Sun 3270 Pathway

Welcome to 3270 Pathway, a Java Bean which allows access to Telnet 3270 end-systems from Java applications and applets.

Note: This documentation assumes that you are familiar with Java concepts, in particular the difference between a Java applet and a Java application, and how a Java applet is downloaded from a Web Server to a Web Browser and subsequently executed.

Some of the features 3270 Pathway provides include:

Direct access to TN3270 systems.
Ability to incorporate a TN3270 emulator into your own Java programs.
Optional graphical display.
Property change event generation.
Support for 3270 models 2, 3, 4 and 5 in both extended and non-extended mode.
Host system time-out control.
Fully customizable settings.

3270 Pathway operates within the Java 1.1 environment, so it can be used within JDK 1.1, an IDE that supports JDK 1.1 or a web browser that supports JDK 1.1. See topic 2 below for more details.

Before trying to use 3270 Pathway you should take a moment to read the following topics:

Once you have installed and configured 3270 Pathway you can try running the 3270 Pathway Sample

Users wishing to program directly to the bean should read the associated javadoc API documentation.

Users wishing to use the 3270 Pathway Navigation Recorder should read the 3270 Pathway Bean Development Tool introduction page.

More comprehensive documentation can be found in the Sun 3270 Pathway User's Guide

Important note for Users of the 3270 Pathway Bean Developer Tool on Windows platforms

Users of the 3270 Pathway Bean Developer Tool should note that a bug exists in some versions of the Java Foundation Classes (Swing) 1.1 which can inhibit the correct operation of the developer tool.

This bug manifests itself as a drawing of the internal windows of the development tool with black title bars. Some of the menu options then cease to operate correctly.

This problem has been raised with JavaSoft, but until a fix is available, a workaround is to disable the Windows look-and-feel, and use the Java look-and-feel (also known as 'metal') instead.

This can be done by setting your CLASSPATH environment variable to use the Swing JAR 'swing.jar' which only contains the metal look-and-feel rather than 'swingall.jar' which contains all look-and-feels.

For more details on setting CLASSPATH please see the 3270 Pathway User's Guide.