Version:

2.0

Date:

10.1.2002

Language: English

SAPConsole User Guide

SAPConsole User Guide

Copyright 1999 SAP AG. All rights reserved.

No part of this documentation may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
for any purpose without the express permission of SAP AG.
SAP AG further does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the
information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these
materials. SAP AG shall not be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, or
consequential damages, including without limitation, lost revenues or lost
profits, which may result from the use of these materials. The information in
this documentation is subject to change without notice and does not represent a
commitment on the part of SAP AG in the future.
Some software products marketed by SAP AG and its distributors contain
proprietary software components of other software vendors.
Microsoft, WINDOWS, NT and EXCEL and SQL-Server are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
IBM, OS/2, DB2/6000, AIX, OS/400 and AS/400 are a registered
trademark of IBM Corporation.
OSF/Motif is a registered trademark of Open Software Foundation.
ORACLE is a registered trademark of ORACLE Corporation, California,
USA.
INFORMIX-OnLine for SAP is a registered trademark of Informix Software
Incorporated.
UNIX and X/Open are registered trademarks of SCO Santa Cruz
Operation.
ADABAS is a registered trademark of Software AG.
SAP, R/2, R/3, RIVA, ABAP/4, SAPoffice, SAPmail,
SAPaccess, SAP-EDI, SAP ArchiveLink, SAP EarlyWatch, SAP
Business Workflow, R/3 Retail are registered trademarks of SAP AG.
SLnet, is a registered trademark of Seattle Lab, Inc.
SAP AG assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in these materials.
All rights reserved.

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Contents
1

SAPConsole ..........................................................................................4
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4

Introduction .........................................................................................4
Components.........................................................................................4
Features ...............................................................................................4
Limitations...........................................................................................5

SAPConsole Administrator..................................................................6

Profiles ..................................................................................................7
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4

Creating Profiles ..................................................................................7

Deleting Profiles ..................................................................................7
Editing Profiles ....................................................................................8
Setting the Default Profile....................................................................8
SAP R/3 Connections............................................................................9

4.1 Manually Defining a Connection..........................................................9

4.2 Using Existing Connection Parameters from SAPLogon ....................10
5.

General Settings..................................................................................11

I/O Engine...........................................................................................13

SAPVtio ..............................................................................................14
7.1 Configuring SAPVtio.........................................................................14
7.1.1
7.1.2

Output Stream ........................................................................................ 15

Input Stream........................................................................................... 17

Preparing the RF Terminal for Users................................................18

Appendix.............................................................................................19

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SAPConsole User Guide

1 SAPConsole
1.1 Introduction
As part of SAPs ongoing effort to build on R/3 core business logic and offer it
for non-standard display environments, SAPConsole has been developed to
extend R/3 functions to support character-cell terminals, including radio
frequency (RF) devices.
SAPConsoles main responsibilities are:
Connecting to, and exchanging information with, the R/3 System. This
information is usually in the form of descriptions of screen elements and
their contents.
Managing the interaction between users and screens. SAPConsole utilizes
an I/O engine, an additional software component through which all
SAPConsole user-related I/O operations are performed.
SAPConsole is independent of vendor-specific devices and communication
protocols.

1.2 Components
SAPConsole consists of the following elements:
SAPConsole interface module
SAPConsole Administrator. For more information, see SAPConsole
Administrator.
I/O engine. For more information, see I/O Engine.

1.3 Features
SAPConsole:
Provides the backbone for interfacing with external devices, without the
need for third-party middleware
Enhances the display coverage of the standard front-end SAPgui
component for character-cell environments
Provides an open interface for proprietary I/O engines
Is compatible with standard ABAP/SAPgui application
Supports standard ABAP/SAPgui development
Enables efficient testing and maintenance, with the possibility of
performing application testing locally in a standard SAPgui environment
Enables increased reusability of the ABAP/4 environment
Provides vendor-independent support for character-cell RF terminals
Is a single source for both GUI and character-cell terminals
Involves minimum application-specific development

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Supports multiple configuration profiles

Supports text boxes, check boxes, radio buttons and push buttons

1.4 Limitations
Currently, SAPConsole has the following limitations:
It requires the Windows NT /2000 platform to support RF devices.
It does not support some advanced SAPgui features such as tab strips,
Active X controls and GUI XT

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2 SAPConsole Administrator
The SAPConsole Administrator provides you with the option of creating and
editing usage profiles. It is available as a Microsoft Windows control panel
applet.
Using SAPConsole Administrator, you can define one or more profiles
according to your needs. The profile specifies the R/3 System to which to
connect, and the I/O engine that a SAPConsole instance is to use.
There are no restrictions as to the usage of a profile and the number of profiles
you can define. Several instances of the SAPConsole may simultaneously run
on the same machine. These instances may either use different profiles or the
same one.
To open SAPConsole Administrator:
In the Control Panel, choose SAPConsole Administrator.
The SAPConsole Administrator screen appears.

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3 Profiles
A profile is a group of settings, identified by a unique name, which is used by
each instance of the SAPConsole. Each profile holds the information that
determines the behavior of a running SAPConsole instance, including which
R/3 System to connect to, and which I/O engine to use.
When you select a profile, the profiles name is passed on to the SAPConsole
instance as a command line parameter (sapcnsl.exe p <profile_name>).
To select a profile:
Choose the name of the profile from the profile tree on the left side of the
SAPConsole Administrator screen. The following sections appear on the right
side of the screen:
SAP R/3 connection
Terminal engine
General settings
The name of the selected profile appears on the bottom right hand corner.

3.1 Creating Profiles

You can create a new profile from the beginning or create one with the same
configuration as an existing profile.
To create a new profile from the beginning:
1. In the profile tree, right-click Profiles and choose New profile.
2. After you have configured the profiles settings, choose Apply. The system
saves the profile.
To create a profile based on an existing profile:
1. Select an existing profile.
2. Right-click the profile and choose Clone.
The system creates a new profile with the same configuration as the
original profile, and assigns it a new name and sequential number.
The configuration of the I/O engine will not necessarily be copied. For
more information, see I/O Engine.

3.2 Deleting Profiles

To delete a profile:
1. Select the profile.
2. Right-click the profile and choose Remove.

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3.3 Editing Profiles

You can change the configuration and name of a profile.
To change the configuration of a profile:
1. Select the profile and modify its settings.
2. After you have changed the profiles settings, choose Apply. The system
saves the profile.
To rename a profile:
1. Select the profile.
2. Right-click the profile and choose Edit name.
3. Enter a new name for the profile.

3.4 Setting the Default Profile

You can set any profile as the default profile.
To set a profile as the default profile:
Double-click the profile or right-click the profile and choose Set as default.
The name of the profile is displayed in bold.

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4 SAP R/3 Connections

The SAPConsole Administrator allows you to either manually define a
connection to the SAP system or use existing connection parameters from
SAPLogon.

4.1 Manually Defining a Connection

You can add a new system by manually entering the R/3 connection
parameters. This requires the determination of a host and router. Adding new
systems to the SAPConsole Administrator does not automatically add them to
SAPLogon.
To manually define a connection for a profile:
1. Select the profile.
2. In the SAP R/3 connection section, enter the following details:

Host name

The name of the host.

System ID

Number of the system to which you are logging on

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Router

Complete SAP router string

Trans Code

The first transaction code that will be executed

4.2 Using Existing Connection Parameters from SAPLogon

You can use the connection parameters of any system that has been added to
SAPLogons list.
To use existing connection parameters from SAPLogon:
1. In the General settings section, choose SAPLogon Selection.
The System and Trans Code fields appear in the SAP R/3 connection section.
2. Select a system.
3. Enter a transaction code representing the first transaction that will be
executed.

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5 General Settings

You can configure the following general settings for a profile:

Field/Button
PB Brackets on/off
Truncate unused lines
SAPLogon Selection

Optional Log Screen

Skip message confirmation

Screen columns and rows

Key mapping

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Description
Push Buttons are/arent concluded in brackets
The ability to define whether unused lines (such as
frames and empty lines) require truncation
Allows you to choose the method of logging on.
For a further explanation, refer to SAP R/3
Connections.
The option of connecting to the R/3 system via a
modifiable logon screen (Program: SAPMSYST,
number: 0025)
Allows for the automatic confirmation of R/3
messages (for example, when SAPConsole is
started in batch mode).
This function is particularly useful for customers
with middleware programs who want to avoid
double messaging.
Allows you to configure the size of message
screens
The option to remap the function keys that are sent
from RF devices to R/3.
Process as F no remapping
Process as CTRL + F for example, F1 is
substituted by Ctrl + F1

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Name
chose

SAPConsole User Guide

Field/Button

Code page

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Description
Process as SHIFT + F for example, F1 is
substituted by Shift + F1
Process as CTRL + SHIFT + F for example,
F1 is substituted by Ctrl + Shift + F1
Provides various character sets and language
support
ANSI Code page the default ANSI code page
OEM Code page the default OEM code page
By number a specific code page number to be
defined

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6 I/O Engine
You can select the I/O engine through which SAPConsole and the user interact.
There are three types of I/O engine:
Configurable (system wide): The engine is configurable, but does not
support profiles. Changing the engine configuration of one profile will also
change the engine configuration of all other profiles.
Configurable (by profile): You can configure the engine for each profile.
Cloning a profile does not clone the configuration of the I/O engine.
Non-configurable: You can not configure the engine.

To select an I/O Engine:

1. In the Terminal engine section, select the name of an engine.
2. Choose Config to configure the engine.
NOTE: For further information on a specific engine, see the engines user
manual.

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7 SAPVtio
SAPVtio is SAPs flexible, telnet-oriented default I/O engine, developed to
provide an easy and vendor-independent way to use SAPConsole from all
prominent RF devices.
SAPVtio capitalizes on the fact that all devices have built-in support for telnet
emulation. For devices that support ANSI/vt220 telnet emulation, you do not
need an external I/O engine, but rather a running telnet server and SAPVtio. A
typical installation of the SAPConsole framework includes the installation of
SAPVtio.
Although the telnet protocol and emulations are well known and accepted
independent standards, there are sometimes subtleties in the way different RF
vendors and different telnet servers implement them. SAPVtio can easily be
configured to work with different implementations. This flexibility allows
SAPVtio to support the widest range of devices and telnet servers.

7.1 Configuring SAPVtio

You must configure SAPVtio according to the requirements of the telnet server
used. Generally speaking, telnet servers offer two modes of work:
1. Direct (raw mode): The telnet server passes the output of the program
directly to the client, without any intervention or filtering. In this case,
SAPVtio writes escape sequences directly to the client.
2. Indirect (advanced mode): The telnet server expects the output to be
coming from a telnet ignorant program that regularly calls up the
Windows console and uses it to communicate its output. In this case, the
server interprets these communications and translates them into equivalent
terminal emulation escape sequences, which are then sent directly to the
client.
In rare instances, a telnet server may also offer similar modes of work for
special key (for example, function key) input. It might be configured to
translate incoming escapes into their corresponding Windows virtual key
codes, or to let the original escape path go directly to the program, which
recognizes and interprets it.
SAPVtio supports configuration by profile only. For more information on
configuration by profile, see I/O Engine.
To configure SAPVtio:
1. In the Terminal engine section, select SAPVtio as the I/O engine.
2. Choose Config. The SAP Terminal Server Configuration dialog box appears.
The SAP Terminal Server Configuration dialog box allows you to specify

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which type of input SAPVtio has to expect and which type of output it will
produce.

7.1.1 Output Stream

Standard console output
Select Standard console output for interpreted output. SAPVtio writes regular
Windows console output and the telnet server then interprets and converts this
output into telnet commands.
Convert attributes to colors
Since SAPConsole is oriented towards character-based terminal devices,
different types of screen fields are distinguished by having different terminaloriented attributes, such as being underlined or reverse video (inverse). For
example, a mandatory field is marked as such using the inverse attribute to
catch the attention of the user.
The Windows console does not support all of these attributes but can produce
colored output.
Some telnet servers, like the Seattle Lab SLnet product, enable the display of
different terminal attributes (such as inverse, bold and underlined) on the RF
terminals by mapping them to a combination of different console colors. The
server interprets certain colors as mapping to certain terminal attributes, and
sends their corresponding escape commands to the client terminal. This makes
it possible for SAPVtio to write console-oriented (colored) output, while

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retaining the terminal-oriented visual separation between field types on the
client side.
To define the mapping of console color combinations to attributes that your
server supports:
1. Select Convert attributes to colors and click the corresponding button. The
Mapping dialog box appears.

Terminal Attributes

Console Attributes

2. Select the attributes to modify the output on the RF terminal The text on the
RF terminal will be displayed as inverse, bold and/or underlined, depending
on the combination of foreground and background colors.
Display
Regular

Inverse

Underlined

Select
Output Attributes:
Foreground Red
Foreground Green
Foreground Blue
Input Attributes:
Inverse
Output Attributes:
Background Red
Background Green
Background Blue
Input Attributes:

Underlined

Output Attributes:
Foreground Red
Foreground Intensity

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SAPConsole User Guide

Enable bell signal
Select Enable bell signal if you want to hear a bell upon receipt of an error
message (for SLnet only).

7.1.2 Input Stream

Standard console events input
Select Standard console events input if you are using an application, such as
SAPConsole, which runs on a telnet server and performs all of the escape
sequence interpreting internally (receives the interpreted virtual keys from the
telnet server, rather than the actual escape sequence sent by the RF device).

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8 Preparing the RF Terminal for Users

The administrator should take measures to ensure that the connection to the
SAPConsole is established automatically for any user calling up the telnet
server via an RF terminal. The user will be required to only enter his or her
user name and password to start working in the R/3 System.
If the administrator does not do this, it will be necessary to inform the RF
terminal user as to which command line he or she must enter after connecting
to the telnet server.
The administrator can define profiles that differ with respect to:
The R/3 system to which the user connects
The first transaction code that will be executed
The I/O engine to be used
If the administrator wishes to assign one or more users to a specific profile, this
must be done via the telnet administrator. The users themselves are defined in
the telnet server and each of them can then be assigned to a profile in the
SAPConsole Administrator.
The exact action taken by the administrator will depend on personal
preferences and the I/O engine used.
Example 1: There is a need to define different profiles for different
activities
The administrator should define different profiles with different transaction
codes. For instance, one transaction code may be for cycle counting and the
other may be for putaways.

Example 2: The RF terminals being used have different screen sizes

The administrator should define two different profiles with different
transaction codes. One transaction code will be for larger screens, and the other
will be for smaller screens. The administrator can then assign each different RF
terminal to its appropriate profile.

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9 Appendix
Specifying escape sequences
The telnet server converts the escape sequences that it recognizes to the
Windows virtual keys. The SAPVtio engine uses the virtual keys.
For more information on the escape sequences and virtual keys, see the
VT220.TXT text file provided with the SAPConsole package.
Here, an example of the file contents:


 
  !"#
%$'&( *)+',.-0/123'
45267 980:;/"#
#<(.=
:2>:/2:?':0@
A <(CBBD
FE0B
CBBH FED
A2G
A )CBB0 FE
AJI CBB.KL FEM
#K#N1B2B=
FE2K
B26MN1B2B267 FE=
BN1B2B
FE'6
B'&0N1B2B'&( FE
OD''N1BD' FEP&
OD2BPN1BD2BQ FE0B0
#RN1SH T<P,
O=N1SP T<P,2 
2UUBD2DQ FE'BB1V+22W/+PXY:
2UUBD.Z FE'BDCV+22W/+PXY:
2UUBD( FE'BV+22W/+PXY:
2UUBDJK[ FE'B0V+22W/+PXY:
2UUBD2=Q FE'B.KV+22W/+PXY:
2UUBD 6H FE'B=CV+22W/+PXY:
2UUBD2Q FE'B26\V+22W/+PXY:
2UUBD&
FE'BCV+22W/+PXY:
2UUB( FE'B'&V+22W/+PXY:
2UUBB7 FE0D'V+22W/+PXY:
2UUB'DQ FE0D2B1V+22W/+PXY:
2UUB2Z FE0DDCV+22W/+PXY:
2UUB( FE0D V+22W/+PXY:
2UUB K[ FE0D'V+22W/+PXY:

Each line in the file identifies one escape sequence recognized by the telnet
server. A line starting with % is considered to be a comment only and is
disregarded.
The escape sequence is identified by 3 parameters:
1. The escape sequence characters (not including the ESC character that starts
the sequence)
2. The ASCII key code that is to be generated upon recognition of this
sequence (usually 0 for extended keys)

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3. The Windows Virtual Key code to be generated upon recognition of this
sequence
All numbers specified in the terminal configuration file are in decimal format.

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