═══ 1. PMATE Version 1.02 ═══ PMATE is an automation tool which is intended to help remove the boring, repetitive tasks from the test activity. PMATE builds upon previous IBM Record/Replay tools, together with a number of new ideas, to become a next-generation macro recorder and testing productivity tool. The command reference file, pmate.inf, provided with the package explains how to install and use PMATE. We recommend that you study this file first, by selecting Help->Reference from the PMATE menu. Functional Overview o To record and playback to/from a readable, editable text file (instead of an unreadable, uneditable binary file). o Support for easily recreating the conditions of the recorded test. (PMATE Records and restores window positions and sizes) o To provide maximum recorded information while minimizing the storage requirements. - Filtering out unnecessary mouse movements - Saving bitmap AREAS, not just the entire screen, and saving them in compressed form. - Saving areas of the screen in CRC form - Providing before and after views of bitmap areas side-by-side on-screen. o To provide an unobtrusive record / playback mechanism, featuring a powerful set of menu items without the need to remember a variety of hot keys, or having a PM application's window obscuring a major portion of the screen. o To support being invoked from a REXX script (e.g. from within existing stress tests) or from a command file. o To provide error logging plus an error return code capability to allow branching decisions within a REXX or command file. o To allow the user to incorporate comments into the recorded text file. o To make testcase scripts easily modifiable as the system under test evolves and changes. Refer to Help Index for more complete details. ═══ 2. File Menu ═══ The File menu contains commands that you use to create, open, save, and print data files. In addition, it also contains the command that you use to exit the Sample application. The following commands appear in the File menu. New Creates a new untitled file Open Opens an existing file Save Saves any changes to current file Save As Saves the current file using a new name Print Prints a file Page Setup Displays various page-design options Print Setup Helps you set up your printer for use with the Sample application Exit Quits the Sample application ═══ 3. New ═══ You can create a new file in the Sample application window by using the New command. To create a new file, do the following. o Select the File menu and choose the New command. The word "untitled" appears in the title bar of the new file. ═══ 4. Open ═══ You can open a file that exists on any drive or in any directory by using the Open command. To open a file, do the following. o Select the File menu and choose the Open command. A dialog box appears, showing you a list of files in the current directory. ═══ 5. Save ═══ You use the Save command to save changes you've made to your file. To save changes to the current file, do the following. o Select the File menu and choose the Save command. ═══ 6. Save As ═══ You use the Save As command to name and save a new file. Follow these steps to save a new file. o Select the File menu and choose the Save As command. A dialog box appears, prompting you for a new filename. ═══ 7. Print ═══ You use the Print command to print a Sample application file. Follow these steps to print a file. o Select the File menu and choose the Print command. ═══ 8. PageSetup ═══ You use the Page Setup command to format the page layout used when a file is printed. Such formats include. 1. Paper margins. 2. Maximum paper margins. 3. Header and footer text. Follow these steps to select the page setup for a file. o Select the File menu and choose the Page Setup command. ═══ 9. PrintSetup ═══ You use the Print Setup command to set options that control how a file is printed. Such options include. 1. Specifying which pages to print. 2. Number of copies to print. Follow these steps to select print options for a file. o Select the File menu and choose the Print Setup command. ═══ 10. Exit ═══ You quit the Sample application by using the Exit command. To quit the Sample application, do the following. o Select the File menu and choose the Exit command. ═══ 11. Edit Menu ═══ Selections under the Edit menu allow for manipulation of text displayed in the main edit window. Functions are provided to access the clipboard, undo the last edit and cut/move blocks of text. Warning: Changes may be lost. If there have been any modifications to the script displayed in the edit window, they must be saved before playback. ═══ 12. Undo ═══ Undo will cancel the last change made in the edit window. Warning: Changes may be lost. If there have been any modifications to the script displayed in the edit window, they must be saved before playback. ═══ 13. Cut ═══ Use Cut to remove the marked area to the clipboard. Text in the marked region is removed from the file. Warning: Changes may be lost. If there have been any modifications to the script displayed in the edit window, they must be saved before playback. Related functions o Copy o Paste ═══ 14. Copy ═══ Use Copy to copy the marked region of text to the clipboard. Text is not deleted from the marked region. Warning: Changes may be lost. If there have been any modifications to the script displayed in the edit window, they must be saved before playback. Related functions o Cut o Paste ═══ 15. Paste ═══ Use Paste to insert text from the clipboard into the current file after the cursor position. Text from the clipboard is processed as a stream of characters, possibly containing embedded line breaks, rather than a series of lines. Warning: Changes may be lost. If there have been any modifications to the script displayed in the edit window, they must be saved before playback. Related functions o Cut o Copy ═══ 16. Clear ═══ Use Clear to delete the marked region from the edit window. Data in the mark region is not moved to the clipboard. Use of Undo prior to any further changes will recover from an erroneous clear operation. Warning: Changes may be lost. If there have been any modifications to the script displayed in the edit window, they must be saved before playback. ═══ 17. Select all ═══ Use Select all to mark the entire MLE in the edit window. After using Select all, one may use any of the following edit controls on the marked region o Copy o Cut o Paste ═══ 18. Mark ═══ A region of text is marked by placing the mouse pointer at the start of the desired region, then press and hold the left mouse button. Drag the mouse pointer to the end of the desired region, while continuing to hold the left mouse button down. Release the left mouse button when the region has been highlighted. ═══ 19. Help Menu ═══ Use the Help menu for assistance on PMATE, or the online help facility. The following commands appear in the Help menu. Help index Index to PMATE help General help PMATE overview Using help Help for the online help system Keys help Available keys within PMATE Reference On-Line reference manual Product Information Displays PMATE version information ═══ 20. Using help ═══ Use the Using help for assistance using the online help system. ═══ 21. General help ═══ Use General help for a overview of PMATE this is sometimes called the extended help. ═══ 22. Keys help ═══ Key definitions - Key Description Alt + Bkspc Undo the last edit operation. Shift + Del Remove the marked region to the clipboard. Ctrl + Ins Make a duplicate of the marked region in the clipboard. Shift + Ins Add data from the clipboard after the cursor. Del Remove the marked region. Creates a marked region. of the entire MLE. ═══ 23. Help index ═══ Use Help index to display an alphabetic list of references to the help topics of this program. Note - To see the text of all index entries, maximize the Index window. You can select an index entry to display the help topic that is related to that index entry. ═══ 24. Reference ═══ Use this menu item to bring up a view of PMATE.INF. This help file is a comprehensive on-line manual of PMATE. ═══ 25. Product Information ═══ Press this choice to show a panel with pmate's copyright, its version and full name. ═══ 26. Options Menu ═══ Use the Options menu to set the current font or to save / restore the CFG profile file. The following are the currently available PMATE options. Fonts Select a font from the Font Dialog Settings Select pmate settings from the Settings Dialog Save Save the current profile Restore Restore the profile from disk ═══ 27. Fonts ═══ Select this option to bring up the standard Font dialog. If this is the font you will allways use you may select Options->Save to store this font in the PMATE.CFG file. ═══ 28. Settings ═══ Select this option to bring up the settings dialog. If these are the settings you will allways use you may select Options->Save to store these settings in the PMATE.CFG file. ═══ 29. Save ═══ This menu option saves the current PMATE.CFG profile information. Which currently includes font, settings information, PMATE window position, and PMATE window size. After you have saved the CFG file you may re-read the profile by selecting the menu item Options->Restore. ═══ 30. Restore ═══ This menu option restores the saved PMATE.CFG profile which was stored in the PMATE.CFG file. See the menu item Options->Save for more information. ═══ 31. Actions Menu ═══ Use the Actions menu to begin recording or playing back a PMATE script file. The following are the currently available PMATE actions. Record Record a script file Playback Playback a script file Playback segment(s) Playback a script file using selected segments from the script. ═══ 32. Record ═══ After you have a script file open you may begin a recording session. If you do not have a script file name in the PMATE titlebar, PMATE will automatically record to the file "UNTITLED". If you have done this you can perform a Save As or obviously copy the file from the prompt. For a detailed description of how the record / playback mechanism works and what new features have been added see all of the following, PMATE_RD.ME, PMATE.DOC, PMATE.INF (Help->Reference). ═══ 33. Playback ═══ After you have a script file open you may begin a playback session. You must have a script file name in the PMATE titlebar. Note you may playback the script in automatic mode as well as interactive mode. Also you can define a log file to store the results of the script. To see a full list of PMATE command line options type PMATE /H from the command line. For a detailed description of how the record / playback mechanism works and what new features have been added see all of the following, PMATE_RD.ME, PMATE.DOC, PMATE.INF (Help->Reference). ═══ 34. Playback segment(s) ═══ After you have a script file open you may begin a playback session. You must have a script file name in the PMATE titlebar. If you have used Segments during record, PMATE will record a Segment_Label in the script. When this is done the user has the option to execute specific segments of a script during playback. PMATE returns the number of errors which have occured during playback. A user can use this return value, together with segmented playback, to provide logical constructs in REXX, Batch, C etc. Note you may playback the script in automatic mode as well as interactive mode. Also you can define a log file to store the results of the script. To see a full list of PMATE command line options type PMATE /H from the command line. For a detailed description of how the record / playback mechanism works and what new features have been added see all of the following, PMATE_RD.ME, PMATE.DOC, PMATE.INF (Help->Reference). ═══ 35. About Box Dialog ═══ This dialog displays product information, such as version number and copyright notice. ═══ 36. Ok ═══ The Ok button closes the Product information dialog box. ═══ ═══ A shared, temporary storage area for data. Data in the clipboard is available to other programs. Only one set of data may exist in the clipboard at any time.