returned HTML content type does not match the output file extension. This may indicate an error page was returned.” was not displayed.
• You can now open iwainfo.html using a browser to display the output from the iWAInfo servlet.
• To automate the running of this task, you would use the workstation's scheduling function to invoke the iWATask.jar program as you did above.

This example assumes you will be using a workstation for the automation. The steps below will step through setting up a database request that writes the result to a PDF file and then incorporate the use of the iWATask.jar program.

• Open a web-browser on the workstation.
• Type the web-browser address http://<IBMi_system_name>:<port>/webaccess/iWAInfo
• You will be prompted to enter your IBM i user ID and password.
• Click the Database tab.
• Click the Run SQL link.
• In the SQL statement field, type: SELECT * FROM QIWS.QCUSTCDT
• In the SQL Output->Type pulldown menu, select: Portable Document Format (.pdf)
• Click the Save Request button.
• In the Request name field, type: Inventory
• Click the Save Request button.
• Click the My requests link.
• Click the Run action icon for the Inventory request.
• The result of the database request should be displayed/available as a PDF document within the web-browser.
• Return to the My requests list.
• Move the cursor over the Run action icon. In the browser window, usually at the bottom, the web-browser address the Run action icon represents will be displayed. The address should be similar to:

  http://<IBMi_system_name>:<port>/webaccess/iWADbExec/sqlOutput.pdf?request=Inventory

• Make note of the web-browser address, you will need it in a later step. You may be able to right click on the Run action icon to display a menu for the icon. On that menu you may be able to select an option to copy the link location that the icon represents and then use that in a later step.
• Close the web-browser.
• Copy the /QIBM/ProdData/Access/Web2/lib/iWATask.jar file to a directory on the workstation
• In the same directory where you copied iWATask.jar, create a file named iwapdf.properties and add the following properties to the file:

  url=http://<IBMi_system_name>:<port>/webaccess/iWADbExec 
  user=<your_IBMi_user_ID> 
  password=<your_IBMi_password> 
  parm.request=Inventory
  output=iwapdf.pdf 

• Save and close the iwapdf.properties file.
• Run the iWATask.jar program using the syntax shown below. You must use the Java Runtime Environment v1.5 java command.

  java –jar iWATask.jar iwapdf.properities

  To run the program and log information to the log file iWATask.log, use the syntax below:

  java –jar -Dcom.ibm.as400.webaccess.iWATask.log.category=all iWATask.jar iwapdf.properties

• When the program runs, output will be written to standard out and will look similar to the following:

  Processing property file iwapdf.properties 
  Connecting to http://<IBMi_system_name>:<port>/webaccess/iWADbExec?request=Inventory 
  Connection completed, waiting for a response... 
  Connection response code: 200 
  Connection response code message: OK 
  The URL connection completed successfully. 
  Returned content type: application/pdf Output being written to: iwapdf.pdf 
  Total bytes written to output file: 4590 
  Processing completed for property file iwapdf.properties 

• You can now open iwapdf.pdf using a PDF reader to display the output from the iWADbExec servlet.
• To automate the running of this task, you would use the workstation's scheduling function to invoke the iWATask.jar program as you did above.