EHLLAPI

J. Clarke

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Oct 20, 2021, 8:25:32 PM10/20/21

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Some years back I put together a nice macro in Excel that greatly
simplified one of our tests. It used EHLLAPI to poke a bunch of test
cases into a 3270 screen (the test was specifically verifying that the
code behind that screen was pointing at the right data sources--using
JCL would have defeated the purpose), grab the output, pull it down to
a PC, pok it into Excel, and compare the results with what they were
supposed to be. Turned an all-day pain in the butt job into about 20
keystrokes most of which were login and password, watch the screen
flash, and look at the nice pretty workbook that already has any
issues highlighted.

Well, the Powers That Be decided that we shall have 64-Bit Excel, and
Attachmate/Micro Focus/NetManage/whoever the H owns Rumba this week
doesn't have an EHLLAPI that works with 64 bit Excel. Before I
rewrite the whole damned thing in Python with an open source 3270
emulator, does anybody have an idea where I might find an EHLLAPI that
works with 64-bit Excel?

Thanks all.

Quadibloc

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Oct 20, 2021, 11:07:53 PM10/20/21

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On Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 6:25:32 PM UTC-6, J. Clarke wrote:
> Before I
> rewrite the whole damned thing in Python with an open source 3270
> emulator, does anybody have an idea where I might find an EHLLAPI that
> works with 64-bit Excel?

Out of curiosity, I did a Google search and found this page by IBM about
that product...

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/personal-communications/6.0?topic=programming-introduction-standard-ehllapi-enhanced-ehllapi-winhllapi

It notes that IBM provides three versions of EHLLAPI:

Standard EHLLAPI (16- and 32-bit)
WinHLLAPI (16- and 32-bit)
IBM Enhanced 32-bit HLLAPI (ELLHAPI32)

Since 64-bit versions of Windows have no problem running pure 32-bit software written for
Windows 95, it's only 16-bit software for Windows 3.1 that they can't run, in my ignorance
this suggests that IBM's Enhanced 32-bit HLLAPI might *possibly* work, but as I certainly
can't guarantee that, you'll need to ask around. But at least there's a *hope* something
exists that might work.

However, reading further through that page, the other two versions of EHLLAPI have
separate 16-bit and 32-bit interfaces, and so if the 32-bit interfaces of either of them
don't work, there is likely to be a problem.

Searching a bit more, I found this Microsoft page

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/language/concepts/getting-started/64-bit-visual-basic-for-applications-overview

which claims VBA allows 64-bit Microsoft Word, Excel, and so on to call 32-bit
APIs. But I have to assume this is all stuff you've already tried, and it hasn't
worked.

John Savard

Quadibloc

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Oct 20, 2021, 11:20:48 PM10/20/21

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The short form is this:

- no, there isn't a 64-bit EHLLAPI floating around
- but the 32-bit one you have should work just fine IF:
you have the source code to the macros that your application uses to call the
32-bit EHLLAPI, and you can modify it and stick the resulting macro back in.

Just add declarations that say that the calls use 32-bit data types instead of the default
data type which is 64 bits, and you're off and running.

Not that I really believe that it will actually be that simple.

John Savard

Quadibloc

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Oct 20, 2021, 11:30:57 PM10/20/21

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Further web searching has turned up others that have asked the same
question as you:

https://code400.com/forum/forum/tips-techniques-tools-announcements/iseries-tools/153833-ehllapi-in-excel-64-bit
https://www.tetcommunity.com/blogs/personal-communications-session-api-pcsapi-in-ibm-personal-communications

and apparently the answer is: no, it can't be made to work in the
ways I was hoping. However, I also found this:

https://dn-computing.com/history.htm

The company DN-Computing already makes a 3270 emulator with
64-bit EHLLAPI. So apparently there may be a solution available to
purchase off the shelf.

John Savard

J. Clarke

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Oct 20, 2021, 11:55:59 PM10/20/21

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Yep. None of it works.

J. Clarke

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Oct 21, 2021, 12:03:22 AM10/21/21

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Thank you very much. Your Google-fu is strong.

And that's cheap enough for a single user that I can buy my own copy
and convince myself that it works with Hercules before I go to the
boss.

Peter Flass

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Oct 21, 2021, 8:00:42 PM10/21/21

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I read that PCOMM supports 64-bit HLLAPI.

--
Pete

J. Clarke

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Oct 21, 2021, 8:37:06 PM10/21/21

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I am surprised that we don't already have that available. Of course
IBM does the usual IBM trick of making you call and talk to a
marketroid before they'll deign to tell you you can't afford it.